It was my first girls' holiday away from my parents and had taken months of careful saving and planning.

It was a disaster.

Much like the young folk from BBC Three's low brow reality show Sun, Sea and Suspicious Parents, we drank too much, our apartment got broken into and all our money swiped, and two friends came to blows in an overpriced nightclub.

My tastes have changed over the years so, last week, my friend and I, both now 26, decided on a different tactic, a staycation.

We arrived in a tiny village, two hours from Glasgow after a scenic train journey on the West Highland line.

During check in at our hotel, I caught sight of stuffed animals, including a fox with a body so twisted I winced, deer heads hanging on of walls and swathes of tartan.

It felt like another planet.

Quite a contrast to Glasgow's modern hotels, such as Citizen M, a place so hip it has its own exclusive club.

Never mind, we thought, there was only one thing to do: completely immerse ourselves in traditional Scottish culture.

The location was picked because of its proximity to the West Highland Way, the 96 mile walking route between Milngavie and Fort William.

During the 12 miles we walked – a taster before we tackle the real thing – we admired rolling hills, flowing burns and wildlife. Well, a field of sheep and horses at least.

It is no wonder that tens of thousands of people, many from overseas, trek the route every year.

Back to the hotel and we were ready for a night of entertainment.

Haggis, neeps and tatties? Check. Whisky? Check.

We then watched the coach load of OAPs, who had arrived hours earlier, sit with straight faces as the two-man band butchered a series of songs, including wedding favourite, the Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond.

When the entertainers proposed that the guests take part in popular ceilidh dance the Gay Gordons, I swear I saw more life in that poor stuffed fox.

"I hear that Glasgow is making its own version of Silence of the Lambs called 'Shut it Ewe'," said the singer in an attempt to banter with the crowd.

By Sunday we were screaming for the bright lights of Glasgow and landed in Sauchiehall Street's pubs that evening.

However, and to my surprise, I enjoyed both extremes the country has to offer.

We've got it all in Scotland... who needs to go on holiday anywhere else?