To make the most of a cross-cultural experience, students who spend a semester abroad should take full advantage of the opportunity to travel as much as possible, in between classes of course. This might seem like an obvious statement, but I fear how easy it is to slip into a comfortable routine and never leave campus. This definitely happened to me during my first few semesters at Susquehanna University, so I am making every effort to avoid falling into a pattern here at the University of Stirling (UoS) as well.
Bucket List
Over the summer, I wrote a list of all of the events and places I wanted to visit in Scotland. Since arriving, I've added more based on recommendations from locals and ideas from friends I've made here as well. While I probably won't have enough time to cross them all off, it's nice to have a list to work off every time I want to plan a day or weekend trip.
Balloch Park
Near Loch Lomond, this park has a Fairy Trail that is lined with tree stump carvings. The local who carves them started creating these whimsical statues to repurpose the stumps of trees that had been removed. He is still expanding on the collection, so there are new carvings popping up around the trails every once in awhile.
Doonies Farm
Have you ever seen a highland cow? The calves look like large fluffy dogs and I really want to hug one. This petting zoo in Aberdeen has highland cows, goats, pigs, horses, and other animals that are anxious for affection.
Camera Obscura & World of Illusions
The Outlook Tower has a 360 view of Edinburgh, sitting on top of 5 floors of optical illusions. The learning center is over 150 years old and located really close to the Edinburgh Castle.
Isle of Skye
This island sounds like Narnia - with faery pools, puffins, and its own castle, Armadale. I plan on going for a day to hike around, take pictures of the waterfalls, and visit the Isle of Skye Candle Co.'s shop.
The Enchanted Forest
There is an annual festival in Highland Perthshire that runs from October to November. Attendees have unlimited time to walk around the forest as the trees are lit up, choreographed to music. About 75,000 visitors travel to see the award winning sound and light show, and this year I hope to be one of them.
Jupiter Artland
This sculpture park in Edinburgh looks like an alternate universe, and entry is only £4.5o. I've been to sculpture parks before, but based on the photos on their website, I can't say I've ever experienced art in this fashion before and I'm absolutely determined to make it there for an afternoon's visit.
Glenfinnan Viaduct
This bridge is famous for being featured in the Harry Potter movies. I can't think of a better way to see the Scottish countryside than to hop on this iconic train ride.
Buchanan Castle
This castle has a bit of a dark history for any WWII buffs. The castle was used as a hospital and some high ranking Nazis were treated there early on in the war. There is a golf course on the grounds that is still in operation today, however, the castle itself is abandoned and overrun by vines.
Transportation
To see as much of Scotland as possible, I've researched several different options for getting around the country.
Stirling Direct
For students traveling by plane, Stirling Direct is the best option for moving in/out of UoS. This service is able to offer students reduced prices for transportation to/from the Glasgow and Edinburgh airports by matching students with similar arrival/departure times. Basically, you're sharing a taxi without having to find someone to share with. Stirling Direct is the middleman, and they offer this service year-round, 24/7. So, if you're hopping on a plane for a weekend trip, you can submit inbound or outbound travel requests mid-semester as well.
FirstBus UniLink Service
Buses leave the UoS hub approximately every 10 minutes during high traffic hours of the day, and every half hour after 5 pm. A single ticket to Stirling Centre is just £1.30, making this the cheapest and most convenient option for getting to town. The final stop is just up the street from the train station.
ScotRail
Traveling by train is the best option for getting from city to city in Scotland. A train ride from Stirling to Glasgow or Edinburgh is about an hour ride and costs approximately £9. Inverness, which is pretty far north in the highlands, would be about 3 hours and cost £35 by train.
Car Rental
In Scotland, car rental companies require drivers to be 26 years old, or 24-25 years old for an additional fee. There is also a maximum mileage of 200 miles before renters are charger per mile. Because of this, car renting isn't the best option for students studying abroad, but I'm still glad I did my research to rule it out.
An alternative to car rental is Uber, which is available around Edinburgh and Glasgow. I may take advantage of this to explore the areas around these cities, after taking a train for a day trip.
Bus Tours
Companies like Heartland and Timberbush offer 1 to 3-day tours around the highlands, usually including accommodations as well. This is the best way to see the highlights of the country without having to rent a car. Heartland is designed for students, picking up and dropping off passengers from the UoS hub. Timberbush, on the other hand, has more options for themed tours, for anyone specifically interested in whisky tastings or touring castles.