Edinburgh and Shrewsbury

Quite a while since we wrote so a bit to catch up on.

On arrival in Edinburgh we went straight to see Phil and Marie (Kristian’s dad and partner) where we had lunch before catching the bus into the centre of the city. We walked around the city centre for a while, had a brief look at the castle (which we had visited in 2010), and watched the 1pm firing of the cannon from the castle battlements. On the way around we passed a lone piper.

We then went underground to see the buried city where, after the plague in the 1600’s, houses were built on top of the old city. Access has now been gained to this area and you can walk through the old houses and along streets that are now all covered over (it’s called Mary King’s Close if you want to have a look online). Our guide related true stories of life in the old city which was very interesting.

On emerging into the sunlight we discovered that the temperature had soared to 28 degrees so after shopping for a short while (which knocked Janice around with the heat) we headed for our hotel. We had had 5 days of beautiful weather in Scotland which was almost unheard of. We were very impressed with the small hotel we stayed at but I will let Janice tell you about that. On arrival I asked if they had air-conditioning with the response of “Don’t be daft, this is Scotland”.

That evening we went to dinner at a city restaurant recommended to us which was quite amazing. The walls were adorned with old and antique ornaments, artefacts, photos and pictures. The ceiling was papered with sheet music and many of the walls had old newspapers.  After dinner, Phil and Marie joined us for drinks. Later on Marie went home and Phil and us went into the centre of the city and ended up at the White Heart Inn which was built in 1516, and Robbie Burns stayed there in 1791.  It had  low ceilings and heaps of character. There was a guitarist and fiddler playing and singing folk music which were very entertaining. We found seats close to them and once they discovered we were from Australia, out came the Australian ballads.  It felt as if Phil had found this place purposely for us to get ‘a feel’ of Edinburgh, but he was as surprised as us to find music being played inside. The duo called themselves "The Futtocks" (see below).

The following day we headed back to Chester for a few days and caught up with the washing. Our next port of call was Stiperstones near Shrewsbury where David and Amanda Wallis live. Dave and I joined the police cadets together in 1964 and have kept in contact ever since. The hot weather continued and we spent most of our time outside in the garden. Last Wednesday it was David’s birthday so we had a large party at the house with more than 40 people attending, over half of them being villagers. The party also attracted 5 ex-Birmingham Bobbies making 7 of us in total. (photo below) We all had a great time reminiscing on people we knew and the things that happened nearly 50 years ago. It was well after midnight when everyone had left.

We visited the historical towns of Shrewsbury and Ludlow before heading back to Chester to prepare for the next leg of our journey, Birmingham. (Photo of old pub in Ludlow).

Janice’s bit – when we were in Stiperstones it was fantastic.  Our friends live over the road from the local pub, and we found the people there were lovely.  Had dinner there the first night and it was very reasonable.  On the day of David’s birthday everyone kept popping in all day – some were bringing food, others were bringing things we needed for the party, and it was all go really.  So much food & drink – I made a couple of punches to lower the alcohol consumption (that’s not like me) but I thought if we were drinking from lunch time we may be a little worse for wear if we kept going like that.  Their house is beautiful and overlooks farmland which was so peaceful.  I could have sat outside for a long time & not been bored. 

Back to Edinburgh and the guest house we stayed in.  When we finally found it, we found the door locked and wondered if this was in fact where we were supposed to be.  In the end Brian knocked on the door and this lovely lady came out to greet us – she even carried our suitcase up the stairs which Brian protested about.  She then asked us if we would like a glass of wine or beer, and as we were very hot, this was most welcome.  We had a carafe of sherry for our use, two bottles of water, chocolates, and many biscuits with our tea & coffee.  I didn't realise I had booked a guest house, but it was really lovely.  They had done up the inside so nicely, but had kept the fancy cornices etc.  A Scottish breakfast is enough to keep you going for two days – haggis, black pudding, potato scone, baked beans, bacon, sausages, eggs & tomatoes.  I didn't want the first two ingredients, but even so, there’s no way I could finish the amount on my plate.  I would love to spend more time in Scotland one day.

