And Finally, Scotland
Aug 11th, 2009, 12:09 PM
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And Finally, Scotland
<b>June 17th: Burns and Scott and Stevenson, Oh, My!</b>
Our trip to Scotland was the last leg of a three week long journey. We'd begun with eight days in Ireland for our daughter's wedding. DH, DS and I had gone on to Barcelona for three nights. And then DH went home and DS (at the time, 19) and I went to the UK. We spent four nights in London and one in York. And now, finally, Scotland.
You'll have to cut me a little slack on this one. It's now been almost two months. Writing the other four trip reports has somewhat zapped my brain power (what there was of it to begin with
). And I can't seem to find all of the receipts I think I should have.
The train ride from York to Edinburgh was much more interesting than the one from London to York. We passed near or through several interesting looking villages and crossed the Tyne on our way through Newcastle. But best of all were the bits along the North Sea. Though it wasn't the nicest of days, overcast with an occasional sprinkle, visibility was fine.
We arrived at Waverly Station around 3:10 and went straight to look for a taxi. One lesson I'd learned very well in London was not to haul luggage if there was a good alternative! I can't remember the exact cost but think it was between six and seven GBP.
Three of our four nights in Edinburgh were spent at Adam Drysdale House:
http://www.budgetscot.com/scotland/a...dale-house.php
By the time I realized that we could squeeze in an extra night in Edinburgh, I'd already made the reservations. And I didn't try to extend them one more night because, with a very early flight out, I figured we'd be better off closer to the airport that last night.
We'd booked through Budget Scott so there was a small booking fee, I think £2. We paid £60 per night for the two of us, including breakfast.
We could tell immediately that we were going to like Roddy, the owner, very much. He's a very comfortable, friendly and helpful guy. Our room was on the second floor but Roddy carried my luggage up for me. He'd forgotten that we needed two beds. But, fortunately the room he'd put us in had two that he'd pushed together and made up as one. So he said he'd fix that while we were out and about.
I was thrilled to see that the bathroom had a tub. I'd twisted my knee back on our second day in Ireland and had been having trouble with muscle cramps in the same leg ever since. For several days the muscle in that leg, from knee to ankle had been hard as a rock. So I was very excited at the prospect of soaking my leg that evening.
We got settled in and then headed out to explore Edinburgh. We were aiming for the Royal Mile but overshot our mark a bit and wound up on Princes Street. But that's okay, it gave us a chance to see a little more. (Once we figured out a more direct route, it was about a 15 minute walk from the B&B to the Royal Mile.) By this time, the weather had cleared and it turned out to be a very nice late afternoon/evening.
I'd bought tickets online for the Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour which starts at 7:30. So we walked around for a while and then realized we'd better decide on a place for an early dinner. We were hungry and didn't want to wait until after the tour. Although it's very unusual for the two of us to go so long without food, I don't think we'd eaten since breakfast that morning. Earlier we'd passed a restaurant called Thai Orchid that caught my son's attention and decided to go back there:
http://www.thaiorchid.uk.com/
I can't get the menu to open and don't remember exactly what we had. I know that we split an appetizer, I think some sort of samosas. We each had an entree and I think mine was a chicken and green bean dish. My son had a Coke and I had tap water. The bill was £27.85. It was very good though I should have gone for something a little lower on the spice meter. It was a tad hot for me. My son loved it though.
After dinner we headed downhill to the Beehive Inn in the Grassmarket to meet up with the tour. I'd read very good things about this tour and so had DS. It was a fairly last minute decision (compared to how early we'd scheduled other things) to book this for our first night rather than trying to do the Real Mary King's Close Tour. A decision we both feel was a good one. I just can't begin to tell you how much we enjoyed this tour. It was definitely one of the highlights of the entire trip for both of us:
http://www.edinburghliterarypubtour.co.uk/index.php
The tour is led by two actors who, as the group moves from pub to pub, have a continuous dialogue/argument about Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. Shortly after it started, when one of the actors began to quote Burns, I thought, "Oh no, DS is going to hate this!". But he loved it just as much as I did. I don't really know how to explain it but it was just so damn much fun! The actors really seemed to be enjoying themselves and had fun with the audience as well as with each other. We also learned a lot. Not just about the writers, but about Edinburgh.
