2025 Scotland Skye Trip

In October of 2025, I planned out a combo hiking, golfing, and working trip in Scotland for me and my wife. We made a counter-clockwise loop up through the Highlands and out to the Isle of Skye for the first time. We started out golfing at Stonehaven, then played Moray Old and Covesea Links, before a quick stop at Cabot Highlands to see how the Old Petty course was coming along. We then had a couple days in Skye before taking the ferry over to the Isle of Islay to visit The Machrie. We then stopped in the Loch Fyne area before finishing off with Irvine Golf Club and Dundonald Links. (Below photo is from Covesea Links)

Arrival, Stonehaven

We wasted no time upon landing and picking up our rental car and I threw Mrs. K right into it! Cindy had been hearing me talk about the course in Stonehaven pretty much every day since I played it earlier in the year after Scottish Golf Tourism Week. I truly believe it be the best hidden gem in the world and was very much hoping I had not oversold it to my better half. We were lucky enough to be hosted by the Club Captain at Stonehaven, Chris Taylor. Chris joined us for the round and I got to learn more about the course that I have fallen so deeply in love with. I got to see the work being done on Hole 13 as they work to create a mini-replica of the famous Par 3 7th at Pebble Beach. Maybe it was playing with Chris, or maybe it was the absolute ideal conditions we got to play in, but Cindy could not wipe the smile from her face and started making bold comments about Stonehaven possibly being her favorite course in Scotland! After golf, Chris showed us where some of the local Highland Coos were hiding and then took us over to Dunnottar Castle in Stonehaven. Definitely one of the most jaw-dropping castles I have ever seen and not to be missed. We then ventured into downtown Aberdeen for dinner and to check out the Station Hotel where I have a group of 24 booked next April.

Johnstons, Moray and Covesea Links

Our first full day on was packed to the gills after waking up at the Mansion House Hotel in Elgin. After breakfast we headed over for a tour of the Johnstons of Elgin Cashmere factory. I met the folks from Johnstons at SGTW and was very intrigued by the tour as a possible add on for a trip, or for something to do for any non-golfing spouses who might be in the area in the future. It was fascinating to see the amount of time that goes into one high-end piece! We then headed up to Lossiemouth where I finally got to play one of the courses at Moray Golf Club. The Old Course at Moray was a solid track, but unfortunately there were no harrier jets in action at the nearby RAF base. We then made an impromptu stop just down the road at Covesea Links, a course that I had heard about from a few different folks. This 9-hole track is basically homemade and is maintained by Andy and Angela Burnett. I got to meet Andy and then go out on the course. What an incredibly cool place to play golf. I am so glad to have played it so I can talk it up to others!

Cabot Highlands and The Isle of Skye

Before heading over to the Isle of Skye, we made a quick stop at Cabot Highlands to see some of my great contacts there and get a little tour of the Old Petty Course which opened for preview play in the fall for a couple of months. Old Petty looks to be a fantastic complement to the Castle Stuart Course! We then headed West and made the spectacular drive over the Skye Bridge and ended up in Portree where we stayed a couple of nights at the Canonwindra Bed & Breakfast. The hiking on Skye was no joke. What they call a “moderate” hike in Scotland is not for the faint-at-heart. We also visited Dunvegan Castle during our driving tour of Skye. The only negative was our ferry got cancelled to leave from the south end of the area, so we had to go back over the bridge to continue our journey. It added a couple hours of drive time down to Kennacraig where we boarded the 2-hour ferry over to the Isle of Islay to check in at The Machrie.

Another Place, The Machrie

My interest in this resort was piqued when the golf course at The Machrie won the award at Scottish Golf Tourism Week for Best Course in Scotland between £100 and £250. I felt I owed to my knowledge of the entire Scotland-golf scene to make my own determination. The Machrie is a great resort course! It is relatively open and friendly with big greens and a limited amount of bunkers. Every hole seemed to have something interesting going on and it kept you guessing. We then got to play the 19-hole putting course before also exploring the 6-hole Wee Course that they have. I ended up feeling pretty bad for our host, Alan Martin, who was waiting for us to come in from the Wee Course to say goodbye to us. At the end of our THIRD loop around those 6 holes, he had to come out and find us to wish us farewell. The moral of the story is: Do NOT give the Kauflins access to a short course with no one else out there and expect us to only play it once. Too fun!!

Loch Fyne and Irvine Golf Club

We had the sincere pleasure of staying at the wonderful Loch Fyne Hotel & Spa in the town of Inveraray after taking the ferry back from Islay. The only major disappointment is that we did not allow ourselves enough time to enjoy the fantastic pool and spa area at Loch Fyne. Until next time! One of our most anticipated stops came next: Inveraray Castle. We took the full tour of Inveraray Castle, which was prominently featured in a Christmas episode of Downton Abbey and most recently in Season 2 of The Diplomat on Netflix. We then drove a couple hours south to play Irvine Golf Club, just outside of Glasgow. Irvine had a lot of interesting holes and feels like one of those local clubs that would be a joy to be a member of. We then checked in for the night at the Gailes Hotel in Irvine.

Last Day – Dundonald Links

I had the pleasure of playing Dundonald Links previously during the World Hickory Open in 2023. I knew Cindy would enjoy the course and have fun watching it on TV when the Ladies Scottish Open comes back to town there. Something must have made her feel welcome, because she proceeded to hit just about every fairway that she looked at. We both played some awesome golf at times on what I consider a terrific course for any level of golfer. And the finish is pure championship-caliber. Those last 4 holes are no joke! We took a little driving tour of downtown Glasgow before checking in to the Dakota Hotel by the Edinburgh Airport. Our final night was highlighted by meeting our friends Iain and Val Holmes for dinner in Edinburgh!

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