Glasgow and the Isle of Islay

It was a beautiful day when we left to head north for Scotland along the M56 and the M6. As we progressed the cloud cover increased and we had a few showers arriving in Glasgow with low cloud but still mild. Our hotel overlooking the Clyde Estuary was a golf resort in the middle of a golf course. After checking in we explored the local town of Paisley with its many old buildings including a medieval abbey. 

The following day we caught the train into the centre of Glasgow and hopped on a sightseeing bus which toured around the local places of interest and from this we learned a lot about the history of the city. The local students had been having fun with the statue of the Duke of Wellington.

 

 

Dr Who was in town for the day.

 

 

 

For dinner that evening we went to a local restaurant and had a delightful meal and met some interesting locals who tried to persuade us to part with some of our bottle of Australian red wine.

The following morning we were off to catch the ferry to the island of Islay. Our trip north took us along the “bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond” which we followed for about half an hour before heading west over the mountains towards the coast. It truly is a magnificent lake. Our ferry left from Kennacraig which we assumed was a township but turned out to be just a loading jetty with booking office, toilets and carpark. The carpark was full but luckily someone coming off the incoming ferry vacated a space which we were close enough to grab.

The journey over was 2 hours and the weather overcast. We were met by Ishbel at Port Askaig who loaded us into her car and took us along to the brewery at Bridgend to catch up with Paul. It was a great re-union not having seen him for 43 years (the last time I was 22 and he was 17).  After some shopping at the local store we went to pick up Paul and headed to their home at Port Charlotte where we were met by an excited Staffie and 2 very friendly cats. Janice was in her element having been deprived of animals for over 5 weeks. Over dinner we reminisced over things that happened nearly 50 years ago as well as caught up with how our lives had progressed since then.

The following morning, after an enormous breakfast cooked by Paul, we headed off to explore the island which is 26 miles long and about the same wide. The overcast start to the day soon changed to a glorious sunny and warm one. I couldn’t get over how friendly everyone was and Ish seemed to know them all. We visited the ancient seat of the Lords of the Islands with its scattered ruins before driving to a remote art gallery with local crafts and tea rooms where we had morning coffee followed by a walk along the beach.

 

 

Most of the roads are single track with many pull-in-bays so vehicles can pass. Again, everyone is very co-operative. We visited many villages and bays and from the west side of the island we could see the coastline of Ireland.

 

That evening we dined at the local hotel and had a table overlooking the bay. The warm weather continued and we had to have the window open to stay cool. On returning home we chatted until almost midnight when we had a power blackout which sent Paul scuttling for torches and candles but amazingly it was still not completely dark outside.

The following morning we headed down to Port Ellen in the south of the island to pick up our ferry back to the mainland. Again another scorcher of a day. Our trip back to Glasgow was leisurely and we stopped at many interesting places along the way, including the castle at Inverary which features in the later episodes of Downton Abbey.

We selected a different hotel in Glasgow and this one was perfect. It is an old manor house set in magnificent gardens with amazing décor. We sat out in the garden sipping drinks for a couple of hours before going in for dinner.

Note from Janice – I didn’t want to leave the garden as it was so cool after a very hot day.  What a perfect spot we had found.  Brian amused me as we were watching some birds play by saying “oh look, the birds are pruning each other” !!!  If Adele had been there with me we would have had a good laugh together – as it was, I got the giggles about it while writing it in my diary. 

On our way up to Kennacraig we travelled through amazing landscape.  The hills were so high & rugged – taking photos just didn’t do it justice.  Thought of Kristian as he really loves Scotland, and we have had such a good time in Scotland, I could understand why.  Everyone has been so very friendly.  Back to Brian now…………

Off to Edinburgh tomorrow.