From Chicago to Badlands

September 18, 2023September 18, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 4 Comments

We left Chicago to travel to Winona leaving Illinois and arriving in Michigan.

We had a rain storm which was awful. Steve decided we should pull over. He couldn’t see. Cars and trucks passed by so closely that the car shook.

Steve put on hazard lights we waited awhile. It eventually eased.

By the time we reached Winona the sun was out. The drive along the mighty Mississippi River was beautiful. What a river – and this is just the headwaters!

Our BnB called Alexander Mansion is a big grand house with a dominating corner position.

Owner Richard answered the door. Richard and his partner David bought this place about 8 years ago and are happily running an excellent BnB in a small out of the way town.

We were his first Australians. He was fascinated. ‘What brings you to Winona !’

Richard loves a chat and instead of showing us our room insisted on a house tour , a glass of wine , told us dinner options, library inspection, painting explanations, ……

He very helpfully told us about 2 good restaurants. We chose the Fish Hut. It was slightly out of town over looking the mighty Mississippi. He was spot on. It was great. I had a catfish ! Done in a spicy coating with mango salsa. Steve felt like a steak and said it was great.

We got back to the house. It was very quiet so we took his advice and sat in the large library with a glass of wine he’d left us and read about the history of the place.

Back in our room Richard had left us a nightcap – a Baillie’s and a chocolate.

The room was beautiful. Floral, wood furniture , lamps everywhere, an old radio playing classical music.

I wish I could say the big high bed was comfortable but it had a dip in it and we both woke up with aching bits.

The bathroom was gorgeous and original.

He had made a point about breakfast being at 9am with all guests. He was going to give us a big wholesome breakfast. He likes his guests to chat and bond. We knew we had a long drive to Badlands National Park the next day but he was so disappointed we agreed to stay.

Only problem was we woke very early and decided we needed to get going. He was sad and showed us the beautifully set table snd gave us a banana to see us on our way at 7.30.

This gave us time to stop at The Corn Palace in Mitchell an historical old town. A tribute to the corn that grows here, there is a huge palace type building all decorated with corn. The displays outside the building are changed each year to a theme. Inside is a big entertainment area. They regularly have basketball (the local team is the Mitchell Kernels!) and concerts – and there was a great display of all the artists who have played there. From Bob Hope to Tommy Dorsey.

We’re pleased we left early because we arrived at Badlands early enough to do a few walks through this incredible landscape. It’s well set out and just amazing

Tonight we are in the Badlands motel. It’s basic and cheap. Close to the park and just fine. Air con is blasting away as it unseasonably hot.

We’re eating at the Wagon Wheel having a burger. Chicken. Does that count? A real cowboy bar. Drinking Budweiser watching Miami vs New England in American Football, trying not to think of the Wallabies losing to Fiji in the Rugby.

The sunsets here are amazing.

Tonight we went along to the ranger chat at the caravan park. The first session was on the types of fossils found in the park.

The second session was probably the best night sky session I’ve ever been to.

We even saw Elon Musks satellites running in a row across the sky. We saw so many of the brightest stars and the Milky Way so clearly.

This is a photo from the internet but it looked just like this. Moving quickly across the sky.

Outer Hebrides. Out of this World

September 6, 2023September 6, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 5 Comments

We woke in our little attic apartment to wind blowing and rain beating. So a little sleep in !

It’s also Sunday so nothing much happens on a Sunday. We did not think of this too much when planning and booking. We probably should have. Nothing is open. Except our lovely old hotel.

So down time morning. A great Scottish breakfast. Followed by time in the lounge area looking into the garden drinking tea, reading and catching up on emails.

By 11am the conditions improved and we headed off. I love going off the beaten track so directed Steve off the main road as we headed south and went along the little road down near the waters edge.

It was peaceful. Not a car in sight. In fact I was hoping nothing happened to the car as no one was around to help. People were either at church , still in bed or watching the tv. Probably sport!

The beaches here are renowned for their beauty, colours, and remoteness. Even on a dull windy day it was a great colour ( hard to capture in a photo) a kind of milky blue. The wind surfers were having a ball

Exciting to watch.

Lots of little cabins for holiday makers.

