You can begin your journey with ferry service between Belfast and Stranraer on the west coast of Scotland. Stena Line offers two categories of ferry services via a high-speed fastcraft, with a journey time of two hours or its two super ferries, with journey times of three hours. Once in Stranraer, visit the 18-hole championship course at Stranraer Golf Club. Situated on the shores of Loch Ryan, the 6,308-yard course, designed by renowned golfer James Braid in 1950, offers views over the loch to Ailsa Craig and the Isle of Arran.
The next leg of the trip takes you to Haggs Castle Golf Club in Glasgow, where the 6,426-yard course has been host to a European Tour venue and the Scottish PGA Championship. While the Edinburgh area has plenty of golf courses, such as Murrayfield and Royal Burgess, true aficionados of the sport will not want to miss the opportunity to drive 40 minutes to the home of golf, the Royal and Ancient Club in St. Andrews, which also is the site of the British Golf Museum.
The drive between Stranraer and Edinburgh takes around three hours and is straightforward and well sign posted. On leaving Stranraer Ferry Port, follow signs for the A77 to Ayr for approximately 50 miles, and then take the M77 toward Glasgow. Drive 17 miles and take the M8 for Edinburgh. You will drive 50 miles more before seeing signposts for Edinburgh attractions. Princes Mall Shopping Centre is located off Princes Street and parking is available on-street at Market Street or in a parking lot in New Street. The mall offers 25 stores including Kookai and Warehouse women's apparel and Xile denim store.
The Royal Mile beneath Edinburgh Castle also offers some shopping opportunities, including Geoffrey Kiltmakers, Kinross Cashmere, The Nutcracker Christmas Shop, The Tappit Hen jewelers and pewterware and Carson Clarke antique maps and sea charts.
History enthusiasts will find plenty to pique their interest in Edinburgh. Nestled on top of an extinct volcano, Edinburgh Castle dominates the city's skyline. A royal castle has occupied the site since the 12th century, although few of the existing buildings pre-date the 16th century -- the exception being Edinburgh's oldest surviving building, St. Margaret's Chapel, which dates to the 1200s. Visitors flock to the castle year-round, but August's Edinburgh Military Tattoo attracts tourists to the Esplanade for performances of the pipes and drums of Scottish regiments.
Standing at the bottom of the Royal Mile, the Palace of Holyroodhouse is the official Scottish residence of the monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who visit Scotland each summer. The palace has been a royal residence since the 15th century.
Located in the Old Town, Greyfriars Kirkyard is a peaceful church yard, complete with its own poltergeist legend, Bloody MacKenzie. Greyfriars is also known for the story of bodysnatchers Burke and Hare and that of Greyfriars Bobby, the terrier that guarded his master's grave for more than 14 years, before his own death in 1872.
