I just added gobs of photos … and a couple videos as well, to May 24. In case you want to view that entry again. When I originally posted it after our long walk that day I only posted two photos. I was just too weary!
Today’s Update
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Tag Archives: Scotland
Added Some Videos!
I had nearly forgotten that on some days I did videos. I shared them somewhere (probably Facebook?) while we were on the trip, but I know not everyone saw them. So for those who are interested, there are now videos up on May 21 and May 23. I’m guessing I have more, but as I wrote, I’m only doing a few days at a time.
UPDATE: Well, I thought I’d posted the videos, but I had neglected to hit the “DONE” button so they hadn’t posted. I think I’ve fixed that now. Hope so!
I continue, as well, to add more photos. I’m guessing that’s not of interest to most readers, but since this is my way of journaling the walk I want to add them.
Final Full Day in Edinburgh
We had a late start due to our scheduled 9:30 breakfast. Having these breakfasts is fairly crazy for me since I normally only have a cappuccino in the morning. Today I finally went lighter — toast and a small bowl of cereal. To be honest I could have skipped the cereal!
Our first destination was New Town. This is an old area but newer than the older one. Got it? We just wandered around a bit, and eventually managed to get cappuccinos (the coffee at the hotel isn’t my fave and today I tried tea but that didn’t work for me either).
Walking more, we just sort of enjoyed the sights. We did walk to Queen Street Gardens, but apparently it’s not open to the public. Ah well!
Finally it was nearing the 1:00 entry time for the Edinburgh Castle, so we headed over in that direction. We even went in a souvenir shop, which is rare for us, but we were sort of killing time. I never really find anything I want there. What I would like the most is simply more expensive than I can handle and larger than my suitcase can handle! Yes, that wonderful Harris tweed coat … and one for Dan too.
But never mind. We don’t need them and we have no room for them.
And then it was the castle. Shortly after entering we bought a light lunch on the grounds. And then we just ambled about, using the audio guided tour at time. We ended up spending over three hours there.
Nearing dinner, but not quite, we went to a pub Jameson had recommended. We thought we’d be getting dinner there as well, but they stop serving food at 4PM so never mind that. Instead we enjoyed a pint. Sitting next to us was a man in a kilt. Later a man in FULL regalia walked in and chatted for a short time with the other man. It’s really amazing to see the full dress. Dan joked with the man at the table next to us that he felt a bit underdressed. Heh.
From there we went to a pub that did serve food and I had a veggie/lentil pie and was surprised it came with no crust. Dan had the fish pie and the same went for that. I’d had a chicken one earlier this last week and it was a true “pie” so I was somewhat disappointed, but I guess “pie” doesn’t necessarily mean with crust. In any case it was delicious and much better for me than fried food!
We then went back to our hotel, via a new street to us that seemed to claim Harry Potter connections. I wonder how many cities and villages claim HP in some way or other.
Tomorrow it’s a train day, as we say goodbye to Edinburgh. Time is passing far too quickly and I’m sad about that, but I know we can’t travel forever.
G’night!
June 1 in Edinburgh
We had breakfast at the hotel this morning. At least this place does come with that, as it was quite expensive for what it is. I have a feeling Edinburgh is just an expensive place.
After our breakfast we took a walk to Greyfriars Churchyard and Kirk. There were several tours going on there, including one that was, we think, a Harry Potter tour.
After that we walked to Holyrood Park and took a trail that led to Arthur’s Seat. It was a bit more of a climb than I had expected, and when I reached a fairly high spot I realized I’d not be able to go the rest of the way: my fear of heights is just too strong! But where I stopped had amazing views. (Thanks, Phil Kemp, for suggesting it!). Dan made it to the very top and assured me that I would not have been comfortable!
When we both got down off the mountain we went toward Holyrood Palace. There was a cafe in front so we stopped for sandwiches. Then it was in to the palace for a guided audio tour. Photos here are all from the outside, as there is no photography allowed inside. The narration on the audio cracked me up a bit: both Princess Anne (is that right?) and Prince Edward talked about the “intimate” rooms. Um … they have no clue what a normal house is like, I think.
Following the interior tour we saw a the Abbey, which is pretty demolished. Things were blocked off because they found some weaknesses that were dangerous. Then it was a little walk around the garden.
We had thought we’d walk over to New Town next, but we were so fried we opted instead for ciders and onion rings. Tomorrow we’ll again try for New Town (not really new at all, but newer than Old Town!).
From there we walked back to the area we had dinner last night since we knew there were a lot of options there.
Sure enough, we found a place and enjoyed our meal. But boy had I hit the wall by then.
