Lifestyle

Exploring Scotland: Argyll Forest and Dunoon!

By GabrielaBlogger 03 Mar 2017

I've been living in Glasgow for about two months now and have really been enjoying my time here.

However, I wanted to make sure that I used my time here as best I could and that I would be able to explore the rest of Scotland too.

Studying abroad is an experience of a lifetime and getting such an opportunity means that you should try and make the best of it. I have seen quite a lot of Glasgow and think it's a very nice city, but I wanted to see what else this great country has to offer. Luckily I was easily able to find several tours at great prices that gave me the opportunity to see different sides of Scotland that I wouldn't be able to see if I would just stay in the city. 

I love nature and I know that Scotland is known for having gorgeous sceneries, so when I found a tour that was going to a forest and a cute town I decided to book it immediately. I come from an island, but it's not a tropical island, meaning we don't really have forests. Going to the Argyll forest was absolutely beautiful because you suddenly feel transported into another world.

Living in a city can often make us forget that we live on such a diverse and incredible planet and that's why it's so important to take some time off sometimes.

The waterfalls were very relaxing to listen to, the greenery was refreshing, the walk was uplifting, and the photo opportunities were amazing.

After the hike, we explored some old castle ruins, walked along the coastline, and then made our way to the town of Dunoon. One of the most interesting parts of this trip was that we took a ferry to get to the town. I had been on ferries before, but never with an entire bus! Even though it was very cold, the view from the ferry was beautiful and it was a very enjoyable experience. I loved Dunoon because it was quite small, and there were actually houses there. That might sound strange, but where I'm from no one really lives in apartments and Glasgow is practically all apartments. So, seeing big houses by the Loch was a wonderful sight. It was interesting to find out that most of the houses are inhabited all year round because they look more like vacation homes. Dunoon looks like a very nice town to live in, and knowing that you can take the ferry and get to Glasgow fairly quickly makes it even more convenient. 

Another aspect of the trip I enjoyed was the fact that I was so close to the water the entire time. Coming from an island I am used to being surrounded by the ocean every day. Since moving to Glasgow it's been quite a change, but it's great to know that only an hour away there are lochs you can visit that will give you a refreshing feeling of being outside the city and connected to nature. Scotland has a lot of diversity, not only in the sense of people but also when it comes to landscapes.

Living here you don't really have to spend a lot of money to go on holiday, you can just hop on a bus and be in a completely different world in a few hours!

The final thing I will mention is about the food here. Moving to Glasgow I didn't really know what to expect when it came to food, and I hadn't really thought much about it. I'm used to Hispanic food, which there isn't much of here, but I've tried Scottish food and can say that I've loved it. My favourite type of food here in Scotland is definitely the breakfast. I'm usually not a breakfast person at all, but living here has changed that. I've come to really enjoy the traditional Scottish breakfast with haggis, (yes haggis), and sausage, eggs, toast, and all the other good stuff they put on a plate. Very different than what I usually would eat, but I've been enjoying it. 

I plan on continuing my travels around Scotland and will make sure to post more about that in the future. I can confidently say that this trip was very fun and definitely worth getting up at 6AM for!