I Lived at a Castle in Scotland for a Month!
And made amazing friends and memories <3
Trying to capture this period of my life so neatly into a single blog post feels near impossible. On the one hand, not that much happened while we were at the castle — realistically we were in the middle of nowhere, a two-hour hike and a 17-mile bus ride from anywhere of note. But on the other hand, so much happened. We were there for a whole month, and unexpected things happened every single day. So somehow, I find myself in this strange space where theres both everything but also nothing to say about my time in Scotland. But I will try.
Let’s start with where I am and how I got here. On October 7th, Jordan and I boarded yet another bus in Glasgow for a two-hour ride deep into the Scottish Highlands. Here in the highlands, we would be volunteering at a castle as gardeners. We’d used a site called Worldpackers—a platform for volunteer exchanges, where travelers work a set number of hours each week in exchange for a place to stay, food, and sometimes other perks. Even though it’s legit, the offer still felt almost too good to be true.
There were twelve other volunteers at the castle: Jordan and me, along with Molly, Laura, and another Abby, all from the U.S. Then there was Iara and Pedro from Brazil, Elizabeth and Miller from Colombia, Fanny and Lily-Rose from France, and Vanessa from Spain. We came from all over, and on the surface, we had very little in common—aside from all finding ourselves in this same, unexpected place. But living in such close quarters at the castle, we grew close almost immediately, building friendships that felt natural and easy.
On a day when Jordan and I were volunteering, we usually started off the day in the kitchen where we joined fellow volunteers for a serve-yourself breakfast. We then slowly trickled outside for a 9.30am start time, for our four hour shift. Technically our title was “gardener,” but the day Jordan and I arrived, the work shifted from maintaining the garden to shoveling a massive pile of dirt and wheeling it into the forest to fill ditches. While this might sound like grueling, mind-numbing labour, it became a surprising source of connection and camaraderie. Around that dirt pile, we shared countless conversations, jokes and even spiritual guidance.
After those four hours of shoveling and hauling, often spent in the cold, damp air Scotland is known for, we’d finally head back inside for lunch. All twelve of us, along with Reinold, the castle’s 87 year old owner, would gather around for a simple meal—usually vegetable soup and bread. At first I wasn’t the biggest fan because I was looking for something more hearty after work, but quickly I became extremely fond of this meal and looked forward to a comforting bowl of soup after a morning of outside labour.
After lunch, we had about five hours in the afternoon to use as we pleased. We would often go on hikes together to explore the surrounding trails and forests, or separate to read, journal or nap until dinner, which we all ate together. After dinner each evening, we always stayed together—playing games, watching Twilight, or heading down to the beach to build a fire. It amazed me how much time we spent together, and how much we all wanted to. Some of my favorite memories in the castle happened after dinner, when everything seemed funnier and warmer in the glow of shared exhaustion and laughter.
A few evenings were especially memorable. During our first week, we witnessed the Northern Lights—a sight I’d dreamed of seeing for as long as I can remember! Another night, we walked down to the beach and made a fire where we all sang songs ranging from Despacito to Night Changes. Another night by the fire we had smores, not groundbreaking by my standards, but four of the six people we were with had never roasted marshmallows before, so it was very special. We even had a Halloween party! I was surprised how creative everyone got with their costumes, considering we were all working with very limited wardrobes. We had a very silly night, filled with cider, singing, dancing, candy and card games.
On our first weekend off, Jordan and I took the bus over to Inveraray where we had the day to ourselves. Due to poor planning and time management on our part, we took the bus to and from Inveraray two hours before everyone else, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! On our hike to the bus stop, Jordan and I saw a beautiful sunrise that made the early wake up call worth it. Because we got to Inveraray so early, we got to watch the village wake up on a sleepy Sunday morning and transform into a lively little village with lots of shops to peruse.
