SCOTLAND, Part 2: THE HIGHLANDS AND EDINBURGH, Guest Post by Steve Scheaffer and Karen Neely

Scottish Highlands.

In October 2025 my brother Steve and his wife Karen visited Scotland, touring the Highlands and also visiting Glasgow and Edinburgh.

“We found Scotland a very pretty country and the people were very kind. The biggest drawback was that there were so many tour groups as well as individual tourists. As we headed into the highlands a big storm, Amy, blew in, making a lot of our outdoor activities uncomfortable.  Our tour leader did a good job but you can't change the weather!”

Despite the raindrops, Steve and Karen managed to take a lot of terrific photos. They have graciously shared a selection of them with The Intrepid Tourist. (This is Part 2 of their report.)

The Scottish Crannog Centre. Reconstruction of Iron Age loch-dwellings known as "crannogs".

Thatched roof. 

Castle ruins.

Monument to the Battle of Culloden, 1746. The graves of the gallant highlanders who fought for Prince Charlie are here.

Ancient standing stone.

Aerial view of Edinburgh.

The Writers Museum, Edinburgh..

Fresh vegetables and ice cream.

SCOTLAND, Part 1: GLASGOW AND THE HIGHLANDS, Guest Post by Steve Scheaffer and Karen Neely

Scottish Highlands.

In October 2025 my brother Steve and his wife Karen visited Scotland, touring the Highlands and also visiting Glasgow and Edinburgh.

“We found Scotland a very pretty country and the people were very kind. The biggest drawback was that there  were so many tour groups as well as individual tourists. As we headed into the highlands a big storm, Amy, blew in, making a lot of our outdoor activities uncomfortable.  Our tour leader did a good job but you can't change the weather!”

Despite the raindrops, Steve and Karen managed to take a lot of excellent photos. They have graciously shared them with The Intrepid Tourist. (Part 2 will post next week.)

Gothic tower of Glasgow University.

Mural, Glasgow.

Another one of many public murals, Glasgow.

Old Packhorse bridge, Carrbridge, Scotland.

Celtic Cross.

Herding sheep.

Scottish longhorn cattle--on a rare sunny day.

Large copper pot used for distilling spirits at a whisky distillery. 

Bag piper.

Part 2 of Steve and Karen's trip to Scotland will post next week.

HIKING AND BIKING IN NEW ZEALAND, Part 3: Guest Post by Cathy Mayone

New Zealand, Milford Sound

Over the Christmas holidays, my niece and her husband, Cathy and Mike Mayone, spent two weeks in New Zealand, driving, biking and hiking on both the North and South Island, enjoying the southern hemisphere summer and New Zealand's unique landscape. I thank Cathy for sharing their trip with The Intrepid Tourist. For more about their biking experiences, you can go to her blog .

Queenstown

Part 3:  New Zealand’s South Island Alps, Lakes and Fiords

As our airplane approached Queenstown, we marveled at the surrounding snow-capped mountains.  As we procured our rental car, the agent casually said, “Oh, you are lucky to have landed. They often divert to Christchurch due to the weather.”  Having heard about the terrible floods that had been ravaging the South Island in the prior weeks, I had been monitoring the weather and relieved that we had some partly sunny days ahead of us.  Given the unforeseen weather, I had also kept our itinerary loosely planned for our five days in Queenstown, which makes for a great home base for many of the South Island’s sites.

Otago Wine Trail

We rented bikes in the old historic town of Arrowtown.  Its buildings reminded me of Colorado’s Old Western towns.  Upon hiring (as they say, rather than renting) the bikes, we didn’t get very far since the Farmer’s Market was just coming to life.  Once on our way, we headed to the Otago Wine Trail that follows a creek to the larger river and gorge.  The highlights of this trail include two suspension bridges we had to cross, one of which was quite long.  The trick is to not look down and not have too many people the bridge at once!  