We had a very congenial group of people, I think all Americans. And, as I said earlier, it was a very nice evening, very pleasant for walking from pub to pub and for the outdoor portions. The tour went to, I think, about 4 or 5 pubs total. It ended outside of one in New Town, The Cafe Royal Circle Bar. We were encouraged to check it out after the tour, which we did.
I have a feeling that most, if not all, of the others on the tour purchased their tickets that evening. We wouldn't have needed to pre-purchase. But I'm very glad we did. As DS and I have discussed, chances are that, had we not had the tickets, we would probably have decided not to do the tour that evening because we were tired. And who knows whether we would have gotten around to it any of the other evenings? (We never did get around to the Real Mary King's Close Tour.) So we're very, very glad we had those tickets!
Roddy had told us that there was a pub at the end of the road, Bennet's Bar, that had sessions on Wednesday nights. Under other circumstances, I would have loved to go. I never did catch any traditional music in either Ireland or Scotland. (Other than the band that played at our daughter's wedding and I missed most of that because of picture taking.) But by the time we headed back in that direction it was getting late and we were tired. We stopped in a couple of grocery stores and picked up some snacks, water and a couple of cans of beer.
I ended the evening with a very relaxing soak in the tub and a glass of beer. And I'm happy to say that by the next morning my leg was not quite so tight. Believe me, with all of the hills in Edinburgh, that bathtub was a godsend! I recently read a post on Fodor's in which someone (BigRuss?) described Edinburgh as a city of hills that all go up! My apologies if I have either the poster or the quote wrong. I did try, to no avail, to find it. But I know that was the gist of it anyway. And I agree!
Our trip to Scotland was the last leg of a three week long journey. We'd begun with eight days in Ireland for our daughter's wedding. DH, DS and I had gone on to Barcelona for three nights. And then DH went home and DS (at the time, 19) and I went to the UK. We spent four nights in London and one in York. And now, finally, Scotland.
You'll have to cut me a little slack on this one. It's now been almost two months. Writing the other four trip reports has somewhat zapped my brain power (what there was of it to begin with
). And I can't seem to find all of the receipts I think I should have. The train ride from York to Edinburgh was much more interesting than the one from London to York. We passed near or through several interesting looking villages and crossed the Tyne on our way through Newcastle. But best of all were the bits along the North Sea. Though it wasn't the nicest of days, overcast with an occasional sprinkle, visibility was fine.
We arrived at Waverly Station around 3:10 and went straight to look for a taxi. One lesson I'd learned very well in London was not to haul luggage if there was a good alternative! I can't remember the exact cost but think it was between six and seven GBP.
Three of our four nights in Edinburgh were spent at Adam Drysdale House:
http://www.budgetscot.com/scotland/a...dale-house.php
By the time I realized that we could squeeze in an extra night in Edinburgh, I'd already made the reservations. And I didn't try to extend them one more night because, with a very early flight out, I figured we'd be better off closer to the airport that last night.
We'd booked through Budget Scott so there was a small booking fee, I think £2. We paid £60 per night for the two of us, including breakfast.
We could tell immediately that we were going to like Roddy, the owner, very much. He's a very comfortable, friendly and helpful guy. Our room was on the second floor but Roddy carried my luggage up for me. He'd forgotten that we needed two beds. But, fortunately the room he'd put us in had two that he'd pushed together and made up as one. So he said he'd fix that while we were out and about.
I was thrilled to see that the bathroom had a tub. I'd twisted my knee back on our second day in Ireland and had been having trouble with muscle cramps in the same leg ever since. For several days the muscle in that leg, from knee to ankle had been hard as a rock. So I was very excited at the prospect of soaking my leg that evening.
We got settled in and then headed out to explore Edinburgh. We were aiming for the Royal Mile but overshot our mark a bit and wound up on Princes Street. But that's okay, it gave us a chance to see a little more. (Once we figured out a more direct route, it was about a 15 minute walk from the B&B to the Royal Mile.) By this time, the weather had cleared and it turned out to be a very nice late afternoon/evening.
