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Trip Report: Edinburgh, York, Cornwall and Highclere

Trip Report: Edinburgh, York, Cornwall and Highclere

Old Jun 11th, 2016, 07:39 PM
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Trip Report: Edinburgh, York, Cornwall and Highclere

Hello Fodorites - Mom and I returned from our trip nearly two weeks ago, and I am just now settled back into my daily routine enough to consider starting this trip report. I owe many thanks to those on this forum who helped as I planned this trip.

I didn't keep a journal on the trip and am not one to keep track of what we ate or every last thing we did, but I do want to share our itinerary and impressions and will try to do so in enough detail to perhaps help other travelers. I truly hope I can finish this now that I've committed myself - please forgive me if I disappear for a day or two between postings (for such things as work and family!).

This was the third trip my mother and I have taken to the UK together, and quite possibly our last for various reasons. We had two major destinations on our wish list - Scotland and Cornwall - and combining them in one trip didn't seem at all logical at first. However, after doing some research and receiving positive feedback on this forum, I determined that it wasn't such a stretch to do a bit of both. After much jostling of details, we settled on the following itinerary: One week in Edinburgh, one night in York (two would have been better), one week in Cornwall, and two nights in Newbury to visit Highclere Castle.

We flew into Edinburgh and out of London, took the train between each location and rented a car for a few days in Cornwall. We had a good range of accommodation - each of which was perfect for our needs. In Edinburgh, we rented an apartment right on the Royal Mile; in Cornwall, we rented a "character" cottage right by Mount's Bay; in York, we stayed at the Hazelwood (a wonderful B&B); and in Newbury, we stayed at the Carnarvon Arms (a beautifully renovated coaching inn). I hired a private taxi to take us to Heathrow from Newbury. All reservations were made at least 6 months prior to our trip, and everything worked out perfectly. The weather was - much to our surprise - beautiful. Of 18 days total, we were only rained on (very lightly) one day - the rest of the time was partly to mostly sunny. I have no idea what we did to deserve that stroke of luck, but I'm very grateful!

I will post a condensed day-by-day, to be filled in as I have time.
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Old Jun 11th, 2016, 07:40 PM
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May 12 - I flew from Denver and Mom from Cleveland; we met in Newark and flew overnight to Edinburgh.

May 13 - Arrived at EDI around 9:45 a.m. and took a taxi to our apartment on the Royal Mile (called Anne House Apartments). The apartment was cozy, clean and had everything we needed - especially the location! We were able to walk out the main door of the apartment building right onto the Royal Mile, which was always buzzing. We are always eager to get going when we arrive somewhere new, and usually don't take time to do much besides drop our luggage and freshen up a little.

We left our apartment pretty soon after arriving and walked over to St. Giles' Cathedral - literally a one minute walk. When we arrived at St. Giles', a choir was performing a noon-time concert, and we were treated to the glorious acoustics of the cathedral. I think the choristers were from the Faroe Islands (?) and they were wearing traditional costumes. I may have that completely wrong - in any case, the choir was wonderful. We sat and listened for awhile, then decided to visit the tiny Thistle Chapel (beautiful) before going down to the undercroft café. We had a large (and very good) lunch at the café, then left the cathedral to stroll around the Royal Mile a bit. Mom was wearing down by this time, so we decided to stock up on a few groceries at the Sainsbury Local and head back to the apartment.

After depositing Mom and the groceries, I headed back out to do my own reconnaissance of the area. I walked up to the Castle and stood on the Esplanade taking in the views, then headed down the Royal Mile, taking the occasional diversion to explore a few of the beguiling cross streets and closes. I ended up at the bottom of the Royal Mile, and had a good look around at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Arthur's Seat and the Parliament building before finally returning to the apartment for dinner and an early bedtime.

May 14 - I had purchased the Royal Edinburgh Pass from home, which includes access to any of the bus tours for 48 hours, as well as admission to Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Royal Yacht Britannia. The pass suited our needs perfectly. We walked over to Waverly Bridge to catch the first Edinburgh Tour bus of the day, then took the entire tour before hopping off at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. There was a special exhibit of Queen Elizabeth II's clothing in celebration of her birthday, and we really enjoyed our tour of the Palace and the collection of dresses. After seeing the interior exhibits, we strolled through the abbey ruins and gardens - both of which were gorgeous, and made more so by the lovely weather. We ate lunch at the Palace's café, then caught the sightseeing bus up to the Castle.

