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.
Guarding the castle door.
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.
The island in ceramics
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!
Saturday. The sun is shining. Everyone is out. Locals as well as tourists are making the most of this beautiful day. The festival officially ends this weekend so it’s a good chance to see things.
We chose to do a quiet activity. No loud musicals or street theatre. We caught the bus 26 to Roseburn Just a few km from the city centre. It’s a world away.
We got off the bus and crossed an old stone bridge which lead down the slope to the Water of Leith , a small creek which winds around the city to the port of Leith.
We started walking along a softly padded path under trees alongside the water. Immediately I felt relaxed and a million miles from the busy festival city.
There were Saturday joggers, lots of dog walkers and a few tourists like us.
We followed a few ducks as they splashed along and admired the luck of the people who lived on the opposite side of the water.
I was imagining being invited to a garden party in summer drinking a gin and listening to the splashing water.
Gin on the lawn anyone ?
It wasn’t long before we came to a bridge crossing the waterway then climbed about 80 steps to the Museum of Modern Art.
We arrived at it garden entrance. Set up with tables we stopped for coffee.
People sitting in the warming sun were locals with dogs : what a great place to walk to and meet friends.
Graduated paint colour as you walk down the hall.
We took the lift up to the gallery floors. A special exhibition was on. It was colourful and meaningful.
The main doors took us to the sculpture gardens and the main gates.
Crossing the road we arrived at the Modern 2. This was a school going back years. In fact I read a book where the school had a mention as some of the plot took place there! So I was ready for the beautiful building with the turrets.
Following the path down through the gardens we turned left through some iron gates and continued on the Leith Walk.
Around the next corner- a little waterfall.
The water meandered along coming to the very picturesque Dean Village.
Dean Village
Taking a break in a children’s playground we found another piece of history.
If you come to Edinburgh you really must do this walk. You can do a long version or this section.
We arrived at Stockbridge which was jumping.
It’s a little village with pubs, restaurants & cafe and yet another charity shop. I’ve noticed these charity shops everywhere . A bit like our St Vincent’s de Paul. But lots of different types of charities. With some great looking clothes and items in their windows. If you like vintage these shops are for you.
Approaching Stockbridge.
We rested our feet at Hectors with a beer and a fish cake for me and a pie for Steve. Not just any old pie. A pie that won an award. every pie seems to have won an award.
Did I say we love our apartment. It’s so handy to everything including buses to all parts of the city. So home we went for an hours rest before dinner with Bill & M-F at the Brassiere near us.
But first another bus ride and a laid back guitar player. Very cool.
Delicious prawns and a gin and we were off to Usher Hall again to hear Simon Bolivar.
This is a world renowned orchestra from Venezuela. And it’s a young orchestra. Aged up to 28.
They started with a piece composed by a Venezuelan Paul Desenne, a man who helped establish the orchestra.
The next was a composition by another Venezuelan Gonzalo Gray-who was in the orchestra and it featured the cuatro. This is like a small guitar.
Jorge Glem came on stage and had wonderful presence.
The conductor obviously knew him well and boy could he play. It was such a lively piece. The Venezuelan people in the audience were on their feet cheering. It was infectious.
The audience demanded an encore and he played the most amazing arrangement-based on a Viennese waltz which turned into a Venezuelan bear. Maracas were out. Feet are stamping. Fabulous.
After interval they played a more Mahler Symphony 1in D Major. Beautiful energy in the playing. And then the audience demanded more.
So they delivered. The musicians brought our their symbolic medals on a Venezuelan coloured ribbon hung them around their necks. And the rhythmic beats started. The drums, cymbals the hand clamping. The shouting, the standing , sitting. An in stage party!
The orchestra wearing their medals and ribbons
You couldn’t help smiling when it was all over. We met our friends again outside and said a fond farewell. For 2 weeks. We’ll be seeing them in NY for our Galapagos swim trek reunion.
There is so much on in this Festival city. Everywhere you walk someone puts a brochure in your hand.
One of the Irish comedians. It was F#^#%ing funny.
We went to The Best of Irish Comedy. In a basement with a bar, of course, and a very funny MC who reminded the people in the front row perhaps they should have chosen seats further back. Lots of ribbing for them.
There were three comedians. The first a young woman who was great – very funny.
