Scotland Road Trip: Glasgow & Edinburgh
Travel Diary
Day 7-9
We've pretty much completed our road trip now. Now leaving Isle of Skye, it's time to see a bit of Glasgow and try out the different vegan food available in Glasgow.
We stayed in Kumar Suites which we found on Airbnb like the other places we stayed on the trip. The flat had everything we needed. It was very spacious even by North American standards. 12yearsavegan's friend join us in Glasgow as well.
After looking around the place we headed to Mono which is a vegan pub/music venue and had a nice dinner. There was so many options that it was hard to choose. Scottish pub food made vegan. We aren't used to having so many options so it took us awhile.
One of us got the chickpea salad vegan cheese melt and the other got a buffalo tempeh wrap. They were both excellent. Plus we got apple pie with ice cream and chocolate avocado cheese cake..
We must have been a bit tired from the road trip because we went back to the Kumar Suites and watched some TV before heading to bed.
The next morning we drove to Kind Crusts which has vegan donuts, pastries, and sandwiches. We got some donuts and then ended up preordering some donuts for the next day.
We walked around the city centre of Glasgow exploring for awhile and then headed to a place called Stereo for lunch. This is yet another vegan pub/cafe/music venue.
After lunch we went to the Lighthouse which is the national centre for design and architecture. They have a tower with a good view of the city.
We were impressed by the view and then noticed there is an older but taller tower in the lighthouse so we headed over there.
Yeah the view was much better from the real lighthouse viewing point at the top of the tower. The tower used to be a water silo to use in case of fires as the building was the home of the newspaper The Glasgow Herald.
The Duke Wellington statue with the traffic cone on his head was much more entertaining than anything inside the GoMA.
The Christmas lights were out and we headed to the Christmas market. Every city has a Christmas market but we like to check them all out. There was some rides and a big Christmas tree. The big shopping street had a lot of lights as well. It was really busy with people cramming in some last minute Christmas shopping.
We packed it in for the night and made some dinner at Kumar Suites since we had some food left over from our supplies earlier. We watched some TV and relaxed. Our friend 12yearsavegan and his friend went out on the town and didn't come back until late.
We went to Glasgow Cathedral afterwards to see inside. It is a pretty nice cathedral.
We drove to Edinburgh and found a place to park near the Castle. We walked towards new town and went to the Scottish National Gallery. Edinburgh definitely looked a lot different this time of year compared with when we went during the Fringe Festival.
The Scottish National Gallery was pretty cool. We liked the art a lot more than the stuff in the GoMA.
We went inside this one bar called The Dome just to take some pictures since it is always decorated really well. It was fully booked and really pricey so we went to Nova Pizza to get some food.
It was very Italian looking inside and we really enjoyed the pizza there. The vegan cheesecake was really good as well. One of us had a pepperoni pizza and the other had a quatro fromaggio white pizza. Both pizzas were really tasty but we each liked our own the best.
The train fare we paid for the trip was such a good deal. We paid £40 return for both of us which is really cheap if you compare it to what it usually costs to travel to Edinburgh from Birmingham.
The Scotland Road Trip was epic and we were very satisfied with how it worked out. It took quite a bit of planning but it all worked out in the end as we got to see many wonderful sights. We were really thankful that 12yearsavegan was able to do the driving since neither of us have a valid UK drivers license. It was a lot of driving and we saw a lot more of Scotland than we ever imagined we would see. I think we've explored Scotland more than just about anywhere else.
We would very highly recommend that anyone go on a Scotland road trip. It is one of the best road trips you could go on and you would not be disappointed.
Want to take this trip?
Check out our Itinerary "9 Day Itinerary for Road Tripping Around Scotland"
I went to Edinbrugh Jan 2016. It was FREEZING. I did not dress for the weather. My fiance (now husband) even took off his pants and let me wear them (he was wearing leggings under them).... And I was still freezing. The second your feet get wet... You are doomed to be cold until you take your shoes off. We did however wander the castle for about 5 hours and we had the most amazing lunch prior - at a Lebanese place right outside the castle walls. OMG. You have no idea. It was absolutely, positively the best meal my husband and I have ever had in our entire lives. And to think, I forced him to go there because I didn't want to be outside anymore - ha ha!