We wanted coffee. Nothing open. Until….. we saw a sign. Followed it to the cutest little yurt style building. And it was super busy.

We had noticed quite a few roadside shops! Honesty cupboards or cabins. With a variety of home baking from the owners of the Croft houses nearby. Our favourite was the chocolate hut.

We pottered and admired the scenery and eventually got to the ferry terminal to catch the ferry to the next island. The Hebrides are a chain of islands. Several need ferry crossings. This one needed an hour to cross.

We crossed from Harris to North Uist and found our accommodation The Fisherman’s Snug . Run by fisherman’s wife Anne it is a perfect little studio place. A separate lounge area. Big bathroom and comfy bed. We could have stayed a week. We keep saying that about places we are visiting.

Anne left the best welcome basket I’ve ever seen.

We went for dinner ( lobster!) to a local tavern / pub and met a few other characters. A bike rider from Edinburgh – he was a combination of funny, mad and manic. But entertaining. And a couple from outer London. We had fun!

Another great day.

Skye is a Beauty.

September 4, 2023September 4, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 6 Comments

We are so very lucky. The weather is perfect for Skye. The sky is blue. No breeze. And fortunately for us , not as crowded as we thought.

We set off for the Fairy Pools. We’d heard the roads were super busy but we had no trouble. We parked and then the trouble began. It’s a 1.5 km walk in and 1.5 out. A lot of it downhill to start then flat then uphill.

I started but just couldn’t do it. So sat patiently in the sun while Steve headed off.

He made it in good time so off we went through the most beautiful countryside.

Coffee called and we found a lovely little cafe. There are not too many villages. They are small little places but lots of farm houses around. More populated than Shetland or The outer Hebrides will be.

Next stop ……. Another castle. Dunvegan. It belongs to the MacLeod clan. By other castle standards it’s little – but it’s a little beauty. I could stay there – in summer.

Inside the entrance the stairs climb to the main castle rooms.

The dining room is intimate. Only seats 16

There are several old cannons for protection.

And the gardens are beautiful. There’s a walled garden, a water garden , a rhododendron garden and a wild wood.

Portree is the capital and is a buzzy hub compared to the rest of the island. It boasts a cute harbour with coloured buildings.

This is a photo of a photo. There are no clouds today.

There are lots of ice cream shops, little shops with the usual tourist offerings. But it’s the boats and water we are drawn to.

We drive north and stopped at The Storr. Storr’ means ‘big’ or ‘giant’. In Celtic mythology, Skye was once the island of warring giants. After a particularly vicious fight, an enormous giant was slain on the Trotternish ridge. I love all the myths and legends from these islands.

It’s hard to photograph this Rocky outcrop.

The coastline here is stunning. Especially in this weather.

We head up the Quiraing. This is a land slip on the northern part of Skye. You drive up a winding road to the summit and stop to look back at the spectacular view.

Today being a beautiful blue day I spotted some locals removing the hay bales and the wooden wreath from where Alan married Sophie. I’d seen a banner as we drove up. And there at the top saw Alan himself. Newly married moving the hay to the wedding reception or Ceilidh ( kay-lee)

The best man in kilt moving the flower arbor

The best man stopped and chatted and had the best legs in a kilt I’ve seen.

We could have continued over the Quiraing but headed back from where we’d come to continue up the coast.

The drive was beautiful. We were listening to radio Skye and they gave instructions on how to drive. The roads here are narrow so there are little passing bays every 300 metres.

The manners of driving. If you are slow like most of the vans then pull over and wave those behind you on. Some people didn’t get the message. But here it’s best to go with the flow. Which we did. It wasn’t very busy and we passed little townships , lots of sheep , beautiful coastlines , a beach with some hardy souls swimming and despite the blue skies the water would be cold!

Sitting comfortably in the house where they brought up 10 children.

We arrived at the Museum of Skye. A series of Croft houses showing how people lived. A little similar to those on Shetland. We’re becoming quite knowledgeable about Crofting here on the islands.

From here we continued around the top of Skye to the Fairy Glen.

Fairy Glen. Pretty pools and rocky outcrops.

We arrived at our Hotel Uig. A great place with a beautiful view and we had a lovely garden room with table outside our door where we could have a drink looking at the sunset ( and dry some washing. ) It doesn’t get dark here until around 8.30!