The second, a young man, a bit of a storyteller in a very funny way.
The last act was a man with a stammer I thought he was pretending. But no, he had quite a stammer. Which became the theme of an ongoing joke. He was funny but I found it a bit excruciating. I kept wanting to give the words to him.
Deciding what to see is the problem. When we got the program a few months ago we were choosing blind! That is, we didn’t know anything about any of the Fringe shows.
We knew the Oslo Philharmonic, the Simon Bolivar Orchestra. But with the Fringe it’s pot luck. We booked a few winners and a few we should have left alone. Not that they were bad. They just weren’t us. It’s probably better to come and check out things here. There a much more to take in than looking in a programme!
Today we saw Big Fish. an American short musical. It had appeal, but for us in a crowded theatre we felt out of it for young people loud, music thumping and actors singing loudly. And the most uncomfortable seats!
We fitted a drink in on the roof terrace of Harvey Nicholls. Beautiful views. Nice gin.
Then off to the a Royal Mile. Across to the Old City.
Yes, the Tattoo. We were looking forward to this so much. There were so many people. But we managed to find a little Mexican (!) place for a quick bite. Then a slow walk up the Mile …..
It was very well organised. Thousands of people. They have little mobile bars set up in the Castle forecourt. So people were milling around. We made our way up to our seats. Nice & high so we could take everything in.
Then the show started. Bands of all kinds from Norway, Switzerland, USA, Scots College Sydney, Irish fling dancers, drummers and dancers from Trinidad, more Pipe bands, precision marching. And all the time projected colours and images into the castle walls.
Each year there is a theme. This year “Stories”. Unfortunately there was no commentary like you get on the tv version of the Tattoo. It would have been good to have someone tell you who was on. I was right as Steve knows about bands and which countries they were from. Our friends found the theme Stories hard to follow.
I tend to just go with the flow. And loved it. The whole experience. We chatted to the people around us. There was quite a party atmosphere. We had New Zealanders, Sydneysiders, English, Japanese.
The show finishes with all the performers on the forecourt. Marching , singing, dancing. And fireworks.
We made our way down from the Castle. It was so busy but orderly and friendly. And home by midnight! Poor Bill and M-F had a 40 minute drive to their little village outside of Edinburgh.
We may have 10 days here but there is a lot to see and do in this compact city.
We set out at 9.30 after a late night unpacking and settling into our little Edinburgh apartment.
We walked down the street and around the corner and 5minutes later we could see Edinburgh castle.
Our apartment is the little red marking bottom left.
We walked in it’s shadow heading towards Grassmarket in the Old Town before heading up a winding street to Greyfriars Bobby.
Steve posed next to Bobby the faithful dog to show he really does like dogs!
The faithful Bobby.
We had time for a coffee at Bobby’s just opposite the National Museum of Scotland. I’ll be visiting there later this week.
We had booked a fringe event. The Tale of Two Cities. Our leader Peter arrived and is a very personable friendly Scot. It was a small group a couple from Canada and mother & son from Boston and a young uni student from England – Brighton.
We headed straight into Greyfriars Church and Graveyard. Our storyteller started recounting the story of the Old Town. He took us through then down the hill to Grassmarket. He grew up not far from here. One of 10 children. Life was not easy.
We headed up the very pretty West Bow Street
West Bow curves gently up hill towards the Royal Mile
Peter led us up straits through laneways always with an interesting story to tell.
We came to the Writers Museum.
I’ll be visiting the writers Museum.
Peter told a very good tale about the first public loos.
A man took money to extend his rather tent like cloak around a squatting client while he relieved himself. We arrived at the very busy Royal Mile which leads up to the Castle.
The Royal Mile was busy but we quickly escaped by going down a little lane. We would never have explored this part off the beaten track ! we then popped back out to the end of the Royal Mile and had a great view of the Bank of Scotland.
St Giles’ Church
Then it was down the winding hill toward the New Town. The Prince’s Street Gardens divide the old town / up the town and the new town. The Art Gallery sits overlooking the gardens and the forecourt was awash with noise and people. Festival fever: magicians, jazz bands acrobats. People everywhere sitting soaking up the sun eating cream watching the buskers.
We stopped at the monument to Sir Walter Scott, Scotlands famous author. The monuments here are amazing. The higher the spire the more revered the person. Almost all men of course!
