We had a pleasant evening and night in Haydon Bridge. We ate at the Anchor, the local pub a short walk across a centuries-old bridge. We had lovely fish and chips with the usual mushy peas and a side salad. And chips. And onion rings. Way too much!
After breakfast in the hotel, we headed north toward Edinburgh. When we crossed into Scotland, we noticed that the road markings were better, and there was a bit more verge at the sides of the road. We had one stop at a Scottish woolen mill outlet, where I replaced the hat I lost on the first day in Cornwall. We also had our usual tea and a scone for lunch.
We were able to drive directly to our hotel to unload. The Motel One is just off the Royal Mile, right in the middle of everything. However, the parking is at the nearby train station, several blocks away. I checked us in while Dan parked the car. We headed right over to the Waverly Bridge, across from the train station, and where the Hop-on Hop-off buses are headquartered. We decided to buy a 48-hour ticket which included admission to the Castle, the royal yacht Britannia, and Holyrood Palace. We took the basic tour bus first, with live narration of the sights we were passing. We finished about 4:00 and decided to have our meal and be finished for the day. We found a Mediterranean cafe nearby and shared a fantastic plate of hummus, grilled cheese, venison salami, salad and olives.
After we were finished at the castle, we got on the Hop-on Hop-off bus that stops nearby and headed back to Waverly Bridge. I enjoyed the lamp posts we saw, such as the one below.
After breakfast in the hotel, we headed north toward Edinburgh. When we crossed into Scotland, we noticed that the road markings were better, and there was a bit more verge at the sides of the road. We had one stop at a Scottish woolen mill outlet, where I replaced the hat I lost on the first day in Cornwall. We also had our usual tea and a scone for lunch.
We were able to drive directly to our hotel to unload. The Motel One is just off the Royal Mile, right in the middle of everything. However, the parking is at the nearby train station, several blocks away. I checked us in while Dan parked the car. We headed right over to the Waverly Bridge, across from the train station, and where the Hop-on Hop-off buses are headquartered. We decided to buy a 48-hour ticket which included admission to the Castle, the royal yacht Britannia, and Holyrood Palace. We took the basic tour bus first, with live narration of the sights we were passing. We finished about 4:00 and decided to have our meal and be finished for the day. We found a Mediterranean cafe nearby and shared a fantastic plate of hummus, grilled cheese, venison salami, salad and olives.
Today (Thursday) we headed up from our hotel and had porridge for breakfast at a small cafe. From there it wasn't much of a walk up to the castle. Here is a view (a bit dark) of the entire castle from a distance.
Here is Dan on the Esplanade, the wide open place in front of the castle entrance.
We were just at the right time to catch a guided tour that lasted about 45 minutes and gave us a good overview of the enormous place. After the tour we could go in a number of the buildings. Below is the front of St. Margaret's Chapel, a tiny church that holds a total of 24 people. The standard joke we heard several times was that fathers of brides like it to keep the cost down -- but the rental fee is quite high.
This is the front of the War Memorial, a huge building dedicated to the memory of Scottish soldiers killed in World War I. No photography inside.
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| The clock tower |
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| Weapons on display in the Great Hall |
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| A view of the city through a cannon portal |
From the castle we went on to tour the yacht and the palace. I'll put up another post with some photos from them.
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