Visiting Scotland for Hogmanay
Did you know Scotland has their own New Years Eve celebration called Hogmanay? We visited for New Years 2025 this past December/January. It was my first time out of the country except for a quick cruise when I was in middle school. I had seen a TikTok showing the city of Edinburgh singing Auld Lang Syne and decided I had to be there for it. Unfortunately, most of the Hogmanay festivities ended up being canceled, so I wasn't able to see the city sing, but I'll show you what we did instead! My goals were to pet Highland cows, meet someone named Scot, and see the Loch Ness Monster. Read on to see if they were met!
Day 1:
We arrived in the morning and were able to get an early check in to our hotel in the heart of New Town, Edinburgh. We later learned that New Town was designed in 1766 (so much for new) by a 26 year old! After a quick nap we headed over to see Swamplesque, a Shrek themed burlesque show hosted by the Hogmanay event organization. On our way back to our hotel we stopped by the Holiday Market that was still going on and bought lots of awesome crafts such as wool scarves and ornaments. The market is at the base of the Sir Walter Scott memorial. I considered this to be sufficient for my goal of meeting someone named Scott.
Day 2:
On our second day we wandered around Old Town. This is where the castle is located on the Royal Mile. I stopped in IslanderUK to build a handbag in their workshop. There are tons of fun shops to get souvenirs and local items. We were able to find a local market called Tron Kirk which has booths from local artisans.
Day 3:
Today we woke up early and hopped on a Rabbies tour bus. Rabbies tours are much smaller than the many other buses, with only about 10 people per tour. Our bus took us through Glen Coe, where we were able to see a model of an old hut, all the way up to Fort Augustus at the southern tip of Loch Ness. We had plenty of time to grab some lunch and hop on the boat that took us out on the lake. The boat guide spoke on the various theories about the Loch Ness Monster, as did our Rabbies tour guide. They mentioned that MIT had done a study on the various types of DNA found in the water and it managed to find one type that did not match any known organism. The tour guide explained that Loch Ness is connected to the ocean through the canal and she thought that if the monster was real it probably left through there. My other favorite theory was that the monster was a kelpie, a water creature from mythology that could shape shift into a horse and drag unsuspecting humans into the depths. While I didn't see the monster in the lake, I did see how easy it was to mistake the waves of the boat for a monster. Plus, there were plenty of Nessie souvenirs that I counted this goal as achieved! On the way back, we stopped in Pitlochry and tried whiskey infused icecream, which was quite good!
Days 4 and 5:
We took it easy on these days and explored the town more. I found an old book store called Armchair Books that has a great selection of used books. I picked up an old copy of The Heart of Midlothian as well as a 100 year old copy of Alice in Wonderland for my mom. We also stopped in the National Museum of Scotland which had an amazing exhibit walking through the history of Scotland. In there we learned about the Picts who inhabited Scotland in the early Middle Ages and left behind carved stone work whose meaning is unknown. I also recommend taking the bus down to Wheel of Fate craft store and picking up some yarn and wool. I needle felt so this was definitely a priority! We also saw the statue of Greyfriars Bobby, a popular statue that commemorates the dog that stayed at his owners grave for 14 years!
This was when the Hogmanay activities were supposed to really kick off with the Torchlight procession and fireworks. They were both canceled due to high winds so we had to make alternate NYE plans. We took an Uber out to The Pitt which had various food carts, a bar, and a DJ for a dance party. To my delight, as the clock struck midnight, groups all around us joined hands and sung Auld Lang Syne! While not the entire city, it definitely made the trip worthwhile.
Day 6 and 7:
With most places closed for the holidays we didn't do much on Day 6. We spent the day searching for engagement rings as, surprise! We got engaged shortly after midnight. On day 7 we toured Edinburgh Castle and took the bus out to Swanston Farm to see Highland Cows. They had a young cow hanging out near the fence named Haggis, a popular meat dish that I surprisingly enjoyed while there. It had snowed the night before so we did have to trek carefully through the hills.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my adventure in Scotland. If you learned something new please leave a comment! Do you think I succeeded in meeting all of my goals? Thanks and see you next week!
