In April 2016, I booked a trip to Harry Potter Bridge and Silver Sands of Morar with Student Tours Scotland. Following my 2016 Bucket List Challenge, I wanted to visit Glenfinnan Viaduct (a.k.a. Harry Potter Bridge) so I was thrilled when I found out about this trip. As an avid Harry Potter fan this was the dream tour, however, I was even more excited to see the Silver Sands of Morar, after I saw a couple of photos of the beach. I just couldn’t believe that such a place exists in Scotland. So, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see it.
The tour started at 8.00 am, our first stop was at the Green Welly for some hot drinks. Afterwards, we were ready to embark on the journey of getting to know Scotland and its natural wonders. The first place we saw was Prince’s Cairn on Loch nan Uamh. The cairn marks the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie fled Scotland on 20th September 1746 after the failure of the Jacobite risings of 1745. The place is fun to explore. I definitely recommend going there with comfortable shoes, as otherwise, you might miss a chance of going on the rocks and snapping some good photos.
I was actually more fascinated with the sand. It was even prettier than on the photos I had seen. But I still could not believe that such places existed here, in Scotland.
Next, was the most exciting part of the trip – Glenfinnan village and the Glenfinnan Viaduct. We had around 1.30h to walk around, take photos and enjoy the nature. There were a couple of things to see at Glenfinnan, the main one being the viaduct. But there were also the beautiful Loch Shiel, the Glenfinnan Monument and St Mary and St Finnan Church. There is also a viewpoint with a beautiful view of all the sights. As you might guess, I did not make it to all those places. First, my friends and I headed to the monument and the loch to enjoy the beautiful views.
After that, we went to see St Mary and St Finnan Church situated at the head of Loch Shiel and we tried throwing a penny at the church bell. You are supposed to make a wish and if you can make the bell ring, by throwing the penny, then, your wish will come true. Trust me it is harder than it sounds, but it is fun to try.
That was the last stop for the day. On the way to Glasgow, we passed Fort William but there was no time to stop. Gary told us one last myth and then we played bingo. And thus almost imperceptibly we arrived back in Glasgow.