ReplyDeleteEdinburgh is not the place to be if you haven't dressed for the weather. We went there in June 2011 wearing hoodies and jeans and we were freezing our asses off. We should have wore a coat. January would be way worse! I'm glad you had a good time there nonetheless and a great meal at the Lebanese place. :)
DeleteI keep seeing great posts about Scotland! I really need to get there sometime soon. Glasgow Cathedral looks amazing - and the food all looks pretty good too.
ReplyDeleteThose donuts were amazing! We absolutely adore Scotland.
DeleteHonestly, I'm surprised there were so many vegan options! It sounds like you had a great time exploring the city.
ReplyDeleteVeganism is becoming more widespread which is amazing! Glasgow is one of the most vegan friendly cities in the UK.
DeleteIt's nice to see one can find such appealing vegan dishes in Scotland. I wouldn't have believed it. I only knew Scotland was famous for its beers and whiskeys. I like your photos, they've awakened my desire to travel some more :)
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear! Glasgow and Edinburgh are really great for vegan options.
DeleteThe views that you got from the top of the lighthouse are on point! Plus, the Christmas market looks very festive and a lot of fun. Would definitely like to see Scotland one day.
ReplyDeleteHope you make it one day! The view was great. :)
DeleteThis looks like you're having an awesome time!! I always enjoy a good chickpea salad vegan cheese melt, and who can pass up a donut??
ReplyDeleteThose donuts were amazing. We couldn't resist going back a second day.
DeleteI am bummed I didn't make it to Scotland while in Europe. I will have to do a roadtrip on my return because this looks unreal!
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing. We hope you get to do it one day!
DeleteI wish I spent more time in Glasgow during our Scotland trip. We were there for barely a day and really didn't get to explore that much. It looks like a lot of fun with tons of great food. I'm not vegan, but I've been cutting down on meat, so very cool to see a lot of great vegan options. Hopefully I'll be able to make it back there, but your video looked like a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteWe've been back to Glasgow a few times and still have more to explore. The food was delicious!
DeleteI've never been to Glasgow but I'm inspired to try it after seeing what you did. I'd go Airbnb as well, you got a great deal. I'd go for a lot of meat to eat, I'm not a vegan. I live in England so it's good to know about the cheap train. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Sad to hear that you would be on the search for meat. Those vegan pubs are amazing. Most of the people there aren't vegan, you should really check them out.
DeleteRoad drives help to see more of a place. We have done three road trips through Europe but not yet through Scotland. Airbnb is yet to be experienced, feeling a bit inspired by your experience now. :) Mind blowing views from lighthouse top.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to do another road trip in Europe. Scotland is pretty spread out and you really need a road trip to see it,
DeleteThat apple pie with ice cream looked delicious. But I am actually more curious about the chocolate avocado cheese cake...never even heard of a cheesecake from avocado (which means I still need to know a lot more about cheesecakes) :)
ReplyDeleteAvocado cheese cake is amazing! It is so creaming. I always order it if the restaurant has one on the menu.
DeleteAppreciable couple with a great passion of travel & food. I hope best of luck for your upcoming days. Adios.
ReplyDeleteThank you. <3
DeleteThe trip looks wonderful. The vegan recipes look delicious. And the Kumar Suites looks quiet comfortable. Will be awaiting more exciting stories ...
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed.
DeleteEdinburgh was one of the places in Scotland that really took my breath away. The view from Carlton Hill at sunset is amazing.
ReplyDeleteEdinburgh is a lovely city.