Dinner was in the dining room and I had the most delicious caprese salad which is my favourite Italian salad which was good as straight after we got got talking to people I’d met in the car park earlier.

Turns out they are from Messina in Sicily. We shared a drink and lots of conversation. Such a lovely couple. They love to travel and we suggested they come to Brisbane and they invited us to their beach house in northern Sicily.

This is why travel is so great. It opens the world to people and places.

Isle of Skye

September 2, 2023September 2, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 1 Comment

We left Edinburgh by 9 and we’re heading north through places with familiar names.

Stopping in Perth we had to visit the Black Watch Museum. One of Scotland mist famous Highland regimens.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Watch

We are in the land of highlands, tartans, clans, whiskies, castles and palaces.

Along the road there are signs pointing to the castles that each area seems to have. And if you’re a Highlanders fan and love Jamie you should come to this country.

We drove on towards the Isle of Skye through beautiful scenes of mountains , green fields , heather , trickling streams, lochs, but no Loch Ness monster, waterfalls and camper vans. There are lots here.

Had a little walk through the bush to find the waterfall.

Our first big castle was Eilean Donan castle on Kyle of Lochalsh. Before you cross over to Skye. It was getting late. Around 4.30 – we were able in for free. It’s a moody, dark castle in the most beautiful spot.

Walking around I like to imagine the people who lived here back in the 15thC. The life they had and here are we today with our cameras on iPhones walking the same ground.

We crossed the big bridge to Skye. This has made it easier to travel there leading to overcrowding. The number of small vans on the road is pretty amazing.

We booked at the Guesthouse in the first town over the bridge. Kyleakin. Our guest house is newly renovated and quite comfortable though I do wonder if owners ever actually stay in the rooms themselves. We rate it 2 🛌 🛌 Nicely fitted out room with a comfortable bed . But tiny bathroom, no toiletries, no shelf over the sink or in the shower. Breakfast was a tray in the room with packets of cereals , tea etc. not much really. It was really impersonal. All keyless no contact with owners only the sounds of other guests.

That night we treated ourselves to a special dinner at Kinloch Lodge. It’s a beautiful old house with bedrooms facing a large stretch of water and st sunset was magnificent.

The dinner was expensive but so delicious. Our waiter was from Terrigal in NSW Aus.

Such a beautiful setting at Kinloch Lodge

We’d heard there were loads of midges on Syke but I risked it and left the window open. It’s lovely weather and not as cool as I thought it would be. We’ve been lucky!

Last day Exploring Edinburgh

September 1, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 1 Comment

Another beautiful day and can you believe it we didn’t book tickets to the castle and so missed out!

Reminder to self. Book everything ahead . I can blame our decision in waiting ‘until the crowds had gone’. Then forgot to book. The crowds haven’t really gone. Just decreased.

It doesn’t take long to get into the countryside.

Oh well we did see it years ago. I don’t suppose it’s changed much. So we took a lovely bus ride out of Edinburgh to Queensferry. I’d heard it was a lovely little village and it is.

It sits beneath the bridges across the Frith of Forth. We wandered the little street and had a bowl of chowder for lunch with a view. It was a relaxing last day.

We had to return to Edinburgh to pack up ready for our car pick up tomorrow.

Our last dinner was at Dine. A very good menu at one of their special offer prices £20 for two courses. Actually, in saving money we eat more and have an extra glass of wine. So not really a saving. But a nice end to Edinburgh.

Except it wasn’t really the end. On the way home we stopped at the pub, 75 steps from our door, for Steve to have a last beer – but was Trivia night. so we stayed awhile.

We made some new best friends!

Jim, a local got us into his group. Such a lovely man. He told us he was a volunteer radio announcer. So lovely He made us guess his former occupation. Steve thought policeman or Vicar. But no he was a butcher. “But you have all your fingers” Steve laughed. He proceeded to show us all his cuts.

A fun end to our Edinburgh experience.

A Concert & a walk in the Gardens.

August 30, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 2 Comments

Today the weather is beautiful. Rain is often predicted for the afternoon but it doesn’t seem to happen.