It’s funny — I did all that walking on the GGW and didn’t feel this way. I think I’ve just sort of gotten into lazy mode. Or something.
Now we are back in our room. We signed up for breakfast, and sadly we can’t go in until 9:30 since all the earlier times are full. Oh well. Guess it’ll be a nice shower where I will even wash my hair IF there is hot water (there wasn’t much this morning).
Cheerio!
Moving On
We woke, packed, and went downstairs for coffee and a croissant. We could have paid £15 each (or was it more?!) for a bigger breakfast. But no thanks! We thought we were getting one chocolate croissant each and it turned out we each were given two. No clue if that’s normal or if the person just opted to be generous. Second croissants were saved for the train ride.
Walking to the train station was easy — just a gentle downhill. And then we waited, because of course we were early. For this (and the last) train we (I) had booked first class, only because the price really wasn’t much different. Both times we didn’t end up in first class because we didn’t see that carriage quickly and just wanted to get on board. When Dan talked to someone who worked on the train he suggested we NOT buy first class, because if we then opted to move there we would just pay for the upgrade on board, but he didn’t seem to think it was worth it. Ah well. Too late now, as this was our final Scotrail ride.
And now here we are, in our very old hotel, in Edinburgh! When we arrived the room wasn’t yet ready, so we dropped off luggage and headed down the street for sandwiches at a nearby spot. When it was 2:00 we were back at the hotel to check in. Breakfast comes with the price, so we scheduled tomorrow’s at the leisurely time of 8:30.
I think this is the most basic of places we’ve had, but it appears to be clean and the room is a decent size. It’s just a walk away to the city center. I can’t remember now why I booked this: odds are it was a Rick Steves recommendation or some such thing.
We then caught up on our sites, emails, and set up our charging area (we both have a tri-fold device that charges phone, watch, and if necessary AirPods. I’ve realized that I could easily leave a number of cords at home since the tri-fold charger takes care of all but my iPad. It had been recommended that I get an extension cord, but so far I’ve not used that at all. I really need to start a list of what to leave behind next time. Basically less of everything!
When we started up we both thought “Meh” … not impressed. Turns out it’s just our area. I know I’d read to stay slightly outside the center, and I guess when one does that it’s not the most splendid spot. I’m sure, though, it’s much more affordable.
A short walk later we saw a whole lot more people, and things were quite lively.
Our goal was to get up to the castle, so we headed that way. And stairs — lots and lots of stairs.
We saw what used to be The Tollboth Kirk, and is now “The Hub” … used by the Edinburgh International Festival.
From there we went toward the castle.
Turned out today was sold out. Not a big deal since we have more days here, but it made us realize we’d better buy tickets in advance. In front of it it looks like they are setting up for the Tattoo, but that doesn’t happen until August.
Since we couldn’t even walk close to the castle we headed back down the “Royal Mile” and landed at St. Giles, a Presbyterian church. It’s a very impressive church, although seeing a craft fair taking place IN the church brought to mind Jesus overturning tables. Hm. I opted to ignore that section (no photos of it at all), and enjoy the rest of the once Catholic cathedral.
We continued down the Royal Mile, only visiting one store: a Harris tweed shop that was out of this world gorgeous. For £299 I could have bought a fabulous coat, as could Dan. Ah well. We headed onward instead, and eventually turned around and looked for spot for dinner.
Running somewhat parallel to the Royal Mile we found a place to eat. It was what appeared to be quite a tourist street so I wasn’t expecting much, but actually my duck was pretty darn delicious!
The photo below was on the wall right above us at the restaurant. I liked it. That is all.
And then it was back to the hotel. Time to figure out what we do for tomorrow since our tickets for the castle aren’t until the following day.
Cheers!
Our Day in Glasgow
Of course more than one full day would have been great, but at least we had this one day and we did try to get around the area a bit.
We began with coffee in our room. Now how exciting is that? But they had one of those pod machines so it wasn’t as bad as what other places so far have provided. After showering and putting things away we headed out.
We began by walking one long street, aiming for the direction of Glasgow University. As we walked we kept our eyes open for a spot to get better coffee and a light breakfast and we did find that eventually, having our coffee and pastel de nata. How fun to have something we remembered from our Portugal portion of the 2023 trip.
From there it was more walking. I could see evidence (some towering, Harry Potteresque buildings) of nearing the university. That also mean we were getting close to an art museum that had been recommended. We walked by a small river, and again a coned statue.
Sure enough, we landed at the Kelingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
It had been recommended several times, and one reason was to see a Salvador Dali piece. Heh … not there! Turns out that was on loan. But still we enjoyed it, as there was definitely more to see.
