A travel blogger has visited some of Britain's most remote locations - all by public transport.

Kay Gillespie 36, has travelled to dozens of offshore islands, partied with Vikings and visited some of Scotland’s most picturesque spots - by bus, ferry, train and even kayak.

Intrepid Kay has worked in Canada and Ibiza, and travelled all over Europe, but now spends most of her time exploring Scotland – without a car.



Kay, from Edinburgh, has been to 66 Scottish Islands, including inhabited islands; some are just rugged rocks she has had to kayak out to.

She has travelled many times on the famous West Highland Line, voted one of the most scenic railway journeys in the world.

Some of her top experiences

include staying in remote eco hostel in Corrour, Loch Ossian Youth Hostel, and watching thousands of colourful puffins on the Isle of Lunga.

Kay has never learnt how to drive and received much doubt when she began as a travel blogger, but she admits the transport network in Scotland is "great" and provides "a more local experience"."

Her favourite place is the Isle of Iona, a pilgrimage destination which she describes as "the most idyllic island with turquoise sea and white sand beaches"."

To get there from Edinburgh means either two trains or two buses to Oban, then a ferry to Craignure (Isle of Mull), a bus from there to Fionnphort on Mull, then a ferry to Iona.

It was Kay’s first solo adventure to Ibiza at 18 which sparked her enthusiasm for travelling, though her homeland did not initially take her fancy.

She said: "Ibiza was my first solo adventure - much to my mum’s horror - which started the travel bug for me."

"I stayed for five months, and it paved the way for the unconventional path I’ve followed since."

"It wasn’t about Scotland back then - I had no interest in what was on my own doorstep. "

"I just found overseas travel much more exciting!"

Though 2010 was the start of a new journey for Kay, as she had returned from briefly living in London.



She was unemployed and was eyeing up a sailing trip in Croatia combined with a bus tour around Eastern Europe.

Kay noticed the company had a sister travel company in Scotland, who were looking for reservation staff for their tourism office - and if you worked there, employees receive a discount for the European tours.

Kay explained: "I applied for the job because I wanted the staff discount!"

"I was unsuccessful in that role but they asked me if I would train to be a tour guide instead and when I accepted that job - it changed the course of my life. "

"I went on training trips to the Highlands and Isle of Skye; when I saw Glen Coe for the first time, my jaw hit the floor. "

"I couldn’t believe this was my home country. "

"I saw the snow-capped mountains, the lochs were glassy still and the weather was beautiful. "

"I knew it had lit up something inside me - I was so excited to share it with people from all over the world. "

"I threw myself into it and taught myself Scottish history through kids’ books, learnt more and more and guided backpackers on tours around Scotland. "

"Lots of travel bloggers here have grown up on camping trips and adventures in Scotland, but I wasn’t raised on Scottish scenery – tour guiding was how I fell in love with my country." "

Kay studied Tourism Management and Marketing at Edinburgh Napier University - and went on to work in a corporate job after university.

Her weekends off and annual leave were all used to escape the city and explore Scotland.



In 2013, Kay was asked to host a group of travel bloggers on a Hogmanay tour in Scotland - which is where she first got an insight into travel blogging.

A few months later, she launched her own website and Facebook page.



After years of posting, Kay remained persistent and noticed she received the most interest in the fact she does not drive.

Kay explained: "I kept travelling and kept sharing, I think it was only my friends, my friends' mums and my own mum who followed me at first!"

"I slowly started to pick up a bit of traction when sharing my love for the Scottish islands and how I managed to do it without a car."

"That’s when I thought ‘Hold on, I have a niche!’"

"No one else was doing this at the time and lots of people thought I was bonkers and asked, ‘how does it work to be a travel blogger and not drive?’ "

"So many people said to me you know you’re gonna have to learn how to drive, you can’t build a career around travelling Scotland if you don’t have a car. "

"I said just watch me!"

Over time, Kay’s audience grew and she built up a client base, so in 2018 she took voluntary reduncancy from her day job and went self-employed.

Now Kay works full time as a travel blogger and helps overseas visitors plan their trips to Scotland.

She also has an online shop selling products inspired by her Scotland adventures and has recently launched the first ever ‘Planning a trip to Scotland’ online course with her friend and fellow blogger, Yvette from Wayfaring Kiwi.



Kay admits one of the most magical parts of the Scottish islands is the wildlife which ranges in the thousands, from sea to sky and land.

She said: "The islands of Mull and Iona are a spring board to get to the Isle of Staffa and Treshnish Isles, where the iconic puffins go to breed and nest over the summer months."

"There are lots of other seabirds and great marine life - you can see pods of dolphins, basking sharks, minke whales and even orca on the West Coast!"

"On land there are the beautiful and majestic golden eagles and a high population of deer - on the Isle of Jura there are around 220 people who live there and around 5,000 deer!"."

Despite now promoting slow travel, kay’s nickname @thechaoticscot, stems from her self-proclaimed ‘chaotic’ nature - but having grown up an only child, she admits to feeling more comfort and independence when travelling solo.

Kay joked: "By name and by nature!"

"I have always enjoyed my own company and I feel more of a sense of freedom whilst travelling alone, as well as more in tune with my surroundings."

"I’ve met some amazing people on trains, buses, pubs and restaurants - and I couldn’t recommend it more to anyone at some point in their life - it can be scary, but so rewarding and you learn a lot about yourself."

Whilst endorsing exploring of all kinds, Kay particularly promotes sustainable exploring through slow travel, which she argues has many benefits personally and environmentally.

Kay explained: "There are places in Scotland which are suffering from over tourism."

"The Isle of Skye and the North Coast 500 receive very high footfall during peak season and it can have a negative impact on the local environment and visitor experience."



"I want to encourage people to slow down, support local businesses and respect the places that they visit."

"You don’t have to follow the mass tourism crowds. There are lesser-known locations, as well as alternative routes and ways to travel. "

"Even just choosing to visit in the quieter months can not only save you money, but also helps to boost year-round tourism and tackle seasonality."

"One of my favourite things about travelling via public transport is that it forces you to slow down."



"Small changes to how we travel can make a big difference."

You can visit Kay's blog here: https://www.facebook.com/TheChaoticScot/