Kawarau Gorge suspension bridge

We also came to the Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge, the world famous, original bungie jumping site.  Seeing even the most fearful people give it a go, it was tempting, but the vineyards were beckoning us.  The vineyards are all right along the trail so we stopped at a couple of them before turning around for the return.

Drive to Milford Sound

We picked one of our sunniest days to go to Te Anau and the Milford Sound.  Your options are to fly, bus, or drive from Queenstown, with some tours providing combination fly/bus/cruise day trip options.  It’s a two hour drive to Te Anau, and then another two hours to Milford Sound.  We seriously considered the expensive flying option, but determined there were too many things we wanted to see along the way.  Mike was up for driving, so call us crazy, but we did a day trip, stopping in the small lake town of Te Anau in both directions for a break.  The beautiful landscape kept us occupied the whole trip, and the road into Milford Sound cuts through a tunnel rather than having too many hairy turns, so the driving was more manageable than anticipated. 

Milford Sound cruise

Once in Milford Sound, we took Cruise Milford’s two hour “boutique” cruise, which was a smaller boat advertised not to be filled to capacity.  It is recommended that you book in advance during the high season, as it would be a shame to show up in Milford Sound and not be able to get a cruise.  Also, there are not many eating options in Milford Sound, so plan for picnic food.  The other tip is to avoid the $10 / hour parking that is closest to the cruise docks and do the free parking / shuttle that is near the airport, making sure you allow enough time.

Milford Sound waterfall

The cruise does a loop on Milford Sound going down on one side to the opening of the Tasman Sea and back on the other side.  The greenish-blue Sound waters contrasted beautifully with the steep, snow-capped mountains abundant with waterfalls.  The boat even went up under some of the waterfalls, giving advance warning to those who did not want to get wet! 

Lupines

We made several stops along the way in and out of Milford Sound such as Mirror Lake, and to take pictures in the fields of lupines--the beautiful, pink and purple flowers that bloom all over New Zealand in the summer.  We arrived back in Queenstown around 10 pm at night, just as the sky was turning to night.  (New Zealand summer days (December) are filled with long daylight hours, making this day trip more doable.)

For a shorter day trip from Queenstown we did the 90 minute drive over to Lake Wanaka.  It was one of the busier lakes with swimmers, kayakers, jet skiers, boaters, and parasailers.  Tired from our previous two days, we kept it simple with a beach take-out lunch and a lakeside walk.  Plus, we needed to conserve our energy to stay up for the New Year’s Eve Queenstown activities.  After happy hour on our balcony, we walked down into town around 7 pm when we heard the music begin.  There were local bands playing to an enthusiastic, mostly middle age with children crowd.  We found it to be a very “sane” New Year’s celebration but perhaps it was still early.  We headed back to our AirB&B for dinner and balcony viewing of the fireworks at midnight, and we wished our family and friends a Happy New Year 18-21 hours before the U.S. would celebrate.

Mount Cook Visitor Centre

We kept New Year’s Day, a partly rainy day, even simpler and opted for a walk around Queenstown, including Queenstown Gardens.  The next day, we headed out for the last part of our trip, driving two hours to Twizel, and then another 40 minutes past Twizel to Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest peak.  We oriented ourselves at the wonderful Aoraki Mount Cook National Park Visitor Centre. 

Hooker Valley track

Having fallen in love with New Zealand’s suspension bridges, the Hooker Valley 5 km fairly flat track afforded us with three bridges leading us to Hooker Glacier Lake and closer views of Mount Cook.

Hooker Valley hike destination with view of Mount Cook

Back in Twizel, we checked into our AirB&B, slightly different accommodations, as it’s a true B&B in the home of its owners with a farm of three sheep, two young cows, and chickens. Our balcony looked out onto the fields where a Lord of the Rings battle took place. Twizel and the surrounding areas are known for their bright star viewing. With the long days, we were too tired to wait for the pitch black sky but we left the curtain ajar for a quick peak when we awoke in the middle of the night. Twizel, and so many towns we encountered in New Zealand, made us feel like we were returning to a time in the U.S. pre-Big Box stores and Amazon Prime. The towns still have the locally owned hardware and clothing stores, pharmacies, and bakeries.