I'd bought tickets online for the Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour which starts at 7:30. So we walked around for a while and then realized we'd better decide on a place for an early dinner. We were hungry and didn't want to wait until after the tour. Although it's very unusual for the two of us to go so long without food, I don't think we'd eaten since breakfast that morning. Earlier we'd passed a restaurant called Thai Orchid that caught my son's attention and decided to go back there:
http://www.thaiorchid.uk.com/
I can't get the menu to open and don't remember exactly what we had. I know that we split an appetizer, I think some sort of samosas. We each had an entree and I think mine was a chicken and green bean dish. My son had a Coke and I had tap water. The bill was £27.85. It was very good though I should have gone for something a little lower on the spice meter. It was a tad hot for me. My son loved it though.
After dinner we headed downhill to the Beehive Inn in the Grassmarket to meet up with the tour. I'd read very good things about this tour and so had DS. It was a fairly last minute decision (compared to how early we'd scheduled other things) to book this for our first night rather than trying to do the Real Mary King's Close Tour. A decision we both feel was a good one. I just can't begin to tell you how much we enjoyed this tour. It was definitely one of the highlights of the entire trip for both of us:
http://www.edinburghliterarypubtour.co.uk/index.php
The tour is led by two actors who, as the group moves from pub to pub, have a continuous dialogue/argument about Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. Shortly after it started, when one of the actors began to quote Burns, I thought, "Oh no, DS is going to hate this!". But he loved it just as much as I did. I don't really know how to explain it but it was just so damn much fun! The actors really seemed to be enjoying themselves and had fun with the audience as well as with each other. We also learned a lot. Not just about the writers, but about Edinburgh.
We had a very congenial group of people, I think all Americans. And, as I said earlier, it was a very nice evening, very pleasant for walking from pub to pub and for the outdoor portions. The tour went to, I think, about 4 or 5 pubs total. It ended outside of one in New Town, The Cafe Royal Circle Bar. We were encouraged to check it out after the tour, which we did.
I have a feeling that most, if not all, of the others on the tour purchased their tickets that evening. We wouldn't have needed to pre-purchase. But I'm very glad we did. As DS and I have discussed, chances are that, had we not had the tickets, we would probably have decided not to do the tour that evening because we were tired. And who knows whether we would have gotten around to it any of the other evenings? (We never did get around to the Real Mary King's Close Tour.) So we're very, very glad we had those tickets!
Roddy had told us that there was a pub at the end of the road, Bennet's Bar, that had sessions on Wednesday nights. Under other circumstances, I would have loved to go. I never did catch any traditional music in either Ireland or Scotland. (Other than the band that played at our daughter's wedding and I missed most of that because of picture taking.) But by the time we headed back in that direction it was getting late and we were tired. We stopped in a couple of grocery stores and picked up some snacks, water and a couple of cans of beer.
I ended the evening with a very relaxing soak in the tub and a glass of beer. And I'm happy to say that by the next morning my leg was not quite so tight. Believe me, with all of the hills in Edinburgh, that bathtub was a godsend! I recently read a post on Fodor's in which someone (BigRuss?) described Edinburgh as a city of hills that all go up! My apologies if I have either the poster or the quote wrong. I did try, to no avail, to find it. But I know that was the gist of it anyway. And I agree!
Aug 11th, 2009, 05:25 PM
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Yeah .. my favorite location (the "scot" in scotlib - must have lived in Scotland in a previous life because no Scots in the family tree!).
Yes, too, I came across that quote from BigRuss just last evening, searching for a past thread. All the hills do go UP?!
So, how cold was it? I read you wrote that on a previous report, about the temp.
Maybe you will have to revisit in April ;-) Coming from 30sF New England to 40-50F, Edinburgh has been tip-top to visit for the 3rd week, I have found!
Cheers.
Yes, too, I came across that quote from BigRuss just last evening, searching for a past thread. All the hills do go UP?!
So, how cold was it? I read you wrote that on a previous report, about the temp.
Maybe you will have to revisit in April ;-) Coming from 30sF New England to 40-50F, Edinburgh has been tip-top to visit for the 3rd week, I have found!
Cheers.