While the town was still sleeping, Jordan and I headed over to near the Inveraray castle where the Inveraray Highland Games take place to see if we could see any remnants from the competition. Seeing Scottish games has been on Jordan’s bucket list probably since he watched Scooby Doo and the Loch Ness monster as a child. Sadly, we had no luck but we did walk around the castle grounds a bit and found that there were some hikes from the castle which we took note of for later. Now that some cafes were open, we headed back into town to warm up with a tea and breakfast.
Here Jordan and I would eat the only meat we were destined to have for our four weeks at the vegetarian castle, a traditional Scottish sausage roll. Afterwards, we went on a hike past the Inveraray castle to a beautiful overlook of the town and the castle. Jordan and I practically sprinted the entire hike up as we were worried about making our bus which was coming an hour after we embarked on our hike. Despite feeling extremely out of shape, we made it to the top (in record time) and savored the stunning panoramic view. The way down was much easier, and we made it to our bus with time to spare and enjoyed a few hours of peace and quiet back at the castle before the rest of the gang returned from town.
As much as I loved the company of all the other volunteers, I think my favorite day at the castle was one when everyone else went off to Inveraray again. Jordan and I decided to stay back—having already seen the small town, we felt no need to return. I spent the day sitting quietly in the kitchen for nearly seven hours, enjoying the rare silence and the presence of another volunteer. It was such a welcome change to connect with someone one-on-one, something that had been nearly impossible amidst the lovely, but constant, buzz of twelve voices filling the castle.
On one of our last days at the castle, Jordan, a few other volunteers, and I decided to tackle the hill that overlooked both the castle and the loch—a hike that quickly proved to be more demanding than we’d planned! The ascent was manageable, though we had our fair share of soaked shoes from the boggy field and a few close encounters with spider webs. But the real adventure began on the way down.
We started our descent around 4:30 p.m., just minutes before sunset, which added a sense of urgency to finding our way. Unable to locate the original path, we ended up on an “alternative” route, filled with hidden holes and slippery patches. Everyone took at least one tumble, but one fall, in particular, had us in stitches—a friend stepped forward only to find her entire leg sunk up to the hip in a hole. That same girl also found her hair stuck in a tree in the darkness of the forest twenty minutes later. Despite the drama, it was probably the most fun I’d had in ages. I hadn’t felt so much like a kid in years—it was like we were playing in the woods.
To read the whole post online click here!
Even though we spent a whole month in Scotland, it genuinely feels like such a blip in time. It’s hard to beleive that over a month ago I was with my great aunt and uncle in Shrewsbury — it feels like two weeks ago at most. I’m convinced there’s some type of time warp at work in the castle, because I am not the only one who felt time slip by. Many of the volunteers, who stayed even longer than we did (between six weeks and eight weeks), also said their time at the castle seemed to go far too quickly. I guess thats just how it goes though, the sense of calmness that washes over you at the castle mixed with great time with good friends makes the time speed by, leaving you wanting more.
After a month spent in such close quarters, I grew incredibly attached to this group of strangers Then came the inevitable day when people started to leave. We all knew it was coming, but none of us were quite prepared for the emotions that hit us. The usual chatter around the lunch and dinner table more and more quiet as we said our goodbyes over the last few days. In less than a week, the once-bustling castle, filled with the voices of twelve friends, had dwindled down to just Jordan, me, and two others. And then Jordan and I left. I held it together for most of the goodbyes, but when Jordan and I left that was another story. Saying goodbye to the last two volunteers and to our hosts was hard.
I’m incredibly grateful to have had the chance to come to the castle, meet such wonderful people, and experience this beautiful place. It’s hard to fathom how twelve people from such different backgrounds connected so effortlessly, but I’m beyond thankful for the bond we shared—not only with the other volunteers but also with our hosts. I have so many amazing memories that would never have been made without all the amazing connections, and I look forward to keeping up with every single one of the people I met here <3.
xx Abby
Gorgeous read, transported me back there, and reading how you experienced the castle was special. You have a miraculous way of capturing memories. Both of you are entirely unforgettable <3
Best read yet!
Well done Abby!
Brings back memories from 40 (good grief) years ago when I did the same thing.