The two and a half hour trip from the Glasgow city center to the Highlands was worth every second. Our coach driver was incredible as he handled the twisting back roads with ease; there was hardly a foot of space between our coach and the car on the other side of the road. Thankfully, I didn’t have to fight off any motion sickness, as I was too distracted by the vibrant forest of bright greens and towering trees. I pressed my face to the window to get as close to the views as possible. It was a sight to behold, but when we turned a corner and Loch Loman came into view, my breath was stolen away. I practically sprinted from the coach to reach it.
The large expanse of water shimmered in the morning light, nearly blindingly bright. The mountains rising in the distance made it easy for me to imagine myself on horseback, galloping toward the horizon with a sword strapped to my side on my way to defend a castle. Through my daydreaming, we hiked along a short path that led to a set of rocks overlooking the loch. Getting close enough to dip my hand in the frigid water made the entire setting actually feel real. It was such a gorgeous sight that I had a hard time believing that my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me.
From the Loch, we continued on deeper into the Highlands. The mountains were absolutely incredible, driving from the ground like a god above the land. There were no houses, no buildings, just an endless stretch of valleys and cliffs. We stopped on the side of the road in Glencoe to take pictures of the seemingly fictional scene before us. I stood there quite literally in shock and the first thing I thought was “Wow, this looks like something from straight out of How To Train Your Dragon.”
“How To Train Your Dragon '' has its inspiration from Scotland, and it is one of my all-time favorite movies. It was a dream come true to be able to witness the sweeping peaks that I spent my entire childhood obsessing over. I could have convinced myself that I saw Toothless diving through the valleys, and leaving this specific part of the Highlands left an empty hole in my chest, like I was abandoning something exceedingly important.
Along our exploration of the Highlands, I found the history fascinating. I loved the folklore and attachment that the people have to their land. One of my favorite parts of Scottish culture is the idea that if you are native to Scotland and die outside the country, your soul will continue to travel until it arrives back home in Scotland. This was described in a song called “The Bonnie Bonnie Banks of Loch Loman.” I found myself jealous of such a deep connection, and desperately wished I was part Scottish to belong to something so paramount.