There was also something to hear. Which we did, while eating a very light lunch.
Then we aimed for the university itself. The old buildings are pretty amazing.
After spending time there we went toward the west end. We (or at least I) was hoping to see some of the graffitied walls (really more art than graffiti) and while we saw a few things we didn’t wind up where more of that was, but time was ticking.
We headed down toward the river and walked along side of that. A nice man saw us looking at our map and told us how to get back to the city center, which was only an hour or so away. It was a nice easy walk, although I wasn’t wearing my walking shoes. This turned out to be an issue: the doggone Velcro on my nice Rieker shoes wasn’t sticking well. How annoying! In addition every time I bent over to reattach the strap my back would loudly complain. It took a bit of time to get back to standing up straight! But so it goes. I’m stubborn and I managed.
We walked past the other train station in Glasgow …
And another two walls that caught my eye.
When we got back to our hotel we had crisps and a pint. Do I sound like I belong here now? I think a wee bit.
Back to our room to put our feet up before we went out to our dinner at the Butterfly & the Pig, only a short walk away.
As we were leaving we noticed there were two (conservatory, as we read on the sign) musicians playing in the bar (fiddle & guitar). I’d have taken a photo, but right above them was a huge TV and a McDonald’s commercial was playing. Sort of ruins the mood.
Now we are back in our room, and I’ve packed all I’m able to pack for the train ride tomorrow.
G’night!
Another Day, Another City
Today began rather leisurely: I think I woke close to 7:30AM. With no worries about our schedule (our train doesn’t depart until 11:45 and checkout is 11:00) we were in no rush.
I started my packing before we headed to breakfast, as I tend to like getting things done on the early side. Then we went upstairs to the breakfast room. Oops! Our second night didn’t include breakfast. (We booked the two nights separately since we added the first night after booking the second … I think I mentioned that earlier?) No way did we want to pay nearly £15 per person for breakfast. We don’t eat enough to make that worth our while at this point. (We are attempting to now cut back on our food intake since we aren’t on the walk.) So rather than pay £30 for our morning meals we headed outside to find a place to eat. Guess what? Cafes and the like don’t open until 9:30 or 10:00! Say what? But a chain similar to Starbucks, Cafe Nero, was open so we went there. Our two breakfasts came to less than £15. Yep, I think we made the right choice. We also got a good idea of what the walk to the train station would be like and it looks quite doable … a gently downhill that might take all of 10 minutes or so.
Walking to the station we saw a lot of young people holding clipboards. I didn’t see them speaking with anyone so I’m unsure what they were doing.
We arrived at the train station early. My kind of arrival time! The thing is, with a train, it simply won’t leave any earlier than the time stated on the ticket, so getting there early doesn’t exactly do much … except keep me calm … and that’s a good thing.
Goodbye Stirling!
The train ride was about 30 minutes. I only took a few photos, as it wasn’t easy to capture anything. This one will have to do.
We arrived at our destination … Glasgow! After exiting the familiar station (funny to think we were here about two weeks ago) we walked to our hotel since it was rather close. Our room is nice, large, and airy. Only thing missing (again!) is a luggage stand. Ah well. No big deal.
We sat around a bit, charging up things that had low charges and all, and then went out to wander and then find lunch.
We ate at a place that I suspect is like eating at some chain restaurant in our corner of earth. Nothing remarkable, but it was food.
Once again it was wandering time.
We wound up at the GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art). It’s not a huge place, so we were able to see it all before they closed.
From there we went back to the hotel. Both of us are weary. We puzzled over that, but as I reminded Dan, on our last trip we did take a siesta every day. Granted, we had no choice: it was too hot to go outside! But I think a rest hour is just a necessary thing for us.
Dinner followed. I had looked up “best pubs in Glasgow” and then checked to see what was a decent walk. Drum & Monkey came up, and it looked fine. So that’s what it was! We walked there, and the menu was online (which is how lunch worked as well) and we were to order via the app. Except it didn’t have things that were on the menu. Hm. So Dan went and ordered at the counter in typical pub fashion. I had a very yummy chicken pie and Dan, for the second time, braved haggis. I think he “cheats” a bit though, since he has had it both times in chicken. Still, he seems to enjoy it. I’m just not interested!
And then it was a short walk back to the hotel.
I’m not sure what we’ll do tomorrow … we tend to wing it a lot. Maybe we’ll visit the cathedral. Maybe we’ll just walk a lot. We’ll see!
A Stirling Day
It’s odd not getting up and having no walk or train ride to prepare for. Not that I’m complaining!
There are far too many photos on this post: I don’t think I can continue to post this number, but since I have them, I’ll put ‘em up today because I have enough time.