We decided to explore the suburbs by bus before heading to the St Mary’s Church not far from our apartment.

But first a walk in a few different streets. Second last day and we discover a beautiful street called William street with some great businesses. We had coffee at O’Briens. Sounds like an Irish joke but they make good coffee.

Then a wander in and out of Paper Tiger. A shop with everything cards, books, useful things , toys, gadgets, ….. I could go on .

Then Oska a lovely ladies clothes place, a jewellery place , Rouge Flowers, Fox & Co catering and cafe. The Green Room Wine Bar and Tuechters and great looking pub.

Then onto a bus and out past Murrayfield Rugby Stadium to a high street before wandering around and heading back to St Mary’s for a lunchtime concert. T

oday a pianist and a singer. It was a nice way to sit and relax before getting another bus yo the Royal Botanic Gardens.

What a great place. Lots of winding roads and pathways.

Great views to the city.

A lovely cafe.

And a very good public garden where people are shown how to grow edible foods themselves and maintain plots.

We walked a long way including a little more of the Water of Leith walk.

After a quick trip home I went to my Irish massage man, Cathal to massage out the tightness and tiredness in my legs. Definitely worth it.

And then a wee visit to the new pub we found this morning Tuechters Bar & Bunker. We both had a great meal of seafood pie and scallop risotto. Helped along with a wee drink.

On the menu they had hundreds of Whiskeys. Steve decided he should try a wee dram so ordered a whiskey flight. 3 whiskeys an 8 yr 10 yr and a 12 yr. He had a nice time deciding which one he liked the best.

I wanted to play the game they advertised

Our lovely waiter assured me it was too hard to win! And to just buy another drink.

Heading North. Island hopping.

August 20, 2023August 20, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 3 Comments

Breakfast was held in the old world dining room and served by a friendly local girl. They are having a wedding at the hotel today so it as all busy busy!

We headed north to get the first ferry to Yell. A great name for an island. First stop was a teeny tiny Old Haa Museum. Its in a house belonging to one of the islands great characters I’d say. He was a crofter, fisherman , raconteur and part time dentist. There was a tray of teeth he had pulled over the years & there was a old recording of his voice ‘telling ‘ stories.

And right on time as predicted, the rain started. We drive the length of Yell island. It’s very barren. Hardly a tree to be seen.

Lots of hardy looking sheep grazing along the narrow roads with hardier looking people out on their properties mustering the sheep.

We got to the second ferry crossing. From Yell across to Unst. This is really getting northerly. It is the most northerly part of the United Kingdom. It has around 700 residents and is rugged , remote, open, wild and beautiful.

Each of the islands has a distinct personality. Unst is more settled and we spent more time on this island.

Unst is believed to be the first landing point of the Vikings in the North Atlantic. There are the remains of at least 60 longhouses, and the highest density of rural Viking sites anywhere, including Scandinavia.

We visited the small but informative Unst Heritage Centre. This is an ideal first stop for anyone visiting the island. Visitors can explore the unique history of Unst through a display of artefacts donated by residents both past and present. The exhibitions depict geology, archeology, crofting and there are unique examples of lacework & knitting.

The displays depict life for a Crofter – farmer.

Sleeping arrangements in the crofters house. Note the expandable cot.

The most exquisite lace work. Done by lamplight.

For a small centre it is well worth the trip. We were there with a group of knitters & weavers from Scandinavia. They were in raptures.

We moved onto the Unst boat haven also in Haroldswick. And a haven it was. A well curated shed of boats outlining herring fishing from its earliest days until the present. Robert the guide on duty was keen to help and walked with us through the centre talking about the boats and the history of the area. He loved Steve’s enthusiasm for boats, so was a great companion.

We heard about herring fishing from its earliest days until the present.

I was fascinated by the section on the Herring industry. The women played a big part in keeping this going. In the 1800’s there were 3,000 people living in Unst and 28 registered boats. The fishermen were also crofters to supplement their poorly paid jobs. The landowners and boat owners made most of the money .

By the 1970’s the government banned herring fishing as the giant trawlers had depleted stocks so much. Now the main industry is drawn from its 1700 miles of coastline. The seafood industry and oil from the North Sea.

