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england · scotland · travel

Week 11: England and Scotland

· Chris Moore

View over the garden and hills at sunset

Countryside, medieval castles, and engineering marvels.

Sunday

We left our hotel in Leicester after a tasty English breakfast and a swim in the pool. We've got about 325 miles to cover today to get to our home for the week just north of Edinburgh.

Map showing a route through Britain

We were planning to make a stop at Alnwick Castle. When we were getting close it was too close to closing time. We saw a sign for the Northumberland Coastal Drive and decided to explore that instead. It was not disappointing at all. Amazing views of the North Sea and lots of hills and countryside all around. We stopped in a little town called Seahouses to take a look at the water. It was rough and cold. No way I'd want to be in there.

Gray sea beyond a small harbor

We crossed the border in to Scotland and had about an hour and a half to go. We made it to our home for the week in a small town called Inverkeithing.

Monday

We woke up to this view of Forth (and Edinburgh in the distance) from our living room.

Toys spread across a living-room floor
View over the garden and hills at sunset

My Mom is coming to visit for a couple weeks. We have to go pick her up at the aiport this morning. Later in the day, we took a short trip to see the Falkirk Wheel.

Boat beside the Falkirk Wheel

Tuesday

We took the train to Edinburgh. High Street and some food were the order of the day. We walked through many closes and visited Gladstone's Land. It's a 500 year old house and shop owned by a merchant. We lucked out with another amazing sunset too.

Children posing beside red telephone boxes
Gothic church on an Edinburgh street
Historic buildings along an Edinburgh street
Narrow passage between tall stone buildings
Family posing outside a stone building
Family walking along an Edinburgh street
Orange sunset above city buildings

Wednesday

School and work. Staying close to home today.

Thursday

Back to Edinburgh to see the Castle.

Historic buildings above a sloping garden
Children in front of Edinburgh Castle
Child posing outside Edinburgh Castle
Approach to Edinburgh Castle beneath gray skies
View of Edinburgh from the castle
Two red telephone boxes against a stone wall
Playground with the castle above it
Ornate fountain beneath Edinburgh Castle

Friday

School and work again.

Saturday

We're driving up to St. Andrews today to see the ruins of the Cathedral and Castle.

Old gravestone in a churchyard
Ruined stone tower against an overcast sky
Arched ruins at St Andrews Cathedral
Cathedral ruins and towers beneath gray clouds
Rocky shoreline beside grassy cliffs
Child beside the rocky coast
Coastal walkway overlooking the sea
Ruined stone walls near the coast
Children peering through a window in the ruins
Lawn within the seaside castle ruins
Crumbling stone tower above the shore
Trees and old walls in the castle grounds
Wooden footbridge into a ruined stone gateway
Walkway beneath ruined stone arches

On the way back we stopped at Anstruther Fish Bar. It was rated best fish and chips in the UK. They were pretty good.

Anstruther Fish Bar menu
Fish and chips in a takeaway tray
Family sharing a meal at a restaurant table
Map of a route through Scotland
Our drive today.

Edinburgh (and Scotland) were a big win. I thoroughly enjoyed the country and everyone we met. Definitely worth a visit.

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