We walked to St Andrew’s square looking along Rose St towards Charlotte Square. Crossing St Andrew’s Square I was impressed with the low fence inside the park. – perfect for stopping and having a sit but no sitting for us. By now my legs were tired and I was longing for a sit down.
One more stop. the beautiful Bank of Scotland which we went into to admire the beautiful domed ceiling.
We finished near Waverley the big station after 3 hrs of walking. After farewells to our group Steve and I headed to the monument for sore feet and dry throats. The Duke of something or other.
We sat for an hour over a beer and soup. Then off to the Portrait Gallery in another beautiful building. Last stop the National Gallery before heading back to West End and our little apartment.
A little rest then a short stroll to meet Cathal my Irish massage therapist. He got me going again and that night we went to hear the Oslo Philharmonic.
What a performance. The orchestra were great and the pianist a dynamic young 36 year old woman , born in Beijing but living in the US.
To start though…..The orchestra tuned up and …..We were left waiting for her and the conductor to arrive on stage. Wait. Wait.
Her entrance made us sit up. Very attractive with a thigh high split dress. I whispered to Steve that she and the conductor must have been having a ‘ moment ’ back stage.
She had remarkable fingers flying over the keys in the Concerto for the left hand by Ravel. Composed for a pianist who had lost an arm in WW1. Fantastic piece. .
At the end of that piece she and the conductor – after many bows, left the stage for another few minutes. Then they made another entrance with her wearing another dress this time a bright yellow & very fitted dress. I have never seen someone leave the stage to change clothes while the orchestra sat waiting. I guess she needed the conductor to zip her dress.
Another wonderful piece.
There was then an interval and then just the orchestra performance of Shostakovich. 5th Symphony in D Minor.
Of course after the concert I had to research the pianist and turns out she just might be dating the 27 year old Finish conductor. ( for readers from Australia he was a young David Wenham look a like. )
We woke up the sound of church bells. It’s Sunday and we are near two churches.
The sun is shining and the view from our little attic apartment windows is beautiful. Chimneys of different heights, and rooftops with angles and attics add interest to the skyline.
Steve was going on the boat to the island of Mousa We had missed it when we landed a few days ago so he was trying again. I decided not to ( I might regret it but reading about it, I’m not sure I want to walk on uneven ground or wet slippery paths as described. ) I tried to book on a bird watching tour from Lerwick Harbour but they were all booked out. Advice: no matter what you want to do these days you must book!
So I decided to walk and discover Lerwick in the sunlight. It’s been beautiful. I walked from our apartment to the church across the road and sat studying the stained glass windows.
I walked to Fort Charlotte, a wonderful fort that has never seen a shot fired in anger.
I passed at Lerwick police station and wondered if I would spy Jimmy Perez from the tv series Shetland.
Then I walked down hill through one of the many lanes from the higher part of the town to the waterfront. To cut the steep walk down they have added a series of steps.
I met a man with his goat Lucille. He told me she provided so much milk they had started their own goats milk soap company. I went into the shop and tried the various body butters and chatted to the lady who explained the process. Across the lane way was the Puffin Place where everything in the shop was somehow embellished with puffin pictures. I’m thinking the puffin is a little exploited.
See the goat outside his soap shop. And note the chimneys.
I continued along the road and met Jimmy , no, not Perez but a local who offered to show me around. We bought coffee and chatted but I assured him I was enjoying a stroll. He told me he was being picked up by boat soon to go to a bay nearby for a fishing competition. Now that would be interesting!
Sipping a coffee by the waterfront was peaceful and calming. Who could get stressed at this pace !
I walked the entire water front. Past Jimmy Perez’ house, the Lodeberrie. This is a house jutting in to the water where in years gone by boats would pull up to the house to unload their cargo. It’s now privately owned and the most photographed house here!
The Lodeberrie.
Lerwick like many other sea ports is host to the cruise ship! Not many……not enough to flood the town but to deliver some money to the locals. I hope so.
I walked towards the Museum of Shetland on the waterfront and passed the new theatre centre. They advertised a short film ‘ Welcome to Shetland’ ! I decided to see it and the 40 minute film showed a little of the history of this fascinating place. It also focused on the music. The violin or fiddle was a part of every Croft house. It provided the entertainment people needed to relax.