We took refuge from the drizzly rain in Victoria’s tea room in front of Boat Haven. It’s a gift farm shop and cake heaven. People were tucking into soup and sandwiches but as we’d had a big breakfast we enjoyed coffee and a slice of cake. Coffee walnut for Steve and lemon drizzle for me.

https://www.victoriasvintagetearooms.co.uk

We had read about the Norse people arriving in this not too dissimilar country and building longhouses and longboats.

The Scottish humour shines through the drizzle.

We stopped at the Shetlands Gallery. there is quite an arts crafts trail here in the Shetlands and this gallery was airy, calm with beautiful light filled spaces. It is owned by artist Shona Skinner a woman who taught art in London for many years before she and her husband moved here to her homeland and set up a gallery and studio. Shona had her own workroom attached to the gallery which is open and shows her beautiful work with textiles as well as painting.

Don’t miss the red shed. Shetland gallery halfway up Yell island

Shona Skinner’s workshop walk. Paintings , sketches and sewn

I loved Shona’s work. Such beautiful colour combinations that reflect the colours of the island.

We met a young woman from New Zealand at the gallery. She’s a young doctor doing 6 months work at the hospital. She was telling us how much she was enjoying living in Lerwick. That it is a vibrant friendly place. After 6 months spent just out of London she is enjoying this so much more. I think Ísland life gets under the skin.

We now drive through quite heavy rain to catch the larger ferry back to the main island. We queued up in the unbooked lane and very nearly missed out. So my advice is get online and book your ferry crossings. It can be very busy and you might miss out.

We drove down to Lerwick and in light rain drove around the town.

My first impression is of an interesting town set by the sea ( always a winner for me). Lots of boats to look at. Recently they had the Festival of tall ships. It would have been so colourful to be here then.

We found our little apartment in the attic section of a three story house. Yes a few stairs but so worth it. The apartment is terrific. Clean, well organised and just so comfortable.

We ventured out for food to find the wind and rain had cleared to a beautiful night.

Planning tomorrow’s activities kept us busy over dinner and then we watched a little tv !

Shetland Islands. looking for ponies , otters, puffins and maybe Jimmy Perez

August 19, 2023August 19, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 8 Comments

Our plane was an hour late arriving which put us behind. We hired a car from the airport and were sent to the car park to play ’ find the car’. Such a relaxed island way of hiring a car. Steve walked around clucking the car opener until we heard a beep.

We headed straight up the hill to Sumburgh lighthouse. It was super windy and the views were an indication of what as to follow as we explored this most northerly part of Great Britain.

The lighthouse museum explains the history of lighthouses. The hardship the early keepers endured and life for the families of the keeper. I loved the profile of a Lighthouse Keeper.

View from the lighthouse. Very windy but not that cold!

It had an excellent marine section showing the birds found here. The puffins are a favour and everywhere you go there are pictures and little stuffed toys depicting the puffin. I got to hear the noises of the birds and the little puffin has a growling type call.

We continued up the main road north and called into Sandwick with the idea of catching the little ferry across to Mousa a small island off the mainland. It is a bird life haven. Unfortunately we were running late because our plane was an hr behind and we missed the last ferry of the day. we’ll try again in Sunday.

We called into a jewellery shop on the arts and crafts trail. Karlin Anderson was born in the Shetlands but had spent a lot of her adult life in London. She does beautiful work which reflects life on the islands. Her lace work jewellery is exquisite.

If you can read this it tells the story behind her collection.

I might have ordered something from her!

We had a bowl of soup at the Hoswick craft cafe and chatted to the lady in the shop They are such warm friendly people so open to questions about their life on the island.

Excited to see some Shetland ponies on our way to the sunny west coast of the island.

Horses came over with the Norse settlers. They would have been bigger then but evolved with the conditions to be shorter study horses to cope with the conditions and the work load.

We detoured to visit St Ninians. It’s a spectacular beach which stretches from the mainland to a small island. The weather was perfect. Warm & sunny there were even people paddling in the crystal clear water.

Steve walked over to the island and I walked around the cove to explore the rocks. There are so few people around it makes it very special.

