Ireland and Scotland Family Tour: Movies, Legends, and Castles

St. Andrews appears different depending on your interests. For some it’s the home of golf, others reminisce about where William and Kate met. There’s a university full of secrets and a cathedral in an evocative state of ruin. Everyone is connected by the town’s medieval center, a mishmash of cobbled streets and buildings that lean precariously towards each other. It’s like you’ve stepped into a bygone era, which is also how it feels at Fernie Castle. Perched on a loch and surrounded by woodlands, this is the first of the castles you spend the night in. Look out, and the landscape is like the Scotland of the imagination, especially when the mist rolls in or the trees are covered in autumnal colors.

The Loch Ness Monster, the perpetuated myth that never fails to amuse. If anything symbolizes Scotland’s mystery, it’s this long and fanciful tale. You’ll be surprised how many children and adults think they’ve spotted the monster. You’ll also be amazed at the surrounding landscape; while the monster is a myth the loch is sublime, a setting that you have to photograph so it doesn’t later blur into fantasy. Searching for Nessie comes after an intimate tour of Edradour Distillery, a small place to taste the difference in Scottish whiskeys. After the loch, you travel to Fort William, a quaint town that’s ideal for families to explore on their own.

Steam rises, and the locomotive engine chugs, the Hogwarts Express taking you through the Highlands of Western Scotland. It’s the same train that featured in the Harry Potter movies, taking you past Ben Nevis, Loch Morar, Loch Nevis, and Glencoe. Disembark here, and you’ll find Hagrid’s hut and a bridge leading to the Hogwarts entrance. From there, it’s a short ferry ride to the island of Skye, where the landscape is a legend. Skye can appear more fictional than Harry Potter with ruined castles, Viking fortresses, rolling fields, and crashing Atlantic waves. You’ll discover the castle from Highlander and a James Bond movie, and then have some free time to explore the pastel-hued houses of Portree.

The mountains of Glencoe are mysterious without the mist and magical beyond the tales of Harry Potter. The tales of MacDonald and the Campbells are true stories to excite the kids. Venture up and down across the peaks to Stirling Castle, where the Great Hall shimmers with a different kind of history. Glasgow is next, a city that you’ll find to be completely different to Edinburgh. This is a day of contrasting landscapes and highlights, with something for all ages and a real sense of why Scotland is unique. It’s your last night in Scotland so enjoy a traditional music show with dinner, bagpipes playing as you tuck into food from another era.

Georgian elegance fills the streets of Dublin, a vibrant capital that puts a smile on every face. Meet your guide at the airport, and it’s easy to cover the city’s main highlights in an afternoon, including a pint of creamy stout at the Guinness Storehouse and the Book of Kells in Trinity College. It’s amazing how tradition lives on in Ireland and this is wonderfully epitomized in Dublin’s oldest pub, where a Seanachi, storyteller, entertains with fanciful tales of Celtic warriors, flying fairies, legendary deeds and many other pieces of history. A fire glows and songs are sung, all making for a romantic family introduction to the island of Ireland.

Onto the Gardens of Ireland, where trees tower above walking trails and vast rugged valleys flank striking terraces. It’s a landscape that’s cultivated yet wild, serene but imbued with nature’s dramatic power. It’s also a landscape that evokes so many dreams of Ireland; a stone monastery stands on one hill, extensive town ruins mark another, and the settings are so scenic you want to pack them up to take home. As with most places in Ireland, Wicklow provides space for the children to run around and let off steam – valuable after the traveling over the last two days – along with many cute family-friendly pubs for a filling dinner and sense of history.

Horses dot the land in Kilkenny and you’re invited to ride, a variety of mares and ponies available dependent on your family’s experience. Rich farmland extends and the scenic landscapes keep on rolling as you travel to Kilkenny. At one end of the medieval town, you find the castle, to the other The Black Abbey and St. Mary’s Cathedral. Cobbled streets connect everything and all will be engrossed in the sights and stories of a medieval era. Tonight you dine with the locals, a homely family experience that’s also a great opportunity for children to share cultures and ideas. Expect rich, home-cooked food as well; they know how to feed in this corner of the world.

If they made a prequel to Titanic it would be set in Cobh, the small fishing village where many of the Irish immigrants on board hailed from. A local tells you the stories over a mug of tea in one of the colorful waterfront cafes. If they made a movie about your family trip to Ireland then Blarney would be central, a strange stone that you lean back and kiss, as someone holds you by the ankles. Why? The guide will help illuminate. These destinations are part of a leisurely journey through landscapes of green, to your lakeside destination from the 19th century. This evening you dine in a musical pub, local entertainment showing you another side to popular Irish culture.

Limestone rocks rise in jagged formations. Waves crash against boulders and empty beaches. Green cliffs stand above Atlantic waters. Waterfalls cascade like a bride’s veil. The road clings to the coast, and you spend the day exploring, hopping along the stops of the Ring of Kerry. Along the way, there’s a Lord of the Rings pub for a hearty lunch. Yet it’s hard to know what is more real, snippets of Mordor or the Kerry coastline. Ireland is famed for its landscapes and the Ring of Kerry is arguably the finest on the island, so take your time and watch the kids enjoy the chance to run.

For the last few days, you’ve been flirting with a bygone era. Today you’re immersed in a medieval town. Sail across the Lakes of Killarney to Ross Castle. Travel by pony and cart to the thatched village of Adare, where tradition is stoically maintained in the 21st century. Continue to a castle surrounded by a moat and a fun-filled family dinner, where everything is a reenactment of medieval times. Then spend the evening and night in Dromoland Castle, another place where you feel the history and get involved with old-world Irish culture; they sing Irish ballads in the bar, and you’ll hear various tales from the time of Brian Boru and Lord Inchiquin.

Shannon is the closest airport to Dromoland and has flights to destinations across Ireland and Great Britain. However, you could end the journey in Dublin and fly direct from the capital across the Atlantic. It’s been 12 days in Scotland and Ireland, and even now the countries seem like mysteries.