I had worried about Mom's ability to walk the many hills of Edinburgh (and later, Cornwall), but she did amazingly well. The tour bus drops you at the Lawnmarket, just below the Esplanade, and we made our way at a leisurely place to the Castle, used our pass to enter, and slowly made our way to the top of the castle to visit St. Margaret's Chapel. We worked our way downward from there, seeing the Crown Jewels, the Stone of Destiny and the Scottish National War Memorial (very moving). We managed to get into the Redcoat Café just before they closed for some cake and tea, then finished our visit with a stop in the very fine gift shop by the castle exit. Later, both Mom and I agreed that we actually enjoyed the Palace of Holyrood House more than the Castle - purely a matter of taste, I'm sure.

As we were leaving the Castle, a young woman handed us a flyer with information about a pipe and drum band that was to play later that evening. We went back to the apartment, had a light dinner, then walked back up to the Castle (twice in one day - my mom amazed me!), where we enjoyed a very traditional performance of bagpipes, drums and Highland dancers put on by the local postal corps of pipers. It was the perfect ending to our first full day in Edinburgh.
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Old Jun 11th, 2016, 08:02 PM
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Really looking forward to this -- you put so much planning onto everything I'm glad the weather cooperated


I wanted to book one of those flats for August but they were full for my dates. Was it nice?
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Old Jun 11th, 2016, 09:06 PM
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Thanks Janis - we were quite pleased with the weather! The flat was nice, but not fantastic. Just nice. We both thought it could have done with a little freshening up - then it would have been really nice. But the location couldn't be beat, the price was right, and it was very "homely", as our Brit friends would say.
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Old Jun 11th, 2016, 10:24 PM
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I'm along for the ride!
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Old Jun 12th, 2016, 12:24 AM
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me too.

Hurry up and get to Cornwall! [i don't mean it really]
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Old Jun 12th, 2016, 01:38 AM
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Looking forward to more!
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Old Jun 12th, 2016, 08:04 AM
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Thanks for the encouragement! Don't worry, Ann - I'll get to Cornwall, and will have nothing but nice things to say!

May 15 - Second day using our Royal Edinburgh pass. We walked to Waverly Bridge again and caught the first Majestic tour of the day, which takes you past the Royal Botanic Garden and out to the Royal Yacht Britannia. We got off at the Botanic Garden, picked up a map, and started off toward the glasshouses. The gardens are beautiful, although it seemed a lot of things weren't in bloom yet. We lingered at the gorgeous little cottage at the Queen Mother's Memorial Garden, admiring the walls and ceiling, which were covered in a mosaic of shells, pine cones and other little natural wonders. We ended up at the glasshouses, paid our 1/2 price entry fee (thanks to the R.E. pass), and spent a happy hour or so walking through a mostly tropical wonderland. Really enjoyed our time here.

Having spent perhaps 2 hours at the Garden, we caught the next Majestic tour bus and headed to the Royal Yacht Britannia. I should mention that it was a beautiful, sunny and actually pretty warm day. I recall taking my jacket off while onboard the yacht because it was so darn hot. ;-)

The Britannia had been high on our list of things to see while in Edinburgh, and we weren't disappointed. It has been pristinely maintained and is very well set up for tourists. I especially enjoyed seeing the family's living quarters, including the bedrooms, dining room and parlor, but I heard a few men oohing and aahing over the enormous engine room, which Mom and I had an obligatory look at before moving on.

We stopped partway through the tour at the Royal Deck Tea Room and had a very nice lunch with great views over the Water of Leith. I believe we had egg and rocket sandwiches, which I seem to eat of lot of in Britain, and some very nice cakes for dessert. After lunch, as we were leaving the tea room, I ran into (almost literally) an acquaintance from my hometown who I'd seen only a couple of week previously. We were equally shocked to see each other, neither one knowing the other had plans to be in Britain, much less the Royal Deck Tea Room at 1:30 on May 15! The world truly does feel to be a small place sometimes.

After returning to Edinburgh, we probably returned to our apartment for dinner. It's those kind of details that tend to escape me if I don't write it down. We aren't foodies, and are typically happy if we stumble upon a place that has food that looks appealing at that very moment, as dictated by our grumbling stomachs. I do know that we ate one evening at a restaurant on North Bridge Street that had excellent Scottish-raised hamburgers, and another evening had a very decent Italian meal. I think it's fair to say we didn't go out of our way to experience true Scottish food, which was probably our loss, convenience being the deciding factor when choosing restaurants.