Outside the Museum
The Scottish music has great appeal – gets the feet tapping and the hands clapping. Traditionally played by men the violin is now favoured by Scottish women.
I was waiting for Steve and he arrived back full of stories about the boat trip to Mousa to see the broch. Perfect day for sailing.
The broch from the water It’s one of the best preserved broch probably because it’s so tall. What the inside would have looked like. Climb it if you dare. Steve didn’t. Too dangerous. From Mousa back to the mainland.
I wasn’t unhappy with my decision not to go. Although he saw seals from a distance. He didn’t see a puffin but saw some shags. and there was a lot of time on the island after walking the islands shoreline.
The Shetland Museum is very well displayed. It shows a timeline of the islands development. The Norse arriving and taking the land. The eventual return of Shetland back to Scotland as part of a dowry paid by the Kings of Norway when his daughter Princess Margereth married King James 111 of Scotland.
Beautiful lace sails
Of course the afternoon finished with a G&T in the local pub. The Douglas Arms.
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.
Outside the Old Haa Museum.
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.
An example of a longhouse A Viking longboat.
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.
An amazing collection of boats. Robert explains the flags to Steve.
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.
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.
A little concertina book of ideas.
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 !
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.
The attributes of a lighthouse keeper. Flying into Sumburgh 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.
Part of the Marine display
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!
Her workshop looks out to this view.
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.
So cute.
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.
Crystal clear waters of St Ninians.
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.
Stunning St Ninians.
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.
Magnificent coastal views Rock formations off the coast Eshaness coast.
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.
View from our bedroom at Busta House.
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.
This castle is in the Borders area of Scotland ( meaning it borders England. But just in Scotland !) we were excited to visit as there is a connection with the Maitland family.
No we’re not directly related. Though Steve’s Uncle, Major General Gordon Maitland headed up Clan Maitland in Australia. He was so enthusiastic that many Maitlands joined and made quite a club.
He had been to Lauderdale and I think met the Earl.
Just some of the Earls of Lauderdale. I think they are up to 15.
The castle was built in 1587. And has been added to over the years.
The original castle was this centre piece. Then the two extra turrets were added. The extended castle
We spent 90 minutes with Gordon & Trish our guides as they took us through room by room. they had many stories about the family , the Earls and the castle itself.
Personal photos of the present Earl and his family. One of the sitting rooms. Gold leaf edged doors. Replaced a few years ago after a fire. Another sitting room.
Chairs are draped with the Maitland tartan – rugs, throws. Etc. our little team of people on the tour were very quiet and didn’t ask much so our guide ploughed on with information about the house and the family. He knows his facts!
We climbed up and down stairs and saw the wing that had been turned into accommodation. We thought about staying here but at £1500 a night we decided t to stay at the Black Bull pub in the town of Lauder 5 mins away.
These little Scottish border towns are just lovely, each is distinctive with its castle or abbey or just a very grand house.
Selkirk is home to Walter Scott the novelist & poet. The Abbey A pub at Melrose Steve’s sister Marg worked in Melrose when a young nurse. Fly fishermen near Kelso. Foote Castle in KelsoStreet in Coldstream home to the Coldstream Guards.
Road tripping around Scotland is fun. Lots to see and not far between little towns.
And the people. So friendly. We are staying at The Black Bull in Lauder tonight. The owner and Steve hit it off immediately as Steve admired a small stool in the reception area. Turns out he does woodwork on a serious level. He’s a building and loves wood. He made all the tables in the restaurant and the bathroom cabinetry is his work.
Notice the tables. All made by the owner.
They chatted for ages about woodwork!
Then we had a great dinner. And retired to a very comfortable room. Not the Maitland suite at the Castle and I’m not sorry at all!
Hadrians Wall is a masterpiece of Roman design and execution. Who knew so many Romans made the trip to Britain to build walls & forts.
This timeline explains when and how the Roman occupation of Britain began and ended.
Steve’s walk along the wall.
A very straight section of the wall. Steve clambered into it for this photo. The famous sycamore tree The tree seen from another point on this looped part of the wall. Where Steve started and finished his loop of 4 hr walking. The last hour in the rain! The thistle growing along side the wall. Along the wall there were sections built as lookouts. A view of the lake from the wall. Some sheep keeping a check on the walkers. I got talking to these two men who are volunteers for the National Trust. They inspect small sections of the wall on a weekly basis. Next stop. Vindlanda
Vindlanda is another museum and the place where the Romans lived while building sections of the wall. It was a small city with barracks, baths, latrines, kitchens. It was discovered and has like so many ancient sites been dug carefully and exposed.
