By Lauren Kammerdiener

Lauren Kammerdiener tells us about her newfound love for the Scottish Highlands.

The biggest blessing in my life since returning to St Andrews this semester has by far been my flatmate Ryan’s car. It’s a little blue Peugeot 206, decades old but speedy and cozy, the perfect size to fit all four of our flatmates.

When I first came to St Andrews, I was in utter awe of the conveniences of public transportation, but after being spoiled by Ryan’s car, the ability to get out of town and take a little road trip feels first class.

Back in August, we drove to the Cairngorms for a little three-day, two-night getaway, simply to drive and hike and listen to good music. After missing out on a half semester with both each other and our beloved Scotland, we wanted a way to get out and do something while still remaining safe and responsible, and, thanks to Ryan’s car and the beauty of AirBnB, we were privileged enough to do just that.

So at the end of August we set out northward early one soggy Monday morning. Our first stop, at my insistence, was the little town of Dunkeld, a place I had previously stopped when I had followed a similar route with my family last September. It’s a charming stop for a little brunch and a quick stroll around the historic cathedral along the river.

From there, we headed to Loch Faskally for the sole purpose of allowing our flatmate Matthew to jump in the water for a short swim while the rest of us sat nice and dry on the shore and skipped rocks.

Then we began our ascent into the park, and by ascent, I mean ascent — Ryan’s little car barely made it up and through the Glenshee Pass. The elevation change going up into the Highlands is quite striking; in under an hour of driving, the landscape changes dramatically, becoming mistier, hillier, and more barren, with denser inland forests quickly giving way to rocky hills of grass and heather. After the most strenuous part of the drive, we were able to relax a little and truly sit and absorb the natural beauty going by outside the windows of the car.

We chose to stay in Braemar, right in the middle of the park, where we were near enough to a town to be able to do a quick shop at the local co-op and load up on groceries, but also still remote enough to still be in the throes of nature without crowds of other holidayers around. Our AirBnB was incredibly charming and in a great location, with a lovely view of the hills surrounding us, although our favourite feature was by far the real wood-burning fireplace we curled up to that night.

The next morning we woke up, ate breakfast, and stepped out our back door to begin our big hike of the trip. We were fortunate enough to have Morrone Hill literally in our backyard and just a fence climb away. Though someone who has always considered myself fond of hiking, I’d never actually done a whole mountain before, and boy, was it worth it. The view was incredible, and our sense of accomplishment even more so.

We spent the rest of the day chasing farm shops and waterfalls, taking back roads and making random scenic stops before finally reseeking the coast and following it all the way down from Arbroath. Our last stop before heading home was, somehow fittingly, the KFC in Dundee, all five of us worn out and maybe ready for some alone time, but satisfied and content, the way only a good road trip can make you feel.

And I truly believe you really do need a good road trip every now and then, just to get the simple beauty of sitting in the backseat, passing the phone around to add songs to the queue, and staring out the window, still, silent, and content. Driving is, in my opinion, the best and most beautiful way to experience Scotland.

St Andrews is a place in which it is easy to entrap yourself, now more than ever: I so often forget I’m even in Scotland. It‘s certainly a privilege to get stuck here, and it is also a privilege to break out and see what all Scotland has to offer. This is a place which tucks majestic waterfalls and crumbling castles in its back pockets, its history and beauty nestled just off the side of the road for you to hop in a car and discover.

This was a trip I don’t usually indulge in, one with little to no plans, just the road and the car and wherever those two things could take us. If this pandemic has taught me anything, it is to be flexible, to be adaptable, to go with the flow and let myself drift, and being able to finally return to Scotland and take this trip seemed a culmination of that.

It is stolen moments I live for these days, to be honest, and I stole many sitting in that car for three days with some of my favorite people in the world. For once, my travel wasn’t about seeing all the sights or checking off a list of things to do but about absorbing the landscape and the company that surrounded me.

ST.ART does not own the rights to any images used in this article.