May 16 - The first of our Rabbie's tours: West Highlands Lochs and Castles. We walked to the Rabbie's Café and meeting place at 6 Waterloo Place - an easy 5-10 minute walk from our apartment. The tour was a longer day tour, and we needed to be there by 8:00 a.m., which wasn't difficult considering how early the sun was coming up while we were there. (For anyone considering Scotland or England in May - there are LOTS of hours of daylight in late May!).

Our guide was a young woman named Franczeska, and she was fabulous. "Franny" kept a running story going all day, interspersed with information about the sights we were seeing, a bit of Scottish music and faultless driving. The tour stops at Doune Castle (of Monty Python and Outlander fame), Loch Lubnaig for restrooms and a photo opportunity, Loch Awe, for a walk out to Kilchurn Castle and Inverary, at which guests have the option of going into town or touring the castle. Oh - and Luss for Loch Lomond, as well as a quick photo opp looking up at Stirling Castle.

Doune Castle was very interesting, and I'd love to have had more time to explore all the nooks and crannies, but it was fun to see nonetheless. The walk to Kilchurn Castle was flat and very easy, and we had plenty of time to walk around the castle (you can't go into it currently, but as it's just a ruin I'm not sure what there would have been to see anyway), taking lots of photos and just enjoying the scenery. When we stopped at Inverary, Franny dropped some of us at the Castle and drove others into the village, then returned to pick us up at the Castle about an hour and half later. It wasn't a lot of time, but we managed to have a very nice lunch at the castle's café before taking a rather quick tour of the castle's interior. Mom and I both agreed that Inverary was our favorite stop of the day - again, possibly not what everyone would say after seeing the dramatic highland scenery, but the scenery around Inverary was gorgeous, and we both found the castle to be very interesting.

We returned to Edinburgh a little after 6:00 p.m., with Franny never missing a beat in her story and us feeling quite pleased with our day. This was probably the day we had burgers on the way back to our apartment - fixing our own meal just didn't sound appealing after such a full day.
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Old Jun 12th, 2016, 08:19 AM
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BBgt - it's about 45 years since I went to Edinburgh the first and last time [it was a family holiday with my parents] but you are bringing the memories back, mainly of walking up and down those hills with a versa on my foot!

Perhaps that's why I've never been back.

one year DH and I should do the festival, if we ever organise ourselves sufficiently in advance.
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Old Jun 12th, 2016, 08:31 AM
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May 17 - Another Rabbie's tour: St. Andrew's and the Fishing Villages of Fife. This tour had a later start (9:30), and we arrived at Rabbie's Café early enough to enjoy a pastry and a chat with some fellow Americans who were taking the same tour. This would be a good time to mention that one of my favorite aspects of travelling is simply meeting lots of interesting and friendly folks from all over the world. It's fun to realize how much we all have in common, regardless of our origins.

The tour started out well enough, with a stop near Queensferry to see the Firth Bridges, which really are quite amazing, and a drive through the pretty little village of Queensferry itself. Unfortunately, the tour took a bit of a turn for the worse when our young, apparently unexperienced (but sweet) guide took a few wrong turns when heading into Fife. I'm not entirely sure if this is what she'd planned, but we ended up in a tiny carpark at Lower Largo, near a dreary public restroom and with a so-so little beach. After 20 minutes of the group wandering around trying not to look underwhelmed, our guide (I'm not using her name because I'm sure she'll improve with time, and I really don't want to bash her) suggested a quick stop in Crail to make up for the disappointment of Lower Largo. Now, Lower Largo itself may be a very nice village, but this part of it certainly wasn't.

We proceeded to pass Anstruther, which at least half the people on the tour had hoped to see (including us), and made a very quick stop at Crail, which was indeed very pretty. We had time to make a quick dash down to the harbor followed by a quick dash back to the bus, which had my mom panting and me worrying, but at least we got to see a pretty fishing village. Not ideal, and from what I've read of Rabbie's reviews, not at all typical.

Things improved a bit after that, with our guide depositing us in St. Andrew's near the cathedral for a nearly three hour break off the bus. I should mention here that by "bus", I mean a Mercedes 16-seater van - Rabbie's tours never take more than 16 people on a tour.

