Family visit to Ireland and Scotland

During Sept/Oct my sister, Cathy, came to visit for four weeks and our brother joined us during the second two weeks.

I have uploaded all my photos and some of my sisters. You will find them here:

Photos Photos Photos

Ireland

My sister, Danny and I went to Ireland for one week and stayed in Fintra Bay, Killybegs. We did not have a view of Fintra Beach from the holiday house we rented but were just a very short walk from this lovely beach. This was Cathy's first trip to Ireland and my first trip to this area of Ireland.

The first two days of our visit there were very high winds and pounding rain, but fortunately it cleared up later in the week.

Some of the places we visited in County Donegal.
Slieve League - highest sea cliffs in Europe

Donegal Castle

Donegal coast

Also did daytrips to:
Letterkenny
Ardara
Glenveagh National Park
Glencolmcille Folk Village
...and a few small town/villages

Co Sligo tourism
Visits in Sligo included Sligo Abbey and the guided tour was very interesting and surprising.  On the way into Sligo we stopped to see the grave of poet William Butler Yeats, and also did few detours to see some of the beautiful beaches.

On the way to catch our ferry at Larne in Northern Ireland we took a detour to see the Giants Causeway.  The weather was pleasant that day and we enjoyed our walk on the stones. I have wanted to see the causeway for a long time but it didn't seem to be a convenient detour on any previous trips I'd taken to Ireland.

Two weeks after my sister arrived, our brother, Larry, came to stay for two weeks and tour Scotland. He enjoyed his first trip to Scotland and like me, took many photos.

Scotland

Our first destinations were in our county - Argyll. First stop was Kilmartin Glen, an area with over 800 monuments, cairns, standing stones, stone circles and rock art over 5,000 years old.

Kilmartin standing stone

After Kilmartin we spent the night on Seil Island so that we could do this boat trip.  We were impressed by the Garvellachs.  As a bonus we had a dry, mild day for scampering along the rocks and up hills.

Kilmartin Church

Larry on Garvellachs

The following week we spent two nights in Edinburgh which included a trip to the castle and the National Museum of Scotland. On the way back home we stopped at Rosslyn Chapel.

Edinburgh from castle

Another stop was Linlithgow Palace. It was home to the Stewarts and is where Mary Queen of Scots was born.

Linlithgow Palace

On a trip to Glasgow we visited the Burrell Collection, and the Glasgow Riverside Transport Museum. Unfortunately, we were unable to visit the Glasgow University Anatomy Museum which disappointed Cathy greatly.

We spent a day visiting Stirling Castle and the National Wallace Monument (Braveheart). Our final day was spent in Inveraray. The siblings enjoyed a tour of the castle while Danny walked the grounds.  We finished the day with a stop at Fyne Ales followed by a delicious dinner at the Whistlefield.

Stirling Castle

I have done a few reviews on Tripadvisor for this trip:

Mhor Bread Tearoom - Callander, Stirling

Garragh Mhor B & B - Ellenabeich, Isle of Seil

Wetherspoons pub & restaurant - Playfair, Edinburgh