Aug 12th, 2009, 06:34 AM
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Hi, scotlib. To be honest, I don't remember what the temps were when we were in Edinburgh. I was much more aware of actual temps when we were in Ireland where we were staying in a home and there was often a TV or radio on. I vaguely remember Roddy telling us what the forecast was and I think it was high 60s. It wasn't consistantly "cold". I wore long pants the whole time we were in Scotland, as compared to the capris I wore in London. When the sun was out, a short sleeved shirt was quite warm enough. But, as I'll get into more, there were times when it was cloudy, windy or rainy when the jackets we brought along really weren't adequate.
I know what you mean about going in the spring. I visited my daughter in Ireland in late March/early April of '07. It was absolutely gorgeous the whole time. I was even able to take off my jacket one day when we were walking in the sun. Let's just say it wasn't quite so nice when I got back to the Chicago suburbs!
It <i>was</i> fun, Nikki!
Hi, yk. It's definitely a city worth revisiting!
Thanks, GreenDragon!
I know what you mean about going in the spring. I visited my daughter in Ireland in late March/early April of '07. It was absolutely gorgeous the whole time. I was even able to take off my jacket one day when we were walking in the sun. Let's just say it wasn't quite so nice when I got back to the Chicago suburbs!
It <i>was</i> fun, Nikki!
Hi, yk. It's definitely a city worth revisiting!
Thanks, GreenDragon!
Aug 12th, 2009, 06:52 AM
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Caph--Again, thanks for writing! We visited Edinburgh and the Grampians in mid February one year...talk about cold, lol! But we still fell in love with it
Your entire trip sounds wonderful and I am sure all of you will cherish the memories for many years.
Your entire trip sounds wonderful and I am sure all of you will cherish the memories for many years.
Aug 12th, 2009, 07:00 AM
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Hi, mms. I'm guessing that's when you hit the blizzard. I'll bet it was beautiful though!
"I am sure all of you will cherish the memories for many years."
Except, perhaps, of the meltdown!
"I am sure all of you will cherish the memories for many years."
Except, perhaps, of the meltdown!
Aug 12th, 2009, 02:18 PM
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<b>June 18th: On the Bonnie, Bonnie Banks...</b>
My one real complaint about Adam Drysdale House was the lack of window coverings. Not because I thought anyone could see in, but because of the light. Well, there were window coverings, but just sheers. If there were blinds or a way to close the curtains/drapes, we never did find it. And for some reason, I never thought to ask Roddy about it. We were there from June 17th until the 20th, so it got light very early. I woke early and often, in a panic, thinking I must have overslept. Especially that first morning, because I was nervous about needing to be down at breakfast as soon as they started serving at 8:00.
But we made it! Our full Scottish breakfast was a treat, complete with our first experience with both haggis and potato scones. I hope I won't offend anyone here when I say that haggis wasn't as bad as I expected it to be! I definitely liked it better than the black and white puddings often served with Irish breakfasts. But it's not something I'd want to eat every day either. Too rich! I was very glad to have had an opportunity to try it though. The potato scone was very good.
We rushed out right after breakfast because we needed to be on the Royal Mile by 9:00. We were taking the Rabbie's tour to Stirling Castle and the Trossachs:
http://www.rabbies.com/scottish_tour...our.asp?lng=en
Back in January I started a thread asking for help in deciding on a day tour. We really wanted a chance to see a bit of Scotland outside of Edinburgh and didn't want to rent a car, so an organized tour seemed to be our best option. I'm so grateful for the wonderful advice I got from SuzieQQ, scotlib, unclegus, sheila, Caroline and Sallyky as well as everyone else who responded. (I should also have mentioned Caroline in yesterday's installment as she was very helpful when I was trying to decide whether to book the B&B.) Thanks in large part to all of you, I think we made a very good decision. Aside from everything else, when the time came, I was so happy to be spending a day when I'd be doing more sitting than walking!
We got there with time to spare. Enough for me to ask for a toilet and be directed to the Starbucks across the street! (The second time while we were in the UK that I'd been directed to a Starbucks before a tour.) But I guess we needn't have hurried. We wound up sitting on the bus for ten or fifteen minutes waiting for a Finnish family who were running late. However, I think it's nice that they delayed the start of the tour for them. They'd called though. I don't know whether the tour would've waited if they hadn't.