Mom and I loved St. Andrew's, and again, the fabulous weather didn't hurt our opinion one bit. We ate lunch at a very bright, casual restaurant on the main street (name of which I don't recall). What I do recall is that the staff were very friendly and the only people sitting with us in the back part of the restaurant were students working on their computers, so it had the feel of being a very low-key local place. We grabbed a gelato at a nearby shop (couldn't resist) and walked the very short distance to the Cathedral.

Some places just hit you right in the heart - anyone know what I mean? St. Andrew's Cathedral was like that for me. It could have been the beautiful, gently sunny Scottish day, or the backdrop of the North Sea and fresh sea tang in the air, or possibly the wonderful juxtaposition of the relatively "new" tombstones scattered throughout the ancient cathedral ruins, but whatever it was, I wandered around the ruins snapping photos like crazy and saying over and over, "This is SO beautiful!". We wandered around there for perhaps half an hour before moseying down the path that leads to the castle, enjoying the views along the way. We decided we had enough time to visit the castle, and spent another 25 minutes or so wandering around the castle ruins and enjoying the views from various points. Our guide had arranged to wait for all of us near the golfing museum, and our time worked perfectly to end our leisurely stroll at the appointed time. For anyone considering visiting St. Andrew's - do it. You'll be glad you did.

Nothing else of note that day (that I can remember) - it seemed a long drive back to Edinburgh, but it was probably due to the traffic. I believe we stayed in with dinner at our apartment that evening - typical ending to a day for us.
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Old Jun 12th, 2016, 08:36 AM
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Ann - we both thought Edinburgh was beautiful, and I'd certainly visit again if it fit neatly into a trip, but I'd not put it first on my list simply because there are still so many places I'd like to see. I'd also like to see the Tattoo - I believe Janisj is headed there this August?

One thing about Edinburgh that really struck me was its beautiful setting - actually being able to see the sea (or Water of Leith or Firth of Forth - whatever the appropriate term), and the surrounding hills. Arthur's Seat, especially, was RIGHT THERE - right at the foot of the Royal Mile and verdantly green and covered in blooming gorse - gorgeous!
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Old Jun 12th, 2016, 08:54 AM
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BBgt - a couple of years ago DH's sis went to the Tattoo and had a terrific time; still not sure it's for me though. Trouble is there is just so much to see just about everywhere, isn't there?
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Old Jun 12th, 2016, 09:36 AM
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>>for a walk out to Kilchurn Castle
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Old Jun 12th, 2016, 09:46 AM
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I wasn't sure what was meant by "closed" when I looked at the website for Kilchurn Castle, but we were definitely able to walk out to and around the castle, and I didn't see any evidence of closures. One of the Rabbie's people had already told me we couldn't go inside, but I wasn't expecting that anyway, so wasn't disappointed. I felt a bid bad for the guide - she really seemed to get flustered, especially when one man on the trip expressed his disappointment in her not following the itinerary exactly as presented on the website. Poor girl - she did say something about heading straight to the pub after our tour.

I would never - and I mean never - travel to Britain without layers of clothing. But then, I'm pre-conditioned, since where I live is just as variable weather-wise. Hope you can talk some sense into your friend!
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Old Jun 12th, 2016, 09:52 AM
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The walk out to the castle was blocked and the sign removed. But it does sound like access has been restored.

>>Hope you can talk some sense into your friend!)

I'm taking short sleeves and long sleeves and sweaters and a scarf and cashmere socks . . . and NO shorts
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Old Jun 12th, 2016, 09:53 AM
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the friend I'm traveling with thinks "Its August, shorts and T-shirts is all I'll need" . . . and no amount of 'persuasion' on my part has convinced him otherwise yet.>>

lol, JJ, that'll be the day, though it will be funny if we have a heat wave and he ends up being right.
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Old Jun 12th, 2016, 06:09 PM
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I do actually remember it being quite hot my very first time in London, back in August of 2001. The English friend I was with nearly melted.

I think I have another day or two in me yet this evening... sorry if this is too wordy. I always think I'm going to be concise in writing, but there's just so much to say!