It’s fascinating how much they uncovered. How it tells about the times they lived there.
The whole site.
Our night at Twice Brewed was great. Just made top score of 3 bed 🛌 🛌 🛌 Location excellent particularly for walkers. Restaurant on site. Dinner great. A fun bar. Breakfast included and was terrific. Our room was small ( that’s what I picked) but so well organised. A drying room for wet clothes. All in all 🛌🛌🛌
Today ended up being wet ! Rain ☔️ do we drive into Newcastle. For those who watch Vera on ABC this is the area she is from! When she’s not in the countryside solving murders.
Our hotel The Vermont is in a great spot. But too wet for us to go out. It has big rooms , a terrific bar with cocktails two for 1 price and a nice little restaurant. Steve is too tired to go out so we’ll stay in tonight.
I’m a little sad we are leaving tomorrow. When planning this holiday we had so many things we wanted to do and we thought 6 days here would give us a good taste. Now I would love to do more. To go north. A little more exploring. But I still consider myself lucky to spend 6 beautiful days here in the land of Fire & Ice.
We set off in brilliant sunshine though as always there were amazing clouds. Streaky ones, fluffy white ones & grey snowy ones. The sky is interesting here. I think coming from Queensland where we have such bright blue skies ( unless it’s stormy) this is a contrast.
We searched for the basalt stones. This series of columns Kirkjugolf. ( the Church Floor) is a series of eroded and shaped columnar outcrops where only the top of these basalt columns can be seen.
The columns were formed by lava flow and the way it cooled then eroded smooth by the weather. There is no evidence a church stood here but perhaps was an area occupied by Irish hermits in the years before Iceland was settled !
Sellfoss is one of the larger centres in Iceland. it was very small but has grown to over 4,000 residents. And lots of tourists
Some lovely shops and restaurants.
We went volcano hunting by choosing the coast road toward the Blue Lagoon. We saw the turns offs to car parks with walks into view the volcano. But I could spot it from the car park. Big black and imposing. But no firey lava.
We were early for our 5 pm Blue Lagoon booking but the lady took pity on my crutch and let us in.
It’s a very well organised operation. It’s expensive – there are two packages you can take. The Comfort: includes entry, a towel , 1 drink and a silica mud mask and well equipped bathrooms with good shampoos , conditioners and body creams.
Or you can take the Premium: entry, towel, a robe, 2 drinks 2 masks. We thought the Comfort package was fine so that’s what we did.
I was excited ! we scanned our wristbands and in we went. You use the band to scan any extra drinks , masks, food or products you buy.
The shower area is well set up with lockers you scan to access. You change , shower ( I thought it was in the nude like other spas but this one allows you to dress in swimwear first )
They encourage you to put conditioner in your hair as the water can make hair dry and brittle. I lathered it on
Then out to the pool I was pleasantly surprise it wasn’t as crowded as I thought it might be. We slipped in. Delightfully warm
Pictures don’t do the colour justice. Ut was a milky blue.
After a good soak I move over to the mud house. You are given s big scoop and you apply it all over your face. It was strange seeing lots of people with white or mud faces.
Its supposed to give you beautiful soft skin!
We got our free drinks. Water and a rather good carrot apple ginger juice. No beer for us! So healthy!
After about 2 hours of being constantly in the warm water where my knee felt wonderfully light and not sore we dragged ourselves out.
Unfortunately back on hard floors it was indeed still sore! I had a long warm shower using lots of the included shampoos etc. the shower room has individual shower stalls. Unlike l when we went to the spas in Budapest where it’s all communal.
We drove to a little apartment I had found in Keflavik because we have to return the car and get to the airport early tomorrow. It’s only about 10 mins from the airport.
What a nice surprise. It was such a comfortable place. The bonus was the great view over the water and the beautiful shower and bed. Luckily we had brought dinner with us so enjoyed staying in.
It was lovely place to stay so a 🛌🛌🛌. 3 bed rating. SOL Apartment. it’s on booking.com
frans travel tales 