We liked Peter, our tour guide, very much. He had a tendency to ramble a bit. But he told very interesting stories and gave us some great information. And there was never the feeling of a canned spiel. We also very much liked the fact that Rabbie's uses small buses.
Our first stop was Stirling Castle. The cost of admission isn't included in the tour but they do get you a discount. I'm not sure how much because we were able to use our British Heritage Passes. We would've had time there to take a tour but we opted to do it on our own. That may have been a mistake as we probably would've learned more about the castle on a tour. But we thoroughly enjoyed walking around at our own pace, taking lots of pictures. And I guess this is as good a time as any to post the link to my son's photos!
http://europeanadventure2009.shutterfly.com/476
Everywhere DH and I have ever lived I've heard people say "If you don't like the weather here, wait five minutes. It'll change." And I've always thought it to be a somewhat silly exaggeration. But I've decided the expression must have originated in Scotland! Never have I been anywhere that the weather changes so much in such a short time! And it was certainly true that day. As you can see from my son's pictures, most of the time we were at Stirling Castle, the sun was shining. By the time we got to Aberfoyle for our lunch stop, it was pouring!
Because of the delay in getting started, Peter had to shorten the time we were allotted for lunch so that we could make it to Loch Lomond in time for the cruise. He recommended a place called The Forth Inn:
http://www.forthinn.com/the_forth_inn.htm
We did sort of glance at a couple of other places. But we didn't feel like wandering around in the rain looking for a place to eat and The Forth Inn looked fine. It actually turned out to be a good choice, a comfortable "old pub" atmosphere and good food. When we'd seen the number of cars and buses in the parking lot, we were a little afraid that we wouldn't be able to find a restaurant that could seat us right away. But we found a table pretty easily. We both chose one of the specials, a lamb burger with Mediterranean spices and goat brie served with chips. But it was kind of a tough choice because there were several things that sounded very good. We were getting a little bit nervous as it took our food a while to come. But there were others there from the tour who'd ordered after we had, so we figured we were probably okay! On the whole, it's just as well that we didn't have longer in Aberfoyle as the weather just wasn't conducive to walking from shop to shop.
I'm not sure at exactly what point in the trip these two things occurred (as I said, it's been nearly two months) but I think they're worth mentioning. We passed Hamish, who is apparently a very famous Highland bull and heard his story from Peter. (All I really remember is that, due to public intervention, he was spared during the outbreak of mad cow disease.) And as we were entering the village of Doune, Peter told us to look as we crossed a bridge and we might catch a glimpse of the castle where "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" was filmed. He told us that there's a festival every year and people come dressed up, carrying coconut shells, etc. Peter said that Michael Palin's been known to make an appearance. Sounds like a lot of fun!
The ride through the Trossachs to Loch Lomond was absolutely gorgeous! It was, for the most part, gray and raining. But it wasn't foggy so we were able to take in the scenery. I've debated whether I wanted to mention this because you never know who will see things on the internet and I really don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. But there was an American woman seated across the aisle from me who talked to me incessantly throughout this part of the tour (and others!). When she finally realized that I was trying to look out the window, she pulled out a book and began to read. I couldn't believe that anyone would choose to read instead of looking at the beauty around us! And she's a travel agent! (Ironically, she had earlier shushed the people in front of me when they were talking at the same time as Peter.)
During the ride to and from Loch Lomond, Peter played a CD of traditional music. Corny, I know. But it really did add to the atmosphere! I thought it was a nice touch.
My son and I chose to take the cruise on Loch Lomond along with about half a dozen members of the tour. Some of the others opted to take a hike with Peter instead. I can't remember how long the cruise lasted, I think it may have been about 45 minutes. But, as you can see from my son's pictures, in that short time we had quite a variety of weather conditions, everything from fairly heavy rain to bright sunshine! Again, it was absolutely gorgeous! I spent the whole cruise inside the cabin but DS was in and out, taking pictures from the top deck whenever it was dry enough.