The road north is much better than I anticipated and there was little traffic so it was an easy drive

We passed through Brae and decided as the weather was so good to head out the peninsula to the cliffs of Eshaness. The drive gave us the most spectacular scenery possible. We got to the lighthouse and looked North. The afternoon light bathed the coast in sunlight. Truly beautiful.

Heading back to our accommodation we drive down to a little boat ramp used by local fishermen.

Arriving at Busta House was like stepping back in time. It’s old, steeped in history and had rooms refurbished. However, it has stayed. Big stone stairs down to an entrance then up two old staircases to our room named Papa Stour , one of the little islands nearby.

The room was comfortable, had a view out to a bay named Busta Voe. The new bathroom was tiny and definitely wasn’t for the feint hearted. The bath was so high it was like doing gymnastics to get get in! I counted at least 5 people staying at the house who used walking sticks so I don’t know how they managed. So it missed a 🛌🛌🛌 rating. Only a 🛌🛌. But a fairly high 2!

We had drinks in the sitting room before dinner. There were around 125 Gin and nearly 300 whiskey varieties to choose from. Dinner was nice fresh homely food- lamb for Steve , salmon for me with lovely fresh veggies.

A quiet 💤 night.

World Cup vs Walking. In Scotland

August 17, 2023August 18, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 5 Comments

The Matildas Australia’s favourite women’s football team was playing England. Big moment.

I choose to explore Lauder ( it didn’t take long ) even though I was walking at a snails pace. Steve decided to walk. Turns out he covered 19 km.

The beautiful sign welcoming people to Lauder

Lauder is a lovely Border town and has a nice little High St with a great cafe gallery. I occupied myself there for a while with the other people using walking sticks. I’ve really noticed how many people need a walking stick perhaps more here in Scotland?

I then returned to the Black Bull and chatted to the wife of yesterday’s timber man the owner – Steve’s new best friend . They have owned this pub for 8 years and have turned it into a friendly place for locals and tourists. Turns out they travel to Sydney every second year to visit their daughter in Sydney. She & her husband run an event company and recently organised the opening event to the World Cup which involved closing the Sydney Harbour Bridge for an opening party.

So she was more than happy to chat and have the tv on the GAME I sat there mostly alone ( it was 11am) with a coffee. Not a gin!

It was a great game but unfortunately Australia lost to England. Remember, I’m in Scotland and they were mostly supporting Australia! No love lost between England Scotland.

Meanwhile, Steve is walking along the road then detouring through fields , forests & villages.

He found a beautiful old church and chatted for ages to the three ladies doing the weekly clean. The church only opens twice a week so he was lucky today was one of the days .

This church dates from 1242 it looks quite new but has recently celebrated their 781 year anniversary.

I left the pub and drove around the country side and arrived at the Juniperlea Pub to meet a very tired Steve for a late, late lunch.

We had a quiet afternoon as the afternoon ‘sludge’ had started. ( drizzly rain)

Dinner was at the Hotel pub and and early night. The food is good but it’s getting hard to select! I had the steak pie ! Steve the local cheddar Mac & Cheese. We’ve had the fish ‘n chips another favourite a few times. So time for a change.

Steve decided yesterday’s long walk was enough. It was cloudy and he didn’t want to walk in the rain, so we left together for an explore of the countryside. It’s so beautiful. Lush fields , stone fences where no one seems to be in a hurry. Lots of retirees in these little villages where there is nothing around. Most have few, if any shops at all so you have to get a bus or drive everywhere. oh it would be so cold in the long winters!

We found a laundrette in a supermarket car park. Such a great idea. Three big machines in a bus shelter type building. You pop your washing in, go into the Coop supermarket. Come out , change to the dryer and have a coffee in the adjacent coffee shop. So easy.

We drove up to the next village Dalkeith. It’s only about 30 mins from Edinburgh so would be a good place to live and commute to work in Edinburgh.

We visited the stunning Dalkeith Park. You can drive around it (a bit like Centennial Park in Sydney) and there is a Palace which is only open on weekends for tours and concerts. There’s a rotunda and nearby a part called Restoration. It’s a little piazza type area with restaurants, shops a great food hall and gallery. A lovely place to meet for lunch.

There’s also camping in the park next to an adventure playground. Free for children but £4 for adults! It’s got all sorts of tree houses, slides sand play and from the delighted screaming for the children a fun place to spend some time.