Lupines and Lake Pukaki

We perhaps saved the best for last with our final bike ride, the Alps 2 Ocean ride, which is one of New Zealand’s 22 great rides.  From Twizel, we rode through the middle of wide open pastures with views of the mountains.  And then we reached Lake Pukaki, with its stunning turquoise blue water juxtaposed with the white capped Aoraki (Mount Cook).  It looked even more stunning on this day now that the Australian bushfire haze had dissipated.  We rode the trail around the lake until the trail ended, ate a picnic lunch, and then did the return trip to Twizel.

Our time had come to make the final drive to Christchurch to catch our plane home.  We left New Zealand wondering why we had never had it on our bucket list. Its people, beaches, mountains and activities afforded us a lifetime of memories and a reminder why we travel.

Related articles and links:

For more information about New Zealand’s amazing Great Rides cycling initiative and an in depth look at all of our New Zealand biking adventures, visit my “Great Riding” articles on my Swim Bike Run Survive blog.

For an in depth look at the Milford Sound, check out Owen Floody’s three part series.

Our South Island accommodations included:

Queenstown – 5 nights in a large apartment with lake views

Twizel – 2 nights in a B&B with small farm

HOMAGE TO SUNDIALS: Eight Year Anniversary of The Intrepid Tourist

Giant wall Sundial at Redlands University, Redlands, CA

Eight years ago I launched The Intrepid Tourist as an outlet for my travel writing. Since then I have posted a new article once a week, accumulating a whopping total of more than 500 posts--some about far away places, others much closer to home. Most are about my own travel experiences, but others are about the trips made by family and friends. I thank all my guest posters who have contributed reports of their adventures on The Intrepid Tourist and shared their personal views of the world.

Berkeley Botanical Garden, Berkeley, CA

In many of my travels, I have come across sundials and been fascinated by both their beauty and technology. In celebration of the beginning of a new year of The Intrepid Tourist I an sharing a few of my sundial photos. 

Sundial Bridge, Redding, CA

Ranging in size from the giant sundial bridge at Turtle Bay in Redding, California, to a small garden decoration sundial at the Clark Library in Los Angeles, each one has its own special character.

Sundial by Eric Gill, UCLA Clark Library garden, Los Angeles, CA

The oldest known sundial was found in Egypt found in the Valley of the Kings (c. 1500 BC). I have never been to Egypt, but in Rajasthan, India, there is a collection of nineteen architectural astronomical instruments built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh II, and completed in 1734. It features the world's largest stone sundial. I visited this amazing UNESCO world Heritage site when I was in India in 2000.

Stone sun dial at Jantar Mantar, Rajasthan, India

The marker, or gnomen, at the center of the sundial casts its shadow as the sun moves across the sky and indicates the time of day. Importantly, its angle must be equivalent to the Earth's latitude at that point.

Sundial at the Santa Barbara Zoo, California at 4:00 p.m.

A simple way of telling time by the sun is with your own shadow. At the Santa Barbara Zoo, in Santa Barbara, California, is a sundial that is read by standing in the center and casting your own shadow.

Alpha and Omega Sundial in memory of Harriet M. Gale, Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa. Paul T. Granlund, Sculptor

At Grinnell College a sundial in the center of campus honors the wife of a retired physics professor. At the University of North Carolina, the Morehead Sundial is on a plaza near the center of campus and has an accompanying plaque that tells us exactly where we are on Earth. I love sundials. They are beautiful and functional and as long as the sun is shining, will always tell the time.
Happy 8th Anniversary to The Intrepid Tourist!

