So with our trip to Scotland only two months away, I thought I would update you on our plans for the first week. Things may change slightly between now and arriving in the UK, but the closer we get the firmer the plans become. I'm starting to get excited!
Day One - Monday 21 May
My dad and I fly into Manchester Airport at around noon on the the 21st of May, from there we pick up our hire car and should have a spare hour or two before visiting my uncle who lives nearby and driving north to Motherwell in Scotland. Motherwell is close to Mossend, where my dad spent some of his childhood but more on that in a few months.
Day Two - Tuesday 22 May
After heading to Motherwell first thing in the morning, we will arrive at Clydeside distillery who will have the honour of being our first distillery visit of the trip. Next stop is Ardrossan, on the North Ayrshire coast. From Ardrossan, we will catch the ferry to Brodick on the Isle of Arran. I wasn't planning to visit the Isle of Arran during this trip but I figured I may as well since we could go through there on the way to the Kintyre penisular. Obviously, we plan on visiting the Isle of Arran distillery in the north of the island whilst there, before departing on the nearby Lochranza to Claonaig ferry. The visit to Arran will be short, but better than missing it completely.
We will end the day travelling to Carradale (the closest accomodation to Campbeltown we could find during the busy festival week) our home for the next few days and then check out Campbeltown about 30 minutes drive south. I had considered attending the Glen Scotia dinner on this night, which is part of the Campbeltown Malts Festival; however, we will likely be battling jet lag at this point and will need a good rest before properly exploring Campbeltown the following day.
Day Three - Wednesday 23 May
I will be making up for missing the Glen Scotia dinner the night before but attending one of the Glen Scotia Dunnage tasting and touring the distillery today. The rest of the day will be spent exploring the town itself.
Day Four - Thursday 24 May
The fourth day of our trip is Springbank Day! Hot on the heels of the Springbank dinner the night before, my dad and I have a massive day planned; kicking off at 11:30am we have tickets for the Longrow & Hazelburn Masterclass, The Director's Cut (The Good, The Bad and The Ugly) Tasting, Springbank New and Forthcoming Releases.
Day Five - Friday 25 May
Today we conclude our Campbeltown Malts Festival experience with a Cadenhead Warehouse Tasting, Kilkerran Masterclass and finally the Cadenhead Masterclass.
Day Six - Saturday 26 May
Our plan for our first Saturday is to drive from Carradale to Blackford to see the Highland Games. After the games we will drive back to Drymen, near Loch Lomond for the night.
Day Seven - Sunday 27 May
Sunday will see us visit Glengoyne distillery for a whopping 5-hour Masterclass! Time permitting we will visit Loch Lomond distillery on the way back to the Kintyre Peninsular where we will be staying in Campbeltown for the next five nights while I attend the Springbank Whisky School.
So there ends the plan for the first week of our trip to Scotland. What do you think? Do you have any firsthand experience or advice to share? Please let me know either in the comments or via social media.
