Edinburgh Bound

We arrived in Edinburgh with a couple of hours to kill before we could check into our little Airbnb flat. Not to worry, we thought, we’ll drop off the car, walk over to the train station, stash the bags in a locker there and have a look around. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but as they say in these parts, ‘the best laid plans …’

We set off with Google Maps in hand but soon realised we hadn’t accounted for the Edinburgh terrain. Every street in the city seemed to be ‘up’, with no ‘down’ to be found. Before long a friendly local suggested a short-cut to the station. Despite barely understanding what the man had said in his thick Scottish accent (that should have been a clue), we headed off in yet another direction. You know how it goes from there.

Eventually another man whom we’d passed three times took pity on us.

‘Where you headed?’
‘Just over to Waverley Station,’ we replied, trying to sound as though we knew what we were doing.

He laughed, suggested we’d likely be all day uphill before we got there, and offered to drive us. Ten minutes later we bundled out of the little car and Robert, who refused to take a penny for his trouble, gave us a big bear hug and went on his way.

Robert’s kindness was typical of people we met on this trip. Scots are warm and genuine and funny. We enjoyed being around them as much as we enjoyed their beautiful country.

There’s another saying here, too. It’s ‘Haste ye back.’ ‘Haste ye back on friendship’s way,’ they say. We think we will.

It was just as well we allowed plenty of time for our Scotland tour ...

Often as not, we'd no sooner get on the road of a morning than we'd be stopping again for a walk on a beach or just to admire a beautiful view

The Castle of Mey had been privately owned by the Queen Mother; quite unexpectedly we really enjoyed a tour here (especially the bit about the footman arriving with the corgies' dinner tray every afternoon at precisely 4 o'clock)

And then it was on to John O'Groats, famous as the journey's end (or beginning) for the longest direct-route trip you can make on the UK mainland - and not much else 🙂

Duncansby Stacks, sea stacks right at the tip of Scotland's north-east coast

The Whaligoe Steps, just south of the town of Wick, leading down to a tiny fishing harbour between the cliffs; women would go down to meet the boats then haul the catch up in baskets on their backs (the steps number 365 - you'll notice this is a pic from the top) 🙂

The harbour at the little village of Lybster

We met some wonderful people here, including Des, the town's 83-year-old former postmaster whose house is on the market because he can't wait to get travelling again

Gorse shrubs in flower; these spectacular yellow blooms lit up the landscape for us in many parts of Scotland - fortunately we're not farmers trying to get rid of the pesky invader

That path ended here, the site where the Clearance village of Badbea once stood; people who'd been evicted from their homes (by lairds pursuing the more profitable farming of sheep) were forced onto land that was barely habitable

In this wild place, livestock - and children too - were tethered to prevent them from being blown off the cliffs

At one time 80 people lived at Badbea; the last inhabitant left in 1911, the same year the memorial was erected by a man who'd lived here as a child

It's hard to imagine being forced to move your family to this place and then trying to feed them from this stony ground and keep them safe from harm

Today there are fences and signs above the cliffs warning visitors of the danger

You know you're in Scotland when ...

And here's the famous Heilan Coo

Scottish Highland cattle are said to be the world's oldest registered breed

Highland cows are easy to spot with their long horns, long woolly coats

And a fringe that makes you want to reach for the scissors!

Highland cattle are bred for their prime beef, but we liked them because they were funny and friendly

The lovely city of Inverness, 'capital' of the Scottish Highlands

Inverness Castle, made famous by Shakespeare as Macbeth's Castle and the site of King Duncan's murder (the Bard never did let the facts interfere with a good story)

And here's the location of another good story - Loch Ness

We spent a long time on monster watch - without success

Cawdor Castle, another Shakespeare connection (Macbeth was given the title 'Thane of Cawdor' in the play, but again without any basis in fact)

Still, it's fun to imagine knights on horseback thundering into the castle shouting 'draw the bridge'; there's none of that today though - the castle is home to the Dowager Countess Cawdor

Loch Morlich in the Cairngorms National Park; sand and snow

Layer upon layer of beauty

How lucky was I to have Sean Connery driving me around Scotland? 🙂

And before we knew it, we were in Edinburgh

With its own famous castle

And it's Royal Mile

And the lanes and alleyways - known as closes - that run off it

The closes were private property and named for their owner or the trade they were associated with

But the best thing about Edinburgh for us? Catching up with the beautiful birthday-girl Benedetta 🙂 Bene is at Uni in Edinburgh now so it was a wonderful chance to see her

Edinburgh is a 'greener' city than we imagined it to be

We really enjoyed a stroll along a section of the 'Water of Leith' Walkway

It's a 20-kilometre path running alongside the small Leith River

And then there's Arthur's Seat, the extinct volcano that is the highest point in a group of hills towering over Edinburgh

With an elevation gain of 250m, this is a proper hill walk (goodness knows how Rebus did it with all the smoking and drinking he did in the day)

But the views from the top are fabulous

Though we were sorry it had come to an end, Edinburgh and Arthur's Seat seemed a fitting finale to our great Scottish adventure