SCOTLAND - Homeward Bound

The original plan was for a couple of more days in Scotland and a flight home, but due to the tightened restrictions, some things that I had planned to do in the Glasgow area have been cancelled. Therefore I decided to quit while I was ahead with the refund from the cancelled hotel nights covering the cost of an earlier train home (I couldn't change the flight because those on Sunday were full). So of course by the time you read this I will be safely back in Kent.

But before I leave Scotland I must share with you a culinary first - well for me anyway

The orange ice cream is not what you might expect - orange, tangerine or even melon - actually it's Irn Bru ice cream. I don't actually like Irn Bru but when I saw it I had to give it a go, needless to say I don't now like Irn Bru ice cream either!!

So where to go next - and more importantly when? That latter point is as we know a big IF but what I can tell you is that I have a trip to Ireland that has been rescheduled for next year, the flight from Edinburgh to London for this trip can also be rescheduled, I have a voucher from Eurostar to use and one from British Airways as well - so there are possibilities!

In the meantime I will leave you with a few last pictures of Edinburgh taken this morning with cloudless blue skies.

The Mercat (market) Cross

SCOTLAND - A Day in the Borders

In the period after the Beeching rail closures, the Scottish Borders region became the largest area of Mainland Britain without a rail service. All that changed in September 2015 when the Borders Railway was reopened to Tweedbank and the Scottish Borders once again had access to a train.

Class 170's on the Borders Railway

The journey to Tweedbank is about an hour from Edinburgh through rolling countryside and because its all effectively brand new and "planned" when you arrive at the end of the line a series of well signposted foot and cycle paths fan out in all directions. One such path makes easy walking of the mile to Abbotsford - home of writer and poet Sir Walter Scott.

Now if you have visited the cluster of timber framed buildings around Stratford-upon-Avon related to Shakespeare or Jane Austen's very modest house in Chawton, Hampshire, you are in for a bit of a shock with Abbotsford, Sir Walter Scott was a man who became very rich during his lifetime.

What did make today an absolute joy was being able to wander around a house and garden that was pretty much devoid of tourists. That is definitely one of the great advantages of a pandemic!

The brass cover hides a form of underfloor heating

Scott's Study

The Library

Sir Walter Scott

From Abbotsford its a couple of miles walk along a country lane to the market town of Melrose from where a riverside path joins up with a cycle path to make another nice and easy walk back to the station at Tweedbank.

Melrose is home to one of the ruined Borders abbeys. Dating from the 12th century Melrose Abbey is the last resting place of Robert the Bruce's heart (his body is in Dunfermline Abbey). A stone marks the spot where a casket containing a human heart was uncovered but no one is 100% sure if it is that of Robert the Bruce.

This is where Robert the Bruce's heart is supposed to be

This has been my first proper visit to the Scottish Borders and it is somewhere that I feel I would like to visit again and stay for longer.

The River Tweed at Melrose

SCOTLAND - Edinburgh Day 2

Last nights walking tour was a fun way to spend a couple of hours - My group were taken around some of the old town's dark alleys, into some vaults under the streets and for an after dark walk in a churchyard.

Inside the Blair Street vaults where ghostly things happen

Edinburgh is of course well known for the escapades of the body snatchers or "Resurrection Men" of which the most famous are Burke & Hare. In the 19th century Edinburgh was a leading centre for medicine and therefore medical learning. This inturn meant that there was a demand for bodies for anatomical study. Scottish law said that only the bodies of prisoners, suicides, foundlings or orphans could be used for medical research so as demand grew there was a shortage. Seeing an opportunity some people started digging up newly buried corpses. To thwart the Resurrection Men people started investing in mortsafes for graves instead of gravestones which then inturn lead Burke & Hare to start killing people themselves.

Mortsafes in Greyfriars Kirkyard

Moving on to other things, Edinburgh is a city built on a series of hills created by an excinct volcano. The main cone is Arthur's Seat, the castle sits on another and another is Calton Hill. I personally prefer Calton Hill to Arthur's Seat as I think the views are better and its much less windy. Here are some views from Calton Hill this morning

Edinburgh Skyline

View down Princes Street

Arthur's Seat

View over the New Town and Firth of Forth to Fife

The city itself is divided into the "Old Town" which is the Royal Mile/Castle area - full of fairly narrow steep streets, alleyways and tall somewhat overpowering buildings - and the "New Town" a Georgian creation of wide streets, graceful buildings and big squares on the land between the old town and the Firth of Forth. One of the houses in Charlotte Square - now known as The Georgian House is owned by the National Trust for Scotland and open to the public.

Upstairs

Downstairs

Outisde

 

EDINBURGH - My Favourite City

People sometimes ask me what is my favourite place and there is without doubt only one contender - Edinburgh. I have visited more times than I can remember and it is a city I never tire of. Whenever I need a break, just a short time away to recharge the batteries, Edinburgh is somewhere I head to - far enough away from London to make it a mini adventure, close enough to make it easy to do. And so therefore, as I start to work my way back down from Inverness, it's where you now find me.