We woke, had our lovely breakfast, spoke with the hostess who talked to Dan a lot about the Mitchells of Dundee … and I remembered to take a few photos of the bar and the “library” before we went to our room to ready ourselves for the day.
It was rainy.
It’s Scotland.
This is not unusual for this area, although our first few days in Scotland were so unusually sunny I thought perhaps we brought the area great weather. (Yes, I like to take credit for things like that.) But no, it’s rainy and likely to be that way on other days. No worries, as we are prepared. I was happy that I brought my nicer raincoat. I also have my hat, a scarf, and an umbrella. So what’s a bit ‘o rain, eh?
We took our time getting out and about, and when we did we headed in the direction of Stirling Castle, for which we had 1:00 tickets. On the way we saw a few things that caused us to stop and take photos, including a building that had “Boy Scouts” on it. I’m guessing it’s not the same as the US Scouts, but who knows? I just liked the witty sayings on the building.
Then we spotted the Church of the Holy Rude and took some time in there. I was dismayed when the person taking the fee to visit gave us the “Concession” (as in senior) discount without asking. WHAT?! Don’t I look like I’m in my forties … or even fifties?! (Kidding!)
Before our castle appointment we figured we’d grab a “little” lunch. I have a feeling Scotland doesn’t really do little … or else we are just picking the wrong places. But lunch was definitely enjoyed. So were our tiny beers.
In some ways I found the castle overwhelming. We purchased the audio tour, which we listened to via our phones. I think most places are doing that now and I highly suspect Covid might have been the start of it (the narration makes it sound like we should have a device they hand out) and I’ll bet they continue with this method — works just fine for me.
There is much to hear about the castle, and a good amount to see. We chose to be outside first, knowing that, while it was not sprinkling at the moment, it had rained earlier and would rain again.
Sure enough, rain came. So then it was the indoor places to see.
We grew a bit weary after listening to the tour recording for so long, and eventually opted to go back to our hotel and eat some of our leftover goodies from our walk lunches. We needed to be sure we had something in our stomachs because …
Next up … a Stirling gin tour at the Stirling Distillery. We walked over to the distillery, which was a mere 10 minutes or so away. There was only one other couple there for the tour. Small samples of gin were set in front of us, along with one cocktail. The tour guide, Kate, was wonderful and I learned quite a bit about gin. This distillery is somewhat new. I would highly recommend visiting it.
We purchased four of the tiny bottles: we simply have no room at all in our luggage for more. But I really want to see if we can order some at some point. Thanks, Kate, for the great tour. It was a lovely experience!
Tour over ‘n out … time to walk. I have been admiring so many stone walls with plants growing in them I finally took a photo.
From there we walked over to a pub called Nicky-Tams Bar & Bothy. We had simple dinners. Nothing to write home about, but just fine. This time the beers were a bit larger. (A nice thing about beers over here is that many are lower in alcohol and you can safely enjoy a larger glass!)
And back to our hotel we went.
Tomorrow we head out on the train again. I’m hoping for a less rainy day, but … well … it’s Scotland!
Adjustment Day
After coffee we wandered.
We checked out a graveyard (the doggie sign was actually at the churchyard as well) … I find these places rather fascinating. So many parents lost young children, so many died at younger ages. Seeing people our age is rare, it seems.
More walking, as we figured out where we’d have a bite …
Then it was pizza and beer at Black Isle … the same business we visited in Fort William. While sitting at the table another couple joined us. They are currently on a Rick Steves tour and talked about how nice it was. Sounds like something we might end up doing when I get fed up with planning … but I do like to plan, and we do prefer traveling independently for now.
We then went back to the train station, collected our luggage, and waited for the train. I really dislike not knowing what track we have until quite close to the train departure. At 2:20 our 2:50 train still wasn’t showing the track number. Control freak me doesn’t like that!
As much as our B&B owner warned us about a crowded station and train, it was close to empty! (Today is a bank holiday and he said those can cause problems.) We got in our seats quickly and easily.
This wasn’t a speed train, and it took almost three hours to reach our next destination. But such beautiful countryside! I took photos through the train window, so I’m sure they won’t be great, but I’ll post them in any case.
We arrived in our next city and it is … Stirling!
Since neither of us is in great shape at the moment we took a taxi to our hotel, the Stirling Highland Hotel. It’s an older place, and our room is huge. (Not a lot of plugs to charge things, though.) Dinner was included with our first night, and we had a bottle of wine waiting in our room. I’m not even sure we can manage to drink it while we are here!
