The highland part of my #hiddengemroadtrip across Scotland was amazing but now it was time to drive down to the east coast and play some links. So after my short but remarkable bothy night at Craggan Outdoors Glenbeg Bothy I jumped into the car and headed over to Lossiemouth to play the new course of Moray Golf Club and later in the afternoon Nairn Golf Club. What a fine experience playing those two majestic world class links courses on one day.

After all, at the end of this great day, I was more than tired but also hungry and I got this awesome recommendation for some excellent fish and chips not far away from my tonights home, Findhorn Village Hostel, which is a huge but nice and cozy youth hostel.

Kimberley Inn is a lovely fish and chips restaurant and bar.

I ordered the haddock and a nice local Pale Ale and reviewed the high points of my day. Wow, absolutely wicked! Finally I needed some rest because on the next day of my #hiddengemroadtrip another dream of mine should come true. The long way from Findhorn to Royal Dornoch Golf Club was worth it. No need to say that a round at Royal Dornoch is grand and a total must for every golf nut.

After the round I had an appointment at Tain Golf Club but unfortunately it was to late for a round so I just walked around the course and took some snaps during sunset. Afterwards I went to a supermarket and bought myself a frozen pizza before I arrived at my tonights accommodation which I booked via Airbnb this time.

After all the golf I really enjoyed this nice place and fell asleep immediately. Not very satisfying but on the next day the Scottish weather crossed my schedule and I had to change my plans. So I jumped into the car and drove up to the northern part to have a look at Golspie Golf Club which I already heard a lot about. Unfortunately the weather made me a dash through the bill and I was not able to play the course because of heavy rain. But it’s on my bucket list for the next trip. Really a pity but I had to drive back into the direction of Inverness. On the way and not far away from Inverness there is another nice quirky links you really need to play. Fortrose & Rosemarkie has a lot to offer and you have to stop by on your trip. Even with the option to see some dolphins on the holes 4 and 5. For me again a very long day with a lot of golf and because of that I was happy to stay the night at the Inverness Hostel in Inverness to enjoy this city for a night. For dinner I had as usual great fish and chips at Mcleod’s Fish & Chips.

I love the city of Inverness but also wanted to go to bed early because on the next day I had a long four hours drive back towards Edinburgh to play a round of hickory golf at the world’s oldest golf course Musselburgh Links. The alarm clock rang at 5am and I arrived just in time after a really long ride including some traffic. Guys, you really have to do this. The hickory round at Musselburgh Links was so real and it’s a true golfing experience. Now I even more appreciate the passion and playing golf with its hole history. I also met this nice old men who was once a very successful boxer.

Altogether I have to say that the Scottish people are warm and super friendly and this is of course also one of the reasons why I could really imagine to life here for some years! After this excursion into the past and history of golf I was somehow disappointed because my #hiddengemroadtrip was almost over. But the best was yet to come! For the last night I stayed at the Craigielaw Lodge and of course I also needed to discover the Craigielaw Links Course also because this course is the this years host of the Staysure Tour, Scottish Senior Open from the 14-16 September. It was already late in the afternoon so I was only able to play the front nine. The lodge and the course are superb. The dinner was outstanding and the room and my king-size bed have been a true experience of confidence. To bad that my flight back to Munich was so early that I couldn’t enjoy breakfast and even the back nine. But trust me, I’ll be back very soon. In summary my #hiddengemroadtrip 2017 across Scotland was mind blowing and a totally unique way to discover Scotland.

In general you may ask yourself why wasn’t he staying in some fine five star hotels or b&b’s. Well, so what if you’re a group of absolutely crazy golf nuts and you’re only keen on playing hidden gems. Furthermore you want to keep an eye on your wallet and still don’t want to miss a comfortable stay and restful nights. All the hostels from Scottish Independent Hostels are an absolutely hot recommendation. Close to the courses, friendly to your wallet, able to accommodate more than three of your best buddies and all of the hostels are totally individual and unique. Try, it’s amazing!

This is the map: