Solo Travel in the UK: From London to the Isle of Skye

The company I used to work for shut down every year during the week of July Fourth. I always like to take that opportunity to get out of the country and away from the days and hours of fireworks in my area. In 2022, I combined that week off of work with a week’s worth of vacation days and did an extended trip to explore the United Kingdom solo. I had such a good time when I was in London in 2019 that I was anxious to get back again for some solo travel in the UK and to see more of this beautiful country.

First Stop, London

My trip started in London where I spent some time with good friends who live there. I also planned to attend an Eagles concert that was part of the British Summer Time concerts in Hyde Park. I didn’t do a lot of heavy tourist attractions in London this time. However, we did head over to Richmond to see the home of my favorite TV series, Ted Lasso.

Exploring Southern England

After the weekend in London, I took a train down to Gatwick airport and rented a car for a few days. Was I nervous about driving on the other side of the road? Absolutely, but honestly, that part was fine. The terrifying part was driving past other cars on the super narrow roads. I felt like that scene in The Holiday when Cameron Diaz’s character is driving and passes the truck with closed eyes and white knuckles. Thankfully, I didn’t have any issues.

My first stop was to check out the Durdle Door, which is a natural limestone arch along the southern coast. It was a beautiful view and I got some great pictures. I continued along to Torquay where I stayed the night and enjoyed a walk around the picturesque town at sunset.

I had intended to get up early the next morning to drive down to Cornwall and visit St. Michael’s Mount, and island you can walk to at low tide. Unfortunately, due to bad weather, my ticket was canceled and refunded. Instead, I slept in, skipped the rest of the sights I wanted to see in England, and started on my drive to Wales.

Onward to Wales

I had three nights booked at a Marriott in Swansea, Wales. Why Swansea? Well, I had some free nights I needed to use at a Marriott, and that one seemed like a nice option. It ended up working really well. I spent one day on a lovely hike to the Four Waterfalls Walk.

On my way back to the hotel that afternoon, I heard a snippet about a concert in town that night, and then they played an Elton John song. I wasn’t sure what I’d just heard, so as soon as I got back to the hotel, I looked it up and sure enough, Elton John was in town that night! I quickly booked a ticket and headed to the bus station to take a bus to the stadium. The show was great, as expected. Due to traffic, I ended up walking all the way through town back to my hotel afterwards. Certainly a night I won’t soon forget.

The following day, I explored Mumbles, a district of Swansea along the water. I had a nice meal and got to do my favorite pastime of staring at the water.

Back to London

After my time in Wales, I headed back to London for the weekend to spend some more time with my friends. One night, we went to see actor Brett Goldstein from Ted Lasso record an episode of his podcast live with fellow Ted Lasso actor Phil Dunster. It was amazing and hilarious and I’m so happy I had the opportunity to see it live while I was in London.

Heading North to Scotland

For the next leg of my journey around the UK, I took a train to Glasgow. I love trains. What a great way to travel. I wish we had more options in the US. I arrived in Glasgow late in the day and checked in to my hotel. After a good night of sleep, I once again rented a car so I could head up to the Isle of Skye. Also once again, I had no trouble driving, but the narrow roads took years off my life.

The Isle of Skye, on the other hand, may have added years. My goodness what a beautiful place. I had found a recommendation for an Airbnb that was only available for two nights during my time in the UK, which is basically what I planned my trip around. This place had the most amazing views of the ocean.

I hiked the Fairy Pools one day and then the next morning, woke up early and hiked the Quiraing the next day before it got too crowded. Oh my goodness. The landscape was amazing and I will recommend this hike to anyone who can do it. It was hard (for me, at least), but so worth it for the views.

I left the Isle of Skye early the next morning to drive back to Glasgow and return my car. I walked around Glasgow a bit, but then hopped on a train for my next stop, Edinburgh.

In Edinburgh, I walked around quite a bit. One of my favorite ways to see a city is on a Hop on Hop Off tour bus. The Edinburgh bus had two routes. I don’t tend to do much hopping, but enjoy the ride around the city to see the sights and learn about the city’s history and what it has to offer. I was even able to meet up with a co-worker who was also spending part of his holiday in Edinburgh.

Farewell United Kingdom

After three nights, I headed back to London for one final night before my flight back to the US.

This is one of my most memorable trips. I’m so glad I had the opportunity and the courage to do something like this, mostly on my own. It makes me feel like I can accomplish anything.