Dinner was quite nice. It is in an upstairs room, and there were not a lot of tables so it wasn’t too noisy. It appears that the building may have been a school originally. The dining room was called the Scholars’ Restaurant and I think there was the Headmaster’s room of some sort. I really need to read up on the building! I should have thought to take a quick photo. Too late for now, but breakfast is in the same spot so maybe I’ll remember tomorrow morning.
I am finding it very strange that we have no long walks to go on, and I think I’ll miss the Great Glen Way.
And So It Ends
But let’s start from the beginning of the day, yes?
We started with packing (although I’d done my suitcase packing last night: Dan gets some of what I can’t fit in the smaller case, and we add the final stuff after changing into our walking clothes and brushing teeth and all). I have decided (and feel the need to be helpful for others planning trips) that suitcases “grow” things … as we go along it gets harder and harder to fit things into them!
Then we had yet another lovely breakfast at Woodlands. (I need to go back and make sure I link to the other places we stayed, but maybe not tonight.) We said our goodbyes, and got in the van. It turned out to be full van, but with only two that we had met before.
Some people were dropped off where we were dropped off yesterday. This included one of “our” people … she wanted to walk on the road up to where the trail began to get to Inverness. This meant two miles of tarmac. No thank you! We’ve added enough to our walk already due to various things (and stay tuned: we’ll add more!) and didn’t feel the need to do those two extra miles.
I thought today would be about 7.5 miles. Not bad. And I’d read it was all easy.
So we got out at our starting spot (Blackfold) and headed out on the trail. It was just fine. Cloudy and cold, but okay. Better cloudy than too much sun!
We walked up on the moor (or is it moors) for a bit, and then reached some trees. Going through a gate there were smaller trees … maybe reforesting? I’m not sure.
Some spots were a bit muddy, but we are used to that, of course. Another walker, from a few years back, wrote about the stone wall that went on for some time, and we did reach that. What a chore to build those walls. (Or should I call it a fence? Hm.)
We again ran into the sisters we’ve chatted with a few times. They had stopped at a perfect spot for coffee (yes, they had a thermos with them). They said it seemed a good place to stop since it wasn’t yet raining. Smart people! They were already dressed in rain gear.
We plodded on. I knew they’d catch up with us, and of course they did. Dan and I aren’t speedy walkers. Especially now. He still has hip and back issues, and my left hip and my toes are a bit pesky. So it goes. Eventually you don’t notice the hurt so much.
And then … well … drip drip drip … little sprinkles began. Dan was behind me at that point, having stopped to do some photography, and he texted that he might be packing things up if the rain continued.
And it did.
So he packed up, as did I.
The rain, though, started to get a bit heavier. We were then walking together when we decided that we needed to add our rain pants to the mix (we wore rain jackets from the start). Reaching a spot that had tree cover we got the pants on (they have side zippers both at the top and bottom so you don’t have to deal with taking off shoes) … I first put mine on backwards. Argh! It’s hard enough to stand and get the darn things on, but then I had to take them off and start over. But I managed and on we went.
And then glimpses of Inverness!
The rain was quite persistent. It rained as we descended into Inverness. The first place we left the nice trail we were in an area with a lot of buildings — maybe apartments or something. I couldn’t really tell. We walked a sidewalk, we walked past a playground. We managed to lose the GGW signs, but found them again, and on we went.
We reached a tunnel and went through (yes the GGW sign said to do that).
After that things got weird. Somewhere we missed a sign. We ended up walking and walking and not finding signs. I finally put our destination (Inverness Castle) in to Google and in a roundabout way we were taken there, but we definitely went at least a mile further than we should and perhaps longer.
This bridge, before reaching the castle (crossing the River Ness) is one strange and very bouncy bridge!
The castle itself is disappointing, but I’d read about it already so I expected that. It’s being fixed up, and it’s surrounded by scaffolding and the like. There IS a big monument or whatever it’s called for the walkers, so we did the obligatory photo. First we did one for the two runners who did the GGW in two days! That’s 40 miles a day. Yikes!
And then it was to the Castle Tavern for our beers and lunch. I’d been told we could get certificates there, but I didn’t ask and they didn’t offer (although I thought it was pretty clear we looked like drenched GGW walkers!).
After our late lunch we headed to our B&B.
We showered, changed into to normal clothes, and went to dinner at a nice place. Crossing another bouncy bridge.
And now it’s over. Mission accomplished.
Tomorrow we go back to normal travel mode: a train to the next village we are visiting (stay tuned), and I hope less eating, since we won’t be burning nearly as many calories.
I’m so glad we did the walk. Yes, it could be challenging, but I think challenging one’s self is a good thing, and at our age maybe even better than good. We met some lovely people.
And now we rest!