You are in Europe now and it is getting cold. Perhaps colder than you have ever experienced before. There might even be snow.
There is definitely something very magical about a white Christmas. Cold weather outside and shorter days invite you to curl up in front of the fire and enjoy a hot drink or mulled wine. There is no stress about a beach bod. The softer, warmer and bigger you are the more attractive the others will find you as they can count on you keeping them warm. This look is also easier to fake than a beach body one – you can just wear layers to achieve the desired results. Little Christmas markets and winter wonderlands start to appear everywhere. You can wear random, funny Christmas jumpers and other fashion killer items, such as colourful woolly pants and long johns. Honestly, what’s not to like in the winter season?
Forget the end-of-summer blues. It is time to start to prepare for the upcoming winter season. Scotland is definitely the best place in the UK to enjoy a bit (or a lot) of snow. So, choose your this winter season’s holiday destinations wisely. If you are going to spend the winter in somewhere cold, do it properly.
credit: MacBackpackers
Here is a wee guide how to beat the winter blues and make the most out of this season by coming to Scotland.
Scotland was chosen to be the most beautiful country in the world, which is a huge honour but not a wonder. People who have visited Scotland definitely agree and if you have not yet been there, we recommend a wee Scotland stravaig for everyone. All the seasons have their own magic and the coldest season of the year is no exception. In the winter time, you can admire snow-topped mountains and clear lochs, wander in snowy glens and admire frosty forests. The landscapes look truly magical with the tiny help of frost and glimmering snow.
credit: MacBackpackers
A good way to experience the Scottish winter and landscape is by ditching the car and going on a tour. You do not need to worry about heavy snowfall, closed roads or your car getting buried in snow while you go to grab something to eat. You can get the most out of the experience by letting someone else drive.
MacBackpackers have tours to Scottish Highlands and Islands all year around. Their 3 Day Isle of Skye tour will be departing throughout the whole winter season two to three times per week and their 5 Day Highland Fling once a week. So you will have a great chance to see the snowy Highlands throughout the season.
It is a unique experience to wander around the Highlands with your guide still wearing a kilt. After enjoying the day playing and wandering in the snow, you can warm up with whisky or gin, and if that does not do the job, traditional Scottish dance ceilidh will do it for sure.
If you are a fan of a traditional Christmas, MacBackpackers also has a Christmas Caper tour that is just made for you. You get to stay in cosy hostels and enjoy traditional Christmas treats with a glass of fizz and new friends (or old if you bring them with you). If you have been nice this year you might even get a little present. There are only a few places left, so be quick to secure your place.
Besides, the traditional Christmas tour, MacBackpackers also hosts the most Scottish way to celebrate the new year – Hogmanay. Scottish New Year’s celebrations are definitely amongst – if not – the best in the world. Hogmanay is an old Celtic celebration and goes back longer than Christmas celebrations in Scotland. Actually, the Protestant church wanted to ban Christmas as it was considered to be a “Popish festival”. The ban lasted almost 400 years all the way until the 1950s. Hence, back in the day, the Christmas or Yule celebrations were started a bit later than these days and winter solstice was celebrated around Hogmanay time. The Scottish festive menu might have been slightly more humble than these days. And did you know that the mince pies are small because, despite the ban, people still wanted to eat them around the Christmas time and used to hide them from investigators of the Protestant church?
credit: MacBackapckers
On their Hogmanay Hootenanny, MacBackpackers organises the tour groups private welcome party, take the partiers in the legendary Hogmanay Street Party in Edinburgh and you get to experience their award-winning 3 Day Isle of Skye tour in the same package. There are only very few places left for their Hogmanay Hootenanny as well.
All MacBackpackers tours depart from Edinburgh – world’s leading festival city. Also, the towns change their look completely when the festive season approaches. So either before or after the tour book some time to spend in Edinburgh Edinburgh hosts the second most popular Christmas markets in the United Kingdom and the most popular in Scotland. The market is massive and has a lot of exciting activities for everyone. You can go ice wall climbing or ice-skating, enjoy traditional Christmas treats with mulled cider, or visit an ice sculpture museum.
If these activities did not fill your winter holidays yet for this year, there are also plenty of winter sports to do. You can go snowboarding, ice-skating, play curling or even climb natural ice walls. These sports are guaranteed to keep you warm while you have fun. But if they are not enough for you can even go snow holing and actually stay overnight in a hole in the snow in the Cairngorms National Park.
So this winter, instead of trying to stay semi-warm in slushy London, go where it gets actually cold. Play in the snow, warm up by drinking plenty of hot alcoholic bevvies and dancing ceilidh with new friends. Experience the ultimate Scottish adventure.