For the most part, the ride back to Edinburgh was more direct and less scenic. By the time we got back, the weather had improved and stayed nice the rest of the evening.
All in all, it was a really nice tour. And I think the itinerary was a very good choice for us. I would have dearly loved to get up into the Highlands. And we'd discussed taking one of Rabbie's Highland tours. But it would've been such a long day. I think I'd prefer to save that for a trip when my husband is along and we can rent a car.
Which leads me to saying that I know that these kinds of organized tours aren't everyone's cup of tea. And, for the most part, they're not mine either. I prefer the freedom of being able to go where you want to and stay as long as you'd like. But I'm certainly glad tours like this exist because, in this particular situation, it was perfect for us. And I think the trade-off for what you lose in freedom is the luxury of having someone else doing the driving, worrying about directions, traffic, parking, etc. Not to mention hearing stories that you might not find in a travel guide.
The bus let us off near Deacon Brodies' Tavern on the Royal Mile. On the Pub Tour the night before we'd heard someone say that their fish and chips was very good. We knew it was probably going to be very touristy but it was right there and we were hungry...We had a little bit of a wait because it <i>was</i> packed with tourists. While I wouldn't classify it as the best fish and chips I've ever had, it <i>was</i> good. I had a beer, DS had pear cider and the bill was £24.65.
To digress a bit... It seems like we heard an awful lot about Deacon Brodie in our short time in Edinburgh. Some believe that he's the inspiration for Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde. The actors on the Literary Pub Tour gave an intriguing theory that disputes that belief. In any case, it's all very interesting. Especially the fact that his name still seems to come up so often!
And, as long as I'm digressing... I was amazed at how much bagpipe music we heard on this trip. As much as I equate Ireland with traditional music, in my four trips there, I'm not sure I've ever heard it without seeking it out. But pipes seem to be ubiquitous in Edinburgh! Fortunately, I love bagpipes! And I suspect that the fact that we spent most of our time in heavily touristed areas had something to do with it.
The Jolly Judge, a little way up the Royal Mile, was one of the pubs we'd visited on the tour the evening before. But we'd only been in to order a drink and had then gone out into their courtyard. So DS wanted to take a closer look. The pub itself has a very old feel to it. One of the actors had told us a story about the wood beams in the ceiling that I don't really remember. But I know it had something to do with their being very old! So I couldn't help being struck by the fact that the women's restroom, one floor up, was very new and very modern!
From there we made our way down the hill to the Beehive Inn. (Which we had also visited on our tour.) While we were there DS ordered a dessert. Unfortunately, neither of us can remember much about it other than that it was delicious! We think it was in three parts, one chocolate, one strawberry and one white chocolate. But I may be making up the white chocolate part, maybe it was just two parts....
After that we headed back to the B&B, again stopping at a grocery store along the way. And again I ended the day with a soak in the tub and a glass of beer.
My one real complaint about Adam Drysdale House was the lack of window coverings. Not because I thought anyone could see in, but because of the light. Well, there were window coverings, but just sheers. If there were blinds or a way to close the curtains/drapes, we never did find it. And for some reason, I never thought to ask Roddy about it. We were there from June 17th until the 20th, so it got light very early. I woke early and often, in a panic, thinking I must have overslept. Especially that first morning, because I was nervous about needing to be down at breakfast as soon as they started serving at 8:00.
But we made it! Our full Scottish breakfast was a treat, complete with our first experience with both haggis and potato scones. I hope I won't offend anyone here when I say that haggis wasn't as bad as I expected it to be! I definitely liked it better than the black and white puddings often served with Irish breakfasts. But it's not something I'd want to eat every day either. Too rich! I was very glad to have had an opportunity to try it though. The potato scone was very good.
We rushed out right after breakfast because we needed to be on the Royal Mile by 9:00. We were taking the Rabbie's tour to Stirling Castle and the Trossachs:
http://www.rabbies.com/scottish_tour...our.asp?lng=en
Back in January I started a thread asking for help in deciding on a day tour. We really wanted a chance to see a bit of Scotland outside of Edinburgh and didn't want to rent a car, so an organized tour seemed to be our best option. I'm so grateful for the wonderful advice I got from SuzieQQ, scotlib, unclegus, sheila, Caroline and Sallyky as well as everyone else who responded. (I should also have mentioned Caroline in yesterday's installment as she was very helpful when I was trying to decide whether to book the B&B.) Thanks in large part to all of you, I think we made a very good decision. Aside from everything else, when the time came, I was so happy to be spending a day when I'd be doing more sitting than walking!
