One of the perks of living in England is that Scotland is only a few hours drive away ! So with a few days off between shifts Lydia and I decided a 'wee' trip to Scotland was in order! We stayed with her Grandmother in Bo'ness and commuted around from there!
On our way up we took a small detour through the Lake District, where we almost decided to stay for our entire trip, but resorted to a promise to return!
Our first day included some local exploring, we strolled the banks of Firth of Forth, and Falkirk the home of the famous Kelpies. The Kelpies were designed to represent the mythological beats that were believed to possess the strength and endurance of 100 horses. This is said to reflect the transformational change of the Scottish landscapes, waterways and communities.
Our Second day, we headed out to explore Glasgow, strolling through the Gardens and high streets. We even found a Tardis or two! Unfortunately Scottish weather was true to the tales you hear, and we ended up rather wet and resorted to exploring coffee shops as apposed to historical landmarks!
Luckily our day out in Edinburgh, allowed for cloudy skies but no rain! We started off by exploring the Castle situated on Castle Rock. The Castle dates back to the 12th Century. The oldest building been St Margaret's Chapel which is also one of the oldest buildings in Edinburgh, as many of the other buildings have since been altered.
The Castle not only provides great insight to the history and architecture, but amazing birds-eye views of the city.
We then started our my 'Pinterest to do List' down the Royal Mile. This included both fun and historic facts! These included finding a grave stone in a parking space, the only 'legal ' place to spit in Edinburgh - marking the place where prisons used to spit once been released from prison back in the day, touching Bobby's nose fro luck, St Giles cathedral, Scott Monument and of cause appreciating the Royal Mile.
If you are a Harry Potter fan, you may already know that Edinburgh is where J.K. Rowling got alot of her inspiration for the books. We stopped off for lunch at Elephant and Castle, which is where Rowling spent time writing many sections of her books. It has great views over the city and do indeed look a bit like Hogwarts! And as you can imagine many fans have since visited and left the bathrooms full of HP quotes on the walls. We also found the grave stone of 'Tom Riddle' Which gave Rowling the inspiration for his name. Walking the streets really does feel like you in the middle of a HP movie!
We also headed up to Carton Hill, home to the Nelson Monument and even more hill top views of the city. From here you can also see Arthurs Seat which is formed from an extinct Volcano!
And what is a trip to Scotland with out tasting the famous delicatessens ! Ice-Cream from Mary's Milk bar ... and Deep Fried Mars Bars ( actually tasted pretty good!)
On our last day we decided to head up through the Highlands to see if we could find Nessie the Loch Ness Monster! The drive took us over the famous Forth Bridge and through the Caingorms National Park - need I say how beautiful the Scottish Country side is ? We of course stopped for coffee in Inverness, a small town just at the top of Loch Ness. We then ventured to Urquhart Castle, which is right on the banks of Loch Ness and is guaranteed to provide you the best view of this spectacular Loch!
Urquhart Castle is situated in the village of Drumnadrochit, and presents ruins dating back as far as the 13th Century. it was partially destroyed in 1692 and has since been placed in state-care. Loch Ness is one of the largest Loch's and extends for approximately 37km! And of cause is home to the alleged sightings of Nessie.
For more pictures of Scotland: https://goo.gl/photos/6BxLs5Vs4n6611KfA