Time for another adventure with
mum and this time we were off to Edinburgh. We caught the train from London
which took about 4 and a half hours, but it was a lot cheaper and more
convenient than flying. We arrived and found our hotel literally 5 minutes from
the station on the famous Princes Street. We were very lucky that we got a
perfect view of the city from our room (Edinburgh Castle and the Walter Scott
Monument), and what a beautiful city it is. As we arrived late, we set off for
a quick walk around town before finding an Italian restaurant for dinner
(Edinburgh is renowned for its Italian)! It certainly didn't disappoint. The
pasta was so yummy and the glass of Pinot Gris even better.
Day two saw us head out nice and early for a stroll to the "Old Town"
of Edinburgh. Our hotel was in the "New Town"! The names can be
deceiving but trust me, they are both OLD towns! We walked down the Royal Mile
admiring the lovely Scottish shops (although mostly touristy). We found it
difficult to find somewhere to have coffee as most were either shut or there
was just a lack of cafes (certainly not like Paris)! We eventually found a
place but its not even worth mentioning. We caught a tour bus from Waverley
Bridge for a tour around the city. It was quite interesting learning about all
the history and how old everything dates back, think the 16th century. We drove
through lots of famous streets, Charlotte square, George street, Lawnmarket. We
saw Edinburgh castle up close and the houses of parliament etc. After that we put
on our adventurous shoes, rugged up and headed to Holyrood Park and Salisbury
Crag, a series of up to 46 meter high cliffs which were very steep and rocky.
Once at the top we got a beautiful view of Edinburgh and the coast. It was well
worth the sweat (even though it was freezing)! The climb made us hungry so we
headed off for afternoon tea. After another walk we headed back to our hotel
for an early night!
Today I had booked us in for a tour of The Highlands, Glencoe, Fort Augustus
and Loch Ness. The tour guide and driver was Audrey, a local, who was very
lively and informative. Her accent was fantastic. According to Audrey: "A
real hero of Scotland was Robert the Bruce" (her favourite) - not William
Wallace. William was very tall (not like Mel Gibson) and was from the lowlands
which is why he did not wear a kilt, so the movie Braveheart is actually full
of false information. Our first stop was Callander where Queen Victoria and
Prince Albert honeymooned, it was stunning, one of our favourite stops. We had
Chicken curry pies for morning tea and continued on up the highlands to Glencoe
and Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain. It is usually shrouded in mist,
but it was a sunny day and we saw right to the top. Continuing on to Loch
Lochy, Loch Leggan and then on to Fort Augustus and the famous Loch Ness.
Didn't imagine it to be so big! The water was nearly black and all that go in
never come out (so Audrey said)! Mum still thinks she captured a photo of the
infamous Nessie!! We took lots of photos and wandered around the town. Fish and
chips for lunch, icecream and then back on the bus. We saw the Commander
memorial where WW1 pilots trained. We stopped along the way at Pitlochry and
the whisky distillery Dalwhinnie. It was a great day that took about 13 hours.
Mum and I were both in awe of how beautiful the Scottish countryside actually
is! We definitely want to return and do some walks and to explore much more.
Our last full day in Scotland and time for the 'full Scottish breakfast'!! Mum
declined and had scrambled eggs whilst of course I had eggs, sausage,
mushrooms, black pudding and a potato cake. All delicious except for the black
pudding, but least I tried it. We then walked up to Edinburgh Castle for a
tour. It was very cold and miserable which slightly dampened our experience.
The castle is huge and they are already making preparations for the Edinburgh
Tattoo held in August. That evening we went to a very old pub called 'The
Doric' recommended by our tour guide. The pub has won awards for its food and
is one of the oldest pubs in Edinburgh. I had rack of lamb and potatoes, whilst
Mum had pork. We also enjoyed a bottle of Trebbiano wine. It was all so yummy
even the sticky toffee pudding I just had to have. I guess we should have tried
the traditional 'haggis tatties and neeps' but chickened out.
The following day it was back to reality and London via the train. We really
had such a nice time. Personally, I had little expectation as it was somewhere
mum wanted to go that had been recommended by Luke, but boy was I glad I went!
The scenery, history, food and people were all great, a 10 out of 10!
Stay tuned for the next blog all about Bucchianico in Italy xxx
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