We got there with time to spare. Enough for me to ask for a toilet and be directed to the Starbucks across the street! (The second time while we were in the UK that I'd been directed to a Starbucks before a tour.) But I guess we needn't have hurried. We wound up sitting on the bus for ten or fifteen minutes waiting for a Finnish family who were running late. However, I think it's nice that they delayed the start of the tour for them. They'd called though. I don't know whether the tour would've waited if they hadn't.
We liked Peter, our tour guide, very much. He had a tendency to ramble a bit. But he told very interesting stories and gave us some great information. And there was never the feeling of a canned spiel. We also very much liked the fact that Rabbie's uses small buses.
Our first stop was Stirling Castle. The cost of admission isn't included in the tour but they do get you a discount. I'm not sure how much because we were able to use our British Heritage Passes. We would've had time there to take a tour but we opted to do it on our own. That may have been a mistake as we probably would've learned more about the castle on a tour. But we thoroughly enjoyed walking around at our own pace, taking lots of pictures. And I guess this is as good a time as any to post the link to my son's photos!
http://europeanadventure2009.shutterfly.com/476
Everywhere DH and I have ever lived I've heard people say "If you don't like the weather here, wait five minutes. It'll change." And I've always thought it to be a somewhat silly exaggeration. But I've decided the expression must have originated in Scotland! Never have I been anywhere that the weather changes so much in such a short time! And it was certainly true that day. As you can see from my son's pictures, most of the time we were at Stirling Castle, the sun was shining. By the time we got to Aberfoyle for our lunch stop, it was pouring!
Because of the delay in getting started, Peter had to shorten the time we were allotted for lunch so that we could make it to Loch Lomond in time for the cruise. He recommended a place called The Forth Inn:
http://www.forthinn.com/the_forth_inn.htm
We did sort of glance at a couple of other places. But we didn't feel like wandering around in the rain looking for a place to eat and The Forth Inn looked fine. It actually turned out to be a good choice, a comfortable "old pub" atmosphere and good food. When we'd seen the number of cars and buses in the parking lot, we were a little afraid that we wouldn't be able to find a restaurant that could seat us right away. But we found a table pretty easily. We both chose one of the specials, a lamb burger with Mediterranean spices and goat brie served with chips. But it was kind of a tough choice because there were several things that sounded very good. We were getting a little bit nervous as it took our food a while to come. But there were others there from the tour who'd ordered after we had, so we figured we were probably okay! On the whole, it's just as well that we didn't have longer in Aberfoyle as the weather just wasn't conducive to walking from shop to shop.
I'm not sure at exactly what point in the trip these two things occurred (as I said, it's been nearly two months
) but I think they're worth mentioning. We passed Hamish, who is apparently a very famous Highland bull and heard his story from Peter. (All I really remember is that, due to public intervention, he was spared during the outbreak of mad cow disease.) And as we were entering the village of Doune, Peter told us to look as we crossed a bridge and we might catch a glimpse of the castle where "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" was filmed. He told us that there's a festival every year and people come dressed up, carrying coconut shells, etc. Peter said that Michael Palin's been known to make an appearance. Sounds like a lot of fun!The ride through the Trossachs to Loch Lomond was absolutely gorgeous! It was, for the most part, gray and raining. But it wasn't foggy so we were able to take in the scenery. I've debated whether I wanted to mention this because you never know who will see things on the internet and I really don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. But there was an American woman seated across the aisle from me who talked to me incessantly throughout this part of the tour (and others!). When she finally realized that I was trying to look out the window, she pulled out a book and began to read. I couldn't believe that anyone would choose to read instead of looking at the beauty around us! And she's a travel agent! (Ironically, she had earlier shushed the people in front of me when they were talking at the same time as Peter.)
