Scotland

Visiting Scotland’s Gay Islay – The Nomadic Boys

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Visiting Scotland's Gay Islay - The Nomadic Boys

When we travel anywhere, we like to blend in. Do as the locals do. Experience a new place from its roots. Some may say turning up on a Scottish island dressed in fluorescent-colored tank tops contradicts our “blending in” mantra, but hey, whoever said blending in meant stop being fabulous?

Regardless, learning about the culture, getting the lingo down, and unearthing all of the hidden gems are of utmost importance to us. At the very least, we want to pronounce the name of our destination correctly… Duh!

Yet, despite numerous back-and-forths of us practicing the correct pronunciation of Islay; “EYE-Lah, EYE-Lah, EYE-Lah,” aloud to ourselves, we (of course) marched up to our hotel check-in, confidently announcing our excitement to be in “I-slaaaaayyyy”! facepalm We sounded like a bunch of gay guys cheering a drag queen performing a lip-sync… Luckily, the check-in lady laughed it off.

Visiting Gay Islay

The Isle of Islay is a Scottish island in the lower Hebrides, famous for rain, wind, cold, and more rain. Such weather is ideal for creating good quality peat… which in turn, makes a superbly delicious whisky, which gay Islay is super famous for. So, all in all, it’s rather worth it.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Scotland Gay Travel Resources

Kilting It Up in Gay Scotland – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Scotland - Nomadic Boys

With landscapes full of drama and wonder, accents so heavy and thick they sent ripples down our spines, and gorgeous men who go full commando under their kilts, is it any wonder gay Scotland will always have our hearts?

We’ll never forget our road trip around the rugged Scottish countryside, the natural phenomena that we got to witness up close, and the wonderful people that we met along the way.

Visiting Gay Scotland (in a Kilt)

An outsider’s perception of Scotland may be that it’s nothing but rolling hills, a few lakes, fields of sheep and cows, and tiny villages full of red-headed bearded men. It couldn’t be further from the truth! While there is plenty of nature (and gingers, but hey, we think they’re very hot), Scotland has an incredible history and mythical side to it.

There’s Nessie, the legendary Loch Ness monster. The shape shifting kelpies. The piercing shrieks from the banshee – or maybe that sound was just me having to work through a muddy field in a rainstorm!

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Scotland Gay Travel Resources

Hanging Out in Gay Edinburgh – The Nomadic Boys

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Hanging Out in Gay Edinburgh - The Nomadic Boys

Here is our fabulous gay guide to Edinburgh, with the best places to sleep, eat, drink, party, and more.
We hold our hands up…we are kilty of falling in love with Edinburgh!

From the ever-present visual of the castle that looms over the city to the faint sound of bagpipes you can hear on most street corners, we couldn’t help but look around in love and say aloud to ourselves “thistle do nicely.”

We spent hours wandering about the bustling Royal Mile, down the winding Victoria Street (which famously inspired JK Rowling in creating Diagon Alley), and into the thriving Grassmarket courtyard, where we found a bountiful selection of pubs and cafes. But it was the electric and kind spirit of the Scottish people that loch-ed in our deep love.

This was our second trip to Scotland together – last time focusing on the gay scene of Inverness and the gorg beauty of the Scottish Highlands. We really fell in love with the Scottish capital. Edinburgh is a city steeped in history and mysticism, with a stunning photo opportunity on every street corner.

Full Story at The Nomadic Boys

Gay Edinburgh Travel Resources

Stay in a Scottish Castle – Go Girlfriend

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Dalmunzie Castle

For me, the essence of Scotland is in it’s beautiful landscapes and it’s castle-icious history. From the Orkney Islands in the north through the Highlands to Hadrian’s wall in the south, historic castles sit lochside and hillside in some truly spectacular locations.

Historic clans like the MacDonalds, the Stewarts, the MacKenzie’s or the Robertson’s, just to name a few, cover the countryside with their clan lands. The clan chieftains castle is Clan Regions of Scotland (click any to enlarge)always the grandest estate on these family lands perched majestically on a beautiful loch or amongst amazing mountainous views. 

Most stone castles have their roots in the 1300-1600’s as fortified clan strongholds. As technologies and workmanship improve, renovations, refurbishments or expansions happening til the mid-1700’s. At this point in history clans and castles sympathetic to the Jacobites were seized and destroyed by the opposing British so it couldn’t be used as a stronghold against them into the future. Many still sit in ruins today – some have been purchased and painstakingly restored. Some have even been slept in by Bonnie Prince Charlie or Mary Queen of Scots!

For those that were not destroyed, the 1800’s brought a change in castle perspective and architecture. As the Industrial era was changing the global landscape, these centuries-old stone castles (draughty, small winding staircases, not warm and inviting – more strongholds) were now considered ‘brutish” and more elaborate Georgian, English-style “modern” castle homes were built.

Full Story at Go Girlfriend

Scotland Gay Travel Resources

Gay Inverness: Bars, Hotels & Things to Do – The Nomadic Boys

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gay Inverness - The Nomadic Boys

“Stefan your crotch is completely showing under your kilt – be careful!”

Oh crap! Well, you try squatting down trying to position the tripod camera correctly, clad in a Scottish kilt worn “authentically”…!

The Scottish Highlands are the stereotypical image of Scotland you imagine, with rolling hills, mountains towering over large glittering lochs and lots of thick lush green woodland. This is the place where the Scottish kilt originated from, haggis is a local speciality and, of course, a famous monster is rumoured to reside down in the deep dark waters of Loch Ness.

We did a road trip to Inverness and the Scottish Highlands surrounding the city. It’s utter bliss. Whether it’s the (sexy!) heavy thick Scottish accent or the lush rolling hills of the Highlands, we guarantee you’ll love gay Inverness as much as we did.

Where exactly are the Scottish Highlands?

The main regions of Scotland are usually referred to as the Highlands and the lowlands. The exact boundaries between the two are not clearly defined, but generally, if you’re heading north of Edinburgh and Glasgow or west from Aberdeen, then you’re going to the Highlands. This is also a very scenic part of Scotland, with lots of tall mountains, deep glens, waterfalls and beautiful forests.

Inverness is the main big city in the Highlands, generally considered to be the capital of the region. It’s also a major transport hub with the main international airport for the area, receiving flights from within the UK as well as from other parts of Europe. There are bus and rail connections to other parts of Scotland too, so it’s a great spot to base yourself for further exploration.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Scottish Highlands Gay Travel Resources