I awoke the morning of May 19th, 2017 groggy and sleep deprived. This didn’t matter though, because I was waking up with the sun in order to experience a dream of mine that was finally about to come to fruition. On this beautiful May morning, four out of five McFarlands headed out at the crack of … More The Scotland Series: Conquering Ben Arthur or Something Like That
With our muscles nice and loose after climbing around Stirling, we were warmed up and ready to make a grand McFarland return to where it all began: Loch Lomond, located in southern Scotland, about an hour north of Glasgow. The MacFarlane clan claimed an island in the middle of the lake as their own and … More The Scotland Series: Return to the Loch Day 1
My 2014 excursion through Scotland came and went and left me with an unshakeable desire to return sooner rather than later, and hopefully with my family in toe. I don’t know about others with Scottish ancestry, but my family loves ours. Let’s take for example the Property Brothers, Jonathan and Drew Scott.“But they’re Canadian!” you say. … More The Scotland Series: Great Scot! We’ve Reached Stirling
North of Edinburgh, along the Water of Leith, sits an area by the name of, well, Leith. Although it is part of Edinburgh, Leith has a history all its own as a prominent port town that wasn’t incorporated into the big city until 1920, and it is oft ne’er discovered by the normal tourist. We, … More The Scotland Series: A Quick Hobble Through Leith
It is strange looking back to admit that we never intended on staying in Edinburgh. I honestly do not remember the reason; perhaps we had our sights set on the more rugged, outdoorsy side of Scotland—nothing says “rugged” like St. Andrews, home of the rich white man’s favorite sport— or we didn’t want to follow … More The Scotland Series: Bumbling through Edinburgh
Scotland. The land of my forefathers and the land of half the people I know’s forefathers. Very unsure there was any kid in my grade who didn’t have either Irish/Scottish ancestry (Yes, I’m lumping them together; I know they aren’t the same. It’s gonna be okay) or were Jewish. My clan, MacFarlane, were particularly troublesome. … More The Scotland Series: Being Local in St. Andrews
I’m willing to bet that most people reading this haven’t thought of going to Wales. Wedged in the middle of England, Scotland, and Ireland, it’s three neighbors tend to get tacked onto travelers’ lists leaving a surrendered Wales there in the corner asking, “Someboooody? Anybooooody?” Being a middle child, I feel for Wales. The “somebody, … More Wales: The Middle Child of the UK
Buckle your seatbelts and grab a pint (in an airplane, not in a car, that’s incredibly dangerous and illegal)- we’re headed to Ireland! We’re going to make our way around the country, making a kind of wonky horseshoe. Hopefully one day I’ll have seen enough places to make it a proper circle, but today is … More Ireland: I mostly remember what I did there
Want to try something different on your next excursion? I’ve got you covered. This is part 1 of my favorite spots off the beaten path. As fun as big cities can be, I always enjoy heading to places that many of my fellow Americans have never heard of, and they tend to be places that … More My Favorite European Destinations Off the Beaten Path: Part 1
The Wanderluster 