During the ride to and from Loch Lomond, Peter played a CD of traditional music. Corny, I know. But it really did add to the atmosphere! I thought it was a nice touch.
My son and I chose to take the cruise on Loch Lomond along with about half a dozen members of the tour. Some of the others opted to take a hike with Peter instead. I can't remember how long the cruise lasted, I think it may have been about 45 minutes. But, as you can see from my son's pictures, in that short time we had quite a variety of weather conditions, everything from fairly heavy rain to bright sunshine! Again, it was absolutely gorgeous! I spent the whole cruise inside the cabin but DS was in and out, taking pictures from the top deck whenever it was dry enough.
For the most part, the ride back to Edinburgh was more direct and less scenic. By the time we got back, the weather had improved and stayed nice the rest of the evening.
All in all, it was a really nice tour. And I think the itinerary was a very good choice for us. I would have dearly loved to get up into the Highlands. And we'd discussed taking one of Rabbie's Highland tours. But it would've been such a long day. I think I'd prefer to save that for a trip when my husband is along and we can rent a car.
Which leads me to saying that I know that these kinds of organized tours aren't everyone's cup of tea. And, for the most part, they're not mine either. I prefer the freedom of being able to go where you want to and stay as long as you'd like. But I'm certainly glad tours like this exist because, in this particular situation, it was perfect for us. And I think the trade-off for what you lose in freedom is the luxury of having someone else doing the driving, worrying about directions, traffic, parking, etc. Not to mention hearing stories that you might not find in a travel guide.
The bus let us off near Deacon Brodies' Tavern on the Royal Mile. On the Pub Tour the night before we'd heard someone say that their fish and chips was very good. We knew it was probably going to be very touristy but it was right there and we were hungry...We had a little bit of a wait because it <i>was</i> packed with tourists. While I wouldn't classify it as the best fish and chips I've ever had, it <i>was</i> good. I had a beer, DS had pear cider and the bill was £24.65.
To digress a bit... It seems like we heard an awful lot about Deacon Brodie in our short time in Edinburgh. Some believe that he's the inspiration for Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde. The actors on the Literary Pub Tour gave an intriguing theory that disputes that belief. In any case, it's all very interesting. Especially the fact that his name still seems to come up so often!
And, as long as I'm digressing... I was amazed at how much bagpipe music we heard on this trip. As much as I equate Ireland with traditional music, in my four trips there, I'm not sure I've ever heard it without seeking it out. But pipes seem to be ubiquitous in Edinburgh! Fortunately, I love bagpipes!
And I suspect that the fact that we spent most of our time in heavily touristed areas had something to do with it.The Jolly Judge, a little way up the Royal Mile, was one of the pubs we'd visited on the tour the evening before. But we'd only been in to order a drink and had then gone out into their courtyard. So DS wanted to take a closer look. The pub itself has a very old feel to it. One of the actors had told us a story about the wood beams in the ceiling that I don't really remember. But I know it had something to do with their being very old! So I couldn't help being struck by the fact that the women's restroom, one floor up, was very new and very modern!
From there we made our way down the hill to the Beehive Inn. (Which we had also visited on our tour.) While we were there DS ordered a dessert. Unfortunately, neither of us can remember much about it other than that it was delicious! We think it was in three parts, one chocolate, one strawberry and one white chocolate. But I may be making up the white chocolate part, maybe it was just two parts....
After that we headed back to the B&B, again stopping at a grocery store along the way. And again I ended the day with a soak in the tub and a glass of beer.
Aug 13th, 2009, 06:55 AM
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Great stamina, CAPH, keep going, we're reading, and I'm saving it- -we almost did Scotland instead of northern England and it sounds like with the boys' renewed interest in golf, we might be headed there some day. Your tour choices sound great. I see the link for the literary pub tour. How did you find your Loch tour?
Aug 13th, 2009, 07:02 AM
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We ate at Deacon Brodies on our first night in Edinburgh. It was open and we were cold, lol! We tried haggis there...and like you said it was ok, but I wouldn't want it often. We just kept telling ourselves that it was corned beef hash, lol! Kids tried it too and didn't mind it! Your tour sounds like a perfect fit for you. I agree, sometimes they are just the thing.