This is not going to be a wirlwind tour of the sights, I have done them all, at least once before and some are still closed anyway - The castle is open for instance but the Honours of Scotland (Crown Jewels) are closed. Instead I am going to wander around for a couple of days, taking advantage of the fact that it is relatively quiet. Anyone who has been here in August when the festival is in full swing will understand just how busy Edinburgh can be. Having said that even though I'm not a bagpipe fan, the tattoo is worth seeing at least once in your life and the fireworks during August are amazing - so when things return to some normality, August in Edinburgh is worth braving the crowds for.

This is going to be a short post today because, as this is the city that gave us body snatchers Burke & Hare, I'm going out on a guided walking tour this evening entitled "Doomed, Dead & Buried" !!

Here are some daytime pictures of Edinburgh to keep you going ........

Old Town - The Royal Mile

The Castle

Old Town Skyline

Old Town - Royal Mile

Palace of Holyroodhouse - The Queen's offical residence in Scotland

Old Town - St Giles Cathedral

SCOTLAND - Make Your Intent Clear

The problem with the last two days has been a cold wind, but today the wind has gone, the sun has shone and it has been another glorious day in the Highlands.

There are some out there that believe that the scenery on the Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh railway line is far better than that on the line to Mallaig. After travelling to Kyle today I am inclined to agree.

The first place I got off the train was a beautiful sunny Plockton. On the shore of Loch Carron, Plockton has starred in many films and TV shows. As you can see from these pics it's very photogenic round here.

From Plockton I followed a path that went along the shore through some woods to the next station from where I could rejoin the train - Duncraig.

In the history of Duncraig station today was going to be a very special day. It only gets about 350 passengers a year, so about 1 per day, and today it's passenger was going to be me. In years to come there will be a blue plaque erected stating:

The Grown Up Gapper boarded a train here

23 September 2020

I also had to prepare myself for the event too because Duncraig is a request stop. Trains only stop when required.

In official railway speak "Passengers are required to make their intent clear to the driver" In reality you position yourself on the platform where the driver can clearly see you and stick your arm out as if you are flagging down a bus (but believe me it never feels the same as stopping a bus). The driver will toot the horn to acknowledge they have seen you and is preparing to stop. You normally end up waving to each other as the cab goes past as well.

When the doors open the guard will usually say something along the lines of "I've worked on the railway for ten years and never picked up anyone here" Today the guard told me she was very thankful I had flagged the train down as she had two people to get off and realised a bit late she had forgotten to tell the driver to stop.

Although I was glad to have been of assistance, the appearance of two other people with bikes did make Duncraig feel a bit like Waterloo at rush hour!

I took the train down to Kyle of Lochalsh to "get the line in the book" and the 1 hour layover gave me enough time for some fish & chips before the ride back to Inverness.

These last two pics are of the Isle of Skye which is just across from Kyle.

SCOTLAND - Time for a wee dram

Today's weird place to get out of the train was Dalwhinnie. Although no where near as remote as Corrour or Rannoch, it is a lonely, windswept place on the Highland Main Line not far from the Drumochter Pass - the highest point on the national network.

The trains here though are my favourite. Inter City 125's. When they were retired from front line service last year the Scottish government had some completely refurbished for internal Inter City services in Scotland. Having an engine at each end makes them perfect for the gradients on this stretch of line.

Station usage is getting lower, only 3400 people a year get out at this isolated community, which is the coldest in Scotland apparently, and I was the only one that got off this morning and the only one to get on this afternoon.

So why am I here? To visit Scotland's highest distillery. The guide said that the colder air temperature in Dalwhinnie has a positive effect on the whisky production.

You start off by making unflavoured beer - beer without hops. This is then distilled and the resulting clear liquid is put into wooden casks and matured for at least 3 years. The colour of whisky comes from maturation in the casks.

After the tour there was of course a tasting. 4 single malt whiskies each paired with a chocolate. Strangely, the eating of a chocolate before tasting the whisky completely mellowed the flavour.

SCOTLAND - Searching for a monster

Yesterday (Sunday) I transferred by coach up the Great Glen to Inverness.

Today has seen me head out on to Loch Ness on a cruise in the hope of spotting Nessie - well you have to do it don't you?

Now if David Attenborough had been on the boat, Nessie would have popped her head out of the water, given a playful roar and then flicked her tail in the air. All of this would have been captured on camera ready for his next series on UK wildlife. Alas it was just me and a some other tourists on the boat and given that it has turned a bit cold, she obviously just couldn't be bothered.  So no Nessie pictures I'm afraid, but I will leave you with a few pics from the day showing the moody weather over the loch.

                                                                          Urquhart Castle