I’ve been always dreaming about spending New Year’s Eve in the mountains. I was imaging snowy peaks, a sky full of stars and a cosy house somewhere in the middle of nowhere. And finally, I managed to make it true! For New Year’s Eve we went to the small “Hazelbrae” cottage, just a few steps from the lake, surrounded by the mountains.
New Year’s Eve preparations
When you are planning New Year’s Eve in Scottish Highlands, you need to remember two things.
First – to book it well in advance. Can you believe, that some people book even 1,5 year ahead? Sometimes, you might be lucky and get a place last minute, like we did, but you need to look for it a lot. You can find some great cottages on Holidaycottages, Booking.com and Airbnb. With this link, you can get £25 off your first Airbnb booking.
The second thing is the weather. It’s unpredictable – oh, hello Scotland! You need to be prepared for everything, including stormy winds and heavy rains. My 4-season packing list for Scotland will help you to take all you need.
But don’t let the weather to destroy your plans!
New Year’s Eve in the Scottish Highlands
Even with the bad weather, it’s still great. Why?
- You can sit the whole night in front of the fire on the soft carpet. Eat. Drink. Listen to the wind outside.
- The view from your bedroom window is stunning
- Even if at night the rain is so strong, that you can’t sleep, and in the morning you find the hail in the grass – you are happy, that it was in the night, not during the day, when you want to at least TRY to go out ;)
- The cottage feels so peaceful and quiet when it rains outside
- You can play tons of board games
- Or drink your favourite alcohol with friends
- At midnight you can join huge traditional Scottish Hogmanay bonfire made by the locals and watch fireworks in the middle of the dark night
Discover the area in the Scottish Highlands – the Isle of Skye
Our cottage was located very close to the Isle of Skye. It’s one of the most beautiful places in Scotland, so we decided to check it out.
It’s raining, but you don’t give up and go. Then you can see some views. Like this one:
You watch goats fighting in the middle of the road.
You stop to see Elian Donan Castle, where you almost get blown off by the wind.
You get crazy happy when you see a small piece of blue sky.
You jump out of a car for a few minutes to enjoy the views and take a picture, fighting very hard with the wind to keep your camera still.
You go to the south part of the island, where there is only one road, in order to just see some nice views and 3 houses at the end of it. You spot sea eagles on the way (unfortunately, no photos)! And even Highland cows are surprised why you are in the middle of nowhere in the weather like this.
But you don’t give up! Your persistence is rewarded with a longer moment without rain, so you use it to do a short hike and see the famous Old Man of Storr. 
You also stop near Kilt rock, where the wind finally takes your hat away
But there is a surprise in the small port town – Portree – the sun comes out!
And in the only open restaurant in town, you can have a massive Fish and Chips.
There is no place like… the cottage in the Scottish Highlands!
Then you come back to the cottage, where you still have many activities to do.
You try to write “2015” using broken sparklers, broken lighter and the broken candles lightened from the barbecue.
Then you take a well-earned rest and look for some stars in the sky.
And the next morning welcomes you with the weather like this.
After all, you know, that even though not everything was perfect, the New Year’s Eve in Scotland, spent in the cottage in the Scottish Highlands is so worth it.
Have you ever spend New Year’s Eve in the cottage? Would you like to? Share it in the comments!
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