May 18 - We had designated this as our "off" day and made no plans. On the day, we decided to visit the National Museum of Scotland, which was only a 10-15 minute walk from our apartment (probably a fair bit shorter at a brisk pace, but we were casual strollers by necessity). We didn't get there until nearly lunchtime and decided to eat at the museum's café before starting our exploration of the museum. As a side note, we have found with few exceptions that any sightseeing attraction worth its salt in Britain has a good to exceptional café.

The museum interior is striking for its unique Grand Gallery, which is quite lovely. We were a bit overwhelmed with our options, and decided to stick with the Scottish History galleries. We were also both a little tired and footsore, so we only stayed for a couple of hours.

We had a rather amusing experience while at the museum in the form of a very attentive docent. We first met him on the lower level, where he directed us to the early Scottish history displays, and we both commented on his wonderful brogue. Awhile later, when we'd moved on to the first floor displays, the same docent magically appeared when we alighted from the elevator - again giving us helpful direction. Finally, when we'd finished with what we wanted to see on that floor, he somehow appeared again and suggested we visit the rooftop to enjoy the views - which we did, and they were wonderful! Then, I swear he appeared out of nowhere to bid us goodbye as we were leaving. I dubbed him our personal museum guide, but I don't for the life of me know how we managed to run into him so many times in our short visit.

After finishing at the museum, we walked back to the Royal Mile and enjoyed the touristy atmosphere for awhile, poking our heads into souvenir shops and watching street performers before taking a short respite in St. Giles' Cathedral. Then it was back to the apartment for dinner and an early evening.
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Old Jun 12th, 2016, 06:39 PM
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May 19 - Our last full day in Edinburgh and final (for this trip) Rabbie's tour. This was the only day we experienced rain, but most of the day was just overcast and cool. We had signed up for the Rosslyn Chapel & Scottish Borders short day tour, and it was a perfect ending to our time in Scotland.

Our driver/guide, Tony, was wonderfully endearing in his introduction to all of us, explaining that he'd been called while having porridge that morning and told he needed to stand in for a sick driver. He claimed to be in "a bit of a state" and then proceeded to deliver an incredibly informative and entertaining tour of the Borders. We stopped to take a short walk through pretty woodland to see the "original" Wallace Memorial, which was itself not very exciting, but the walk was lovely and relaxing, with no one else around aside from our small group. We then drove to Scott's View, which looks over the Tweed Valley toward the Eilden Hills. In spite of the hills themselves being somewhat obscured by mist, it was a gorgeous scene, and we got some great photos of ourselves backed by blooming gorse and misty Scottish Border scenery.

Next was a visit to Melrose, with time to visit the ruined abbey and have lunch. By this time it was lightly drizzling, which only added to the melancholy atmosphere of Melrose Abbey. I climbed a tower in the ruins and gazed out over the surrounding countryside, and it was easy to imagine the abbey in its heyday. We left the abbey and walked to the town center, with its market cross and pretty main street, then ate a very good lunch at a tiny café before going back to the bus.

Our final stop was Rosslyn Chapel. We arrived in time to catch a very informative talk being given by a chapel guide, then spent a half hour or so looking for carvings described in the brochure we'd been given. Fascinating place. I especially enjoyed meeting the chapel cat, who was so old and mellow that I had to check to see if he was really breathing.

This was probably my favorite day of our time in Scotland - largely because the lushly green, rolling hills are so different from what I see in my everyday life. Most people rave about the beauty of the Highlands, and granted we only saw a tiny sampling of the highlands and it was indeed gorgeous. But I live in a very scenically dramatic part of the world, with very dramatic weather, and to me the Borders have a more subtle beauty and are therefore very appealing. The weather only added to the day's beauty. I would happily go back to spend more time exploring the Border towns and abbeys.

We were back in Edinburgh by 4:30, giving us plenty of time to eat dinner (I think this is the night we had Italian food very adventurous, I know) and pack our bags for an early departure the next morning.
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Old Jun 12th, 2016, 07:03 PM
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Just realized that I left out one of the stops of the St. Andrew's & Fishing Villages tour - We stopped in Falkland before heading back to Edinburgh and had just enough time for a very quick tour of Falkland Palace. Rushed though we were, it was worth seeing. With more time, we'd have learned a lot - the docents were very friendly and well informed.
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Old Jun 13th, 2016, 10:29 AM
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Very much enjoyed the Edinburgh and day trips portion of your trip report.

You left just as we were arriving.

Looking forward to the rest.
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