DeleteOne of the things that I find amazing is that you can get vegan haggis! Sounds like you had a great time and Glasgow offered lots of options for a vegan diet, which is great. I'm off there myself soon and I fould the tips about viewpoints super helpful. I'm a sucker for climbing up high for a view. Glad to see that you loved Scotland, it certainly is a pretty country. Happy travels.
ReplyDeleteAs glorious as vegan haggis sounds, it still tastes bad! :P We always climb to the tallest towers and this one in Glasgow is free! Enjoy it.
DeleteI am reading the concept of a vegan cheesecake and vegan Donut for the first time. I would love to try that. Being a vegetarian myself, I would love to try them. What is the Pepperoni Pizza made of?
ReplyDeleteHope you get the try them! I really don't know what the pizza is made of. Heres there website! http://novapizza.co.uk/
DeleteA road trip to Scotland is something that I should do, too! After reading your posts, it makes me more interested to visit Scotland. I heard a lot about Glasgow and Edinburgh and I think I will try to visit those when I go back to Europe later this year. Aside from GoMA, I think I will also visit the Glasgow Cathedral.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely great to start and finish in either Glasgow or Edinburgh. Scotland is amazing.
DeleteI think I would love to see the Glasglow cathedral. Ideally I would want to explore more of the rustic Scotland than Glasglow. It kind of looks like a regular city.
ReplyDeleteGlasgow is probably one of our favourite places, but I know what you mean. Scotland has a lot to offer.
DeleteVegan food has always seemed somewhat mysterious and complicated to me but I would eat most of what you have featured (except the vegan haggis lol). Good to know that Scotland has great options for you. I spend a few days in Edinburgh years ago and I have always wanted to return.
ReplyDeleteVegan food is delicious! Glad you could eat most of this. :P
DeleteI loved exploring Scotland. Your night photos are wonderful. I'd never have guessed there was so much vegan food on offer
ReplyDeleteThanks. Glasgow is amazing for vegans
DeleteThe soup looks delicious, as do the donuts :D
ReplyDeleteIt's a good think to have so many vegan options to choose from.
When we have too many options, we can't stop eating! :p
DeleteI'm dying reading this! All that food looks so good and I'm waiting for my lunch break at work and it's making me so hungry!! I can't believe there is a specifically vegan pub.. that's pretty amazing! I've never come across that before.
ReplyDeleteHahaha. There are 3 vegan pubs!!
DeleteI've always wanted to go there! Love the views you photographed and that cathedral is beautiful! There are a handful I've been to in the US and it's one of my favorite things to visit. The architecture, the history- it's the best! And good on you for sticking to your eating habits while traveling! It's not always easy to find places that make food for everyone's needs!
ReplyDeleteCathedrals are great to explore. So lovely.
DeleteLooks like what a fun road trip you had! Glasgow & Edinburgh are on my bucket list and hope to visit there someday in my life. Also, the food looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteIt was a great trip! I hope you get there soon.
DeleteLooks like you guys had a lovely time in Glasgow. I'm glad to hear that there's a lot of options to eat vegan food. In some places is still hard work to find good restaurants with that kind of menu. As for the GoMA, it depends on your personal taste. Sometimes I like some exhibitions, some times I also find them confusing. It depends on the artists.
ReplyDeleteGlasgow is amazing for vegan food! GoMA does really depend on personal taste.
DeleteI've always wanted to visit Scotland and Glasgow looks like the perfect way to end your road trip! I think I would really enjoy the view from the Lighthouse. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIt was a really great way to end it. Good friends, good food, great view.
DeleteWonderful sights. I have always had Scotland in mind (Even since watching Braveheart). On an unrelated note, seems you have got your own domain now. Congrats.
ReplyDeleteThank you, we did! Scotland is amazing.
DeleteWould be nice to visit Scotland one day. For me that wouldn't be to find vegan food, but to see all the castles and the nature. There is just something special with green hills with a castle on the top. Do you know if Glasgow or Edinburgh is most worth a visit? :)
ReplyDeleteIf you are looking for exploring a castle, than I would suggest Edinburgh.
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