When thinking of classy places to visit, many come to mind. But is there a place that combines classy elements with rough nature and offers incredible indigenous craftsmanship? We found it in Scotland. Let us tell you why we think this northern country is the ultimate destination for gents!
Vibrant coffee culture in Edinburgh and Glasgow
As we land in Edinburgh after an early morning flight from Geneva, we want to go straight to a coffee shop. Luckily we arranged a car pick up directly at the airport. For this road trip we chose a versatile yet sporty car and found the perfect model: Jaguar F-Pace SVR. But now, off to get coffee!
In recent years, Edinburgh has developed a vibrant coffee culture. Many small, independent coffee shops have opened. Moreover, the Scots have discovered the fun in roasting their own beans! This resulted in a number of new micro roasters all over Scotland.
Eventually, we decide to visit the lovely coffee shop Strumpets in the West End district. Owner Ingrida is preparing the delicious flat whites and espressos herself! She managed to create a warm coffee shop atmosphere with a nice interior design and a cozy outdoor seating area.
Here, we settle down for a bit in order to make plans for our trip ahead. The flat white tastes great and we can't help ourselves but order another round! Ingrida is a very welcoming host and she shares with us many insider tips that are super useful for our planned journey.
Unfortunately, we don't spend more time in Edinburgh because there would be more great coffee shops around. For top notch barista coffee we can recommend The Milkman, Leo's Beanery or Söderberg. Find the complete list here!
The next day, we wake up in Glasgow. Scotland's cultural hub is just a one hour drive away from the capital city. Here, we stop at East Coffee Company in the up and coming Dennistoun district. They recently opened a second outlet just around the corner from their original store.
Here, at 30 Hillfoot St they also roast their coffee beans. We love how this gives the location an artisanal and crafty touch! First, we enjoy a round of fresh flat whites and talk about watches from Jaeger-LeCoultre.
Personally, we love to wear the iconic Reverso. More specifically the Reverso Classic Large Duoface Small Seconds. With two time zones on both dials, this watch is both classy and useful! We love how the proportions of the dial are adhering to the famous golden rule and embodies the Art Deco style. What are you thoughts about it?
But now back to the café. Here, a wonderful brunch gets served. The kitchen crew is extremely creative and offers re-interpreted breakfast classics like pancakes, pain au chocolat or banana bread. We are blown away by the fusion flavors that the pancakes with rhubarb and ginger offer!
Other good coffee shops in Glasgow include Wilson Street Pantry, Steamie Coffee Roasters and Papercup Coffee Company. Find the whole list here!
Road trip through the Highlands
After two days in Scotland's largest cities it is time to head up north. After all, the Highlands are the main reason why we came to Scotland. Incredible landscapes, wonderful drives, wild animals, Scotch whisky and local delicacies. All that is awaiting us!
First, we drive from Glasgow through the Loch Lomond National Park. The scenic drive along the Loch Lomond would already be worth this trip. However, our goals is the iconic Glen Etive near the town of Glencoe. Here, some sequences of the final scene in Skyfall were shot. Cool, right?
Also, wild and majestic stags can be spotted right from the narrow road if you get lucky. We did!
After a night in Fort William, at the foot of Scotland's tallest mountain Ben Nevis, we continue our drive up north to Skye. On our way, we get to see stunning scenery and experience wildly changing weather. From sun, to rain, to snowfall in only a couple of minutes!
Because our stay on the Isle of Skye was so memorable, we dedicated it a separate blogpost which can be read here.
After a night on Skye at The Three Chimneys and The House Over-by, we set out for a long drive. Our destination is the iconic region around the Dornoch Firth. On our way there we have to once again battle adverse weather conditions. Luckily we did not run into any issues with our reliable Jaguar F-Pace SVR!
What distilleries to visit?
Since we are whisky enthusiasts, we recently started publishing articles about the topic. Our love to Highland spirits was also one reason why we decided to take this trip! Now, when it comes to Scotch, the island of Islay is a hotspot for great distilleries. Two of which are Laphroaig and Lagavulin.
However, there is also an excellent distillery on Skye. For now it is even the only one on the island! Talisker crafts a rather smoky and rich whisky in a very scenic location. Just next to their production premises, Caora Dhubh Coffee Company has opened a small takeout shop a while ago. Now you can get properly prepared for your distillery tour by having a delicious flat white!
As mentioned before, we drove all the way from Skye to the Dornoch Firth region. Here, a high concentration of world-class whisky brands can be found. Two of which, we will be visiting!
Just as the sun sets, we arrive at the charming Tarrel Farmhouse, situated right at the coast. Jennie and Joe are lovely hosts and make us feel very comfortable. We are happy to have found a cozy place for a good night sleep after a long drive.
The next morning we get an early start. After a delicious breakfast with home-made, barista-style coffee (!) we head to the nearby Glenmorangie House. This wonderful estate has a long history in the region. Moreover, lots of the Barley Glenmorangie uses for their whisky, grows just around the property.
Next, we go on a distillery tour at Glenmorangie. The brand is one of the most iconic Scotch producers in the world and we hence dedicated a whole blogpost to our experience there. Read it here!
Since Glenmorangie is a rather big brand, we also wanted to visit smaller company. In Balblair we found the ideal distillery! It is situated just a couple miles away in Edderton. Here, people have been distilling since 1790. It is not surprising that the people working at Balblair are very proud of that long tradition.
At Balblair they only operate two stills. However, their whisky is incredibly smooth and quite rare because of the small quantities they produce each year. We highly recommend reading this blogpost we published about Balblair if you want to know more about this fascinating brand.
After two days at the Dornoch Firth, we head down south again. On our way we stop in Wilkhaven to see the Tarbat Ness Lighthouse and then in Cromarty again to have a coffee at the wonderful Slaughterhouse Coffee. Here, you can enjoy a clean flat white right at the waterfront - wonderful, isn't it?
This is where we end our travel report from Scotland. Do you agree that Scotland is the ultimate destination for gents? Leave a comment with your favorite place in this magnificent country!
If you want to read more about road trips in the UK, we recommend you to read this blogpost about Southern England.
DE 
EN