After a few days walking the streets of Edinburgh it was into the hire car and off to York.
We’ re just over halfway into our trip and I was feeling like I had sensory overload.
I’d packed so much into our time in Scotland. There was so much I wanted to see, that I’d broken with the vow of Slow Travel. Our arrival in Edinburgh and our decision to rent an Airbnb apartment rather than stay in a hotel or B&B meant we could go at our own pace. Continue reading
Walking around Edinburgh is the best way to see it. It’s narrow streets and closes. It’s history, galleries museums, houses and pubs. These are not seen from the top level of a double decker bus or car. They are seen by walking, stopping and looking, not cruising by. For us walking makes it our own journey of discovery, not someone else’s pre-packaged highlights reel.
If we hadn’t been walking in Edinburgh, we would not have seen the wonderful textile exhibition at the Dovecot Gallery. The Dovecot Gallery and coffee shop are in a side street, a short walk from the Royal Mile.
Dovecot Gallery
Dovecot Gallery
We stumbled on the Museum, sure, it was on our list but Continue reading
In planning our trip I’d spied some blogs on a drive along the coast roads of the Highlands of Scotland. While time didn’t allow us to drive the full journey of the route known as the Northcoast 500, we were able to cover a big slice of it – Lochcarron to Durness.
The Northcoast 500
From the Kyle of Lockalsh, the mainland adjacent to Skye, we headed up the coast taking a short detour to the delightful seaside village of Plocton, before joining the NC500 at Lochcarron. Over the next two days we travelled upto Durness using Ullapool as our base.
Plockton
NC500 Lochcarron to Ullapool
The forecast was at best average – driving rain and high winds!
We joined the NC500 at Lochcarron which leads onto the Bealach an Ba ( Pass of the Cattle). I’d suggest goat track would be a more appropriate translation.
Leaving Lochcarron the signs warn that it’s likely to be impassable in winter. Continue reading
The Orkney Islands are a collection of Islands north of mainland Scotland. Continue reading
Whitemill Beach – Sanday
We timed our trip to Sanday, Orkney Islands perfectly to coincide with The Adelaide Crows Preliminary Final against Geelong. When we booked our travel to the UK it seemed likely that The Crows would be in the finals and that for the first time in my life I’d be on the other side of the world when my team is playing in the football finals. (Infact its more than just The Crows, my beloved Sturt are playing in the SANFL Grand Final as I put the finishing touches on this post – thanks 5AA for providing the commentary steam).
With the AFL Watch App loaded we could only hope that the B&Bs we chose had good wifi , but as the finals draw was announced it seemed we would be on a ferry when the Preliminary Final started! Oh well, I thought, our trip to Sanday was important as it was the birth place of my favourite person’s’ ancestors and I’d have to wait until we landed in Sanday to get the scores.
Pregame – at the ferry terminal
As we arrived at the ferry terminal I got a text message from a friend, a Geelong supporter from a bar near the ground. I responded with a picture of us at the ferry terminal. In our usual style, we had arrived at the ferry terminal early careful to make sure we didn’t miss it.
We drove onto the ferry about 40 minutes later, Continue reading