After visiting Edinburgh, I was off to meet my friend Alice whom I met while doing volunteer work at Poznan, Poland. I would be staying with her family in their farm fairly close to Aberdeen, Scotland. From there, we would be hiking in the Muir of Dinnet, and exploring the nearby town of Ballater and Braemar Castle.
Farms in Northern Scotland
I had a great time staying at Alice’s family’s farm home. There, her younger brother gave me a tour of their sheep farm.
It was cool seeing the sheep grazing. However, it was a little sad knowing they’re all going to be slaughtered once they’ve been fattened enough.
We also went for a drive in the nearby town to buy some ingredients for soup. I ended up cooking for Alice’s family and have them taste some food from the Philippines. Alice’s mom then took us for a ride to check out this really chilly beach.
Muir of Dinnet
On my last day in Northern Scotland, Alice’s dad took us all to go hiking at the Muir of Dinnet. This place kind of felt like Canada because of the abundance of trees in the area.
One interesting area was this place that is only accessible if you hike through a crevice. Apparently, this was used as hiding place for cattle whenever invaders were attacking.
We ended our hike in the Muir of Dinnet by going to the open marsh. Annoyingly, along the way to the marsh, there were tons of bees or hornets in the area. Apparently, they’re quite aggressive and like to attack people. Thankfully, none of us were stung and we had a pleasant walk in the marsh area.
Braemar Castle
A castle that dates back all the way from 1628, this place has been home to many popular figures. After exploring the Muir of Dinnet, Alice’s dad took us to Braemar Castle to do the audio tour.
The entrance ticket to Braemar castle will set you back £8.00 but it’s totally worth it.
The outside is picturesque and I would even argue that it’s better than the interior.
Inside the castle, we got a chance to check out different chambers. One of the rooms stood out to me because it is where the famous book Treasure Island was written. Apparently Robert Louis Stevenson went on holiday in Braemar Castle. There, he began writing Treasure Island which became one of the most iconic books ever written.
After having a wonderful time doing the audio tour, we took some final pictures outside before heading to Ballater.
Ballater
Before going to Braemar Castle, we actually stopped by Ballater to have lunch. We also saw a marathon being held in this town. After we completed our audio tour of Braemar Castle, Alice’s dad thought it would be great for me to finish my visit of Scotland by having England’s favourite pastime: tea time!
We went back to the restaurant we had lunch and this time we ordered some tea and pastries. English people love putting a bit of milk with their tea. They say it makes it tastier and I would have to agree! I happily ate some cake and washed it down with some delicious English tea. English people get made fun of for being obsessed with tea but I don’t blame them! It’s really that good!
Saying goodbye to the UK
After an amazing time visiting Scotland and England, it was time to say goodbye as I head off back to Poland to do some volunteer work. I am very grateful to Alice and her family for showing me around Scotland. I highly recommend everyone to try doing some workaway volunteer work because it is one of the best ways to make friends from around the world.
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