I'm awful at commenting, but I have been enjoying reading all the details of your trip - it's great that you've been writing in so much detail. I've lived in Scotland all my life and never made it out to any of the islands, so it has made me think about making the effort sometime. And I've never visited Ireland either for that matter.

As for Edinburgh, I've lived there for 18 years - never made it down to Mary King’s Close, which is pretty silly of me, but I think I’ve done pretty well with all the other touristy stuff. I must say I’m feeling fairly anti-tourist at the moment though, since I work just by St Giles Cathedral, and have to listen to the same tour guides' spiels outside my office window several times a day. Not forgetting having to battle through the crowds just to get a sandwich for lunch - I’ll be extra grumpy in festival time!

Enjoy the rest of your adventures ^_^