08/22/2026
♟️I planned an entire Scotland road trip around these tiny medieval chess pieces. 🏴
If you love finding the stories behind the places you visit, save this one for Scotland.
Before leaving Edinburgh, we spent our last morning at the National Museum of Scotland to see the famous Lewis Chessmen. I think I spent over an hour admiring them, going back and forth between the exhibits because I was completely fascinated. 😂
♟️A few facts:
The Lewis Chessmen date to the late 12th–early 13th century and were likely made in Norway. Most are intricately carved from walrus ivory, and their little faces have SO much personality. 👑
They were discovered around 1831 on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland’s remote Outer Hebrides, more than 600 years after they were made. The hoard is traditionally associated with Uig on the west coast of Lewis, an area filled with beautiful white sandy beaches.
Seeing them in the museum was only half of the plan. 👀
After Edinburgh, we picked up our campervan and headed 363 miles + a ferry ride toward the Isle of Lewis, eventually making our way to the remote beaches of Uig where the chessmen were discovered. 🚐⛴️🏴
✨ Want to do this too?
Add the National Museum of Scotland to your Edinburgh itinerary, then add Lewis & Harris to your Scotland road trip. There’s something pretty incredible about seeing a piece of history in a museum and then traveling across Scotland to stand in the landscape where it was discovered centuries later.
💡HAIRY HIPPO TIP: Find something that fascinates you and build a trip around it! Sometimes one little piece of history can lead you somewhere you never would have thought to visit. 🤍
🚐 NEXT UP: Pick up the campervan—we’re officially hitting the road!
🦛 Save this for your Scotland itinerary + follow Hairy Hippo Travels for the rest of our Scotland road trip!