About 20 minutes away is Rosslyn Chapel. You may have heard of this chapel – mostly because of the book & movie The DaVinci Code. They filmed scenes here. The publicity was good for the chapel because visitors to it have increased . Before there was a little man sitting in a wooden box at the entrance where you entered for free. Now there’s parking , a visitor centre, lots of well planned & displayed information.

The chapel was started in 1442 and took 40 years to build. It was built by the wealthy St Clair family as a chapel on their land. It deteriorated over many years and was at one point used as a stable for horses.

The design is gothic style with the most beautiful stone carvings. All designed to reflect stories from the bible.

It’s small with a limited number of people entering in each 90 min time slot. There’s a free talk about the Chapel, when everyone sits in the pews and look ready for a church service. Our guide was a frustrated actress or maybe a vicar. Reminiscent of Dawn French she brought the history alive with a few well told stories including dramatic pause, lowered voice and a laser pointer to highlight the stone sculptures.

Note the kangaroo in the bottom left. A wife of the Earl was Australian.

From the Chapel it was off to Edinburgh for a night before flying to the Shetland Islands. I pre arranged for Steven ( the man I’ve been communicating with for our 10 day apartment stay after Shetland ) to store a bag. So kind of him. We have limited luggage for the small plane to the islands & were planning on playing storage costs at a local place but it got complicated so I emailed my friend Steven and he met us at the apartment and took our bag to his place until we arrive back. So kind of him.

Pub near our apartment in Edinburgh. Staying there after our Shetlands trip.

The apartment position is great. Just behind the castle, 4 minutes from a tram line & Steve measured 75 paces to our local pub. Can’t wait to settle for 10 days.m!

We had the night at The Royal Scots Club near Princes St after a tasty Japanese meal. Huge variety of food places here.

A 5.15 am taxi pick up for our 7.20 flight to the Shetlands. I’m sitting in the little plane with only about 20 passengers watching the propellers twirl waiting for take off.

Off to find Jimmy Perez. If you don’t know the tv series take a look (and put the captions on to help with the heavy Scottish accents)

Too good to be true. Not taking off. The Shetlands control tower radio was faulty and had to be checked – so back to the gate for an hour!

Walking Hadrian’s Wall

August 13, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 4 Comments

After a few detours we left Glasgow and headed south. The countryside is green, lush and covered in wind veins. All over the countryside ? What do you think of them?

Did a brief drive through Carlisle and then out to Hadrians Wall. Steve has been in training for his few days walk. Will his knees carry him along the wall ?

First stop was Birdoswalk Roman Fort. It has been uncovered in recent years and is a popular place for families. Lots of child related activities.

We called into the Roman Army Museum.

Such a great place. Lots of displays about how the wall was built. The huge number of soldiers who were moved here to build it in AD 122 l. Hadrian built it to secure the border of what was called Britannia.

There was a great movie. Everyone sitting with their 3D glasses marvelling on how these poor soldiers did it.

From here Steve launched into his walk. He planned on 12 km. Along the wall up and down and making new friends along the way.

The stretches for 73 miles from Newcastle to Carlisle

Some people walk for 4-5 days. Others do sections. Steve choose two days to walk. Tomorrow will be longer.

I chose to drive the little roads around the area. Up and around I went. Names like Haltwhistle, Bardon Mill, Greenhead. It’s a beautiful part of the country. I love looking at the walkers. Big walking sticks and determination written all over their faces. It gives a sense of community.

I arrived at our hotel for the night. It’s right on the wall and called Twice Brewed ! They have a brewery on site called Once Brewed.

Steve was ready for a beer and a hearty meal. We tend to have breakfast and maybe miss lunch. So a big dinner for Steve tonight.

It was roast night. Sensibly they offer a half serve which I had.

I forgot to rank our room in Glasgow. A 2 🛌🛌it was roomy but the bathroom was quite old fashioned and there was noise from the back alley!!hundreds of bottles being collected and smashed each night!

Breakfast was good though and Leslie our breakfast waitress looked like she could be an extra on Downton Abbey.

Tonight a small room at Twice Brewed.

frans travel tales

come along with me

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