Morehead Sundial Plaque, UNC Campus, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

SIX DAYS IN LONDON, Part 1: Guest Post by Paige Arnold

Tower Bridge, London, England

My granddaughter Paige, age 12, spent six days in London with her parents during her spring break and kept a diary of her daily activities (a family tradition.) She has written them up in this blogpost. I am impressed with the number of things they did and the detail of her report. I thank her for her excellent writing! Part 2 will post next week.

My first day in London was very nice.  We rented an apartment near the London Bridge, which is in a very nice neighborhood.  It’s close to the tallest building in the U.K., the Shard.   

The Shard, London's tallest building, was designed by Renzo Piano and is 1016 feet tall

We walked around a bit, and ate dinner at a pub called “The Garrison Public House.” They had some classic English food like mushy peas and fish and chips.  It was great food. Before that we walked across the Tower Bridge, which is one of the many bridges crossing the River Thames. 

Fresh juice at the Borough Market

The second day, we went to the Borough Market. It’s a big market with many stands selling a variety of foods such as meat, fresh produce, and baked goods. To have lunch, we went to somewhere called Fish! in the market. There was lots of seating and great food. They even gave me and my dad a napkin and a little bowl of water with a slice of lemon in it, just in case we had greasy fingers from our lunch.

Tower of London

Later that day, we went to the London Dungeons. It was around 80% fun haunted-house-like and 20% historical.  It was fun, and there was a water roller coaster in the middle of the tour. They went over many subjects, such as the torture methods, the plague, and murderers. It was very realistic and neat to go through. Also, the tour guides were very good at acting. For dinner, we went to a restaurant named Sartoria.  It was really fancy and the food was super great and rich. The only problem was that it took a really long time for us to leave because they forgot to give us our check. 

At the Olympic swimming pool

On the third day, we went to the Olympic complex to swim. They have three pools: a competition pool, a training pool, and a recreation pool.  They are all very nice, and the competition pool has a good depth. Afterwards, I went outside into the enormous park to draw people.  

Climbing wall in park outside Olympic Complex

There was a playground, a climbing wall, and it was right next to a river which had boats you could rent.  Right across the river, there was West Ham United.  We spent around 1 hour 30 minutes there, and then went home. 

Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theater, London

That night, we went to Wicked, which was playing in the theater district. It’s kind of like the prequel to the Wizard of Oz that shows the Wicked Witch of the West’s backstory.  But, it was shown in a different format, with her going to high school.  It lasted about two hours, with a 15 minute intermission in the middle.  Before that, we went to an Indian restaurant called Simply Indian.  The food there was the best Indian food I have ever tasted, even though it was just this little hole in the wall place on a side street.

High Tea at Sketch

For the fourth day, we went to this place called Sketch for high tea.  It’s a modern restaurant with art posted all around where you eat.  They had really nice plates and cups and things that said random stuff on them.  For example, forget about it was written on the bottom of each teacup, ghosts was written on all the teapots, and it’s ok and it’s not ok were written on the sides of the little sugar bowl.  

Egg bathroom at Sketch. Inside each individual egg, forest music was playing.

But the coolest part of the restaurant was the bathroom.  Both the men and the women went through a door; then there was this giant fat egg thing in the middle of two curved staircases. Oh, and the whole bathroom (including the stairs and the giant fat egg) was pure white. The women went up the staircase on the right, while the men went up the staircase on the left.  Then comes the most interesting part. The toilets were inside eggs. There was a cluster of about 8-10 eggs on both sides.

National Portrait Gallery

After that, we went to the National Portrait Gallery. They had a lot of portraits of kings such as King Charles II and King Edward VII.  For dinner, we went to a pub called Trinity.  They had some very interesting food. My dad ordered whitefish fries, which we thought were deep fried pieces of whitefish, but they were entire fried mini-whitefish! My mom ordered fish and chips, which came with the fish’s skin and scales on. Overall, the food was good. I had a good time. 

Old London phone booth

Photos by Paige Arnold and Matt Arnold


Look for part 2 next week.