Day 17: Edinburgh

We slept in a bit today before bundling up and walking down the street to The Circle Cafe for some breakfast... at noon.

We had avoided the typical cold and wet British weather for so long, it was bound to catch up with us. It was cold and extremely windy but definitely not going to stop us. We walked through town to Edinburgh Castle; situated on a hill which used to be a volcano.

The entrance with statues of Robert the Bruce and William Wallace.

 We got the audio tour and went through every single bit together. Great views.

At 1:00pm everyday they set off a canon as tradition since the first world war.

Here it is in action. (The real excitement starts at 1:50)

Soldier’s Dogs cemetery.

Small chapel.

Great sky.

Catching a break from the chilly wind.

A church within the castle.

Mary Queen of Scots. Quite a looker. Not the best life.

Prisoner of War cells.

Doors with graffiti dating back to the 18th century. An American prisoner carves the flag.

Rations.

We also go to see the crown jewels, scepter, and the Stone of Destiny (no photos allowed. This is super special stuff). After leaving the castle we stopped by the tartan factory where they make and sell all things tartan. Here are the looms in action.

We stumbled upon a pub just in time before a heavy dose of rain came and ate while it passed.

Some more walking around the city and it was time for some delivery dinner at the flat. After all the walking we didn’t feel like going out for dinner so we ordered some Indian food. We had high expectations but the food just didn’t come close to Tiffin, our favorite Indian spot in Philly. Oh well, we tried!

Day 16: Leaving England / Hello Scotland

Eric and I scarfed down a hefty English breakfast and checked out of the hotel ASAP in excitement for Scotland! The drive ahead was about 5 hours and the flat we were staying at doesn’t do check-in until after 5 so we had enough time for a nice long detour. More mountain biking! This time, with me in tow. Along the way, more gorgeous scenery.

The bike rental spot was right in the Glentress Peel woods. The staff was super nice and had some pretty chic bikes for us to borrow. Just our luck, Scotland was in the 50’s, windy as heck, with some light sprinkling in the air. “Perfect” cycling weather for two people getting over head colds. I rarely go mountain biking, I much prefer the road bike so I bailed out early and waited for Eric in a cafe situated next to the bike rental. I warmed up with a hot chocolate and banoffee pie. 

Then, more driving. We stopped taking pictures at this point because the rest of our trek to the flat in Edinburgh was a little painful; some issues with dropping off the rental car in the congested city and dealing with the taxi and all our luggage. It was so amazing to finally step in to our super spacious room and meet Iain and Claire, the owners of the flat. They were so helpful and nice. We just wanted to stay in and watch movies and eat pizza. So we did. Claire’s recommendation for delivery? Papa Johns. Yes. In Edinburgh they have Papa Johns. And it’s exactly the same.

Day 15: Cumbria II

Today Eric and I had different plans so we split up for the morning. I dropped him off about 2 miles away at Grizedale Forest so he could go mountain biking...

 

...while I went to visit Beatrix Potter’s estate in Near Sawrey. Beatrix bought this house with the earnings from her first book. It’s a pretty small house even after the extension she put on it. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside which stinks because just before passing, Beatrix left the house in the hands of the National Trust and told them to not touch a single thing. So everything inside is exactly how she left it. Some pictures of the grounds...

After taking picking up Eric, we did a rerun of the night before; dinner at The Tower Bank Arms (which was really good. Don't let the photos fool you) followed by another star-filled sky.

 

Day 14: Cumbria

It took us two full weeks before we encountered any of the rain that is typical of the British Isles.  Although the day was a bit soggy it didn't stop us from enjoying the lake district.  We started of the day with an English breakfast at our B&B the a short walk through our village, Near Sawrey.  Beatrix Potter owned a property in this village directly next door to our B&B.  The village is full of sites that show up in some of Ms. Potter's stories.  Here are a few photo's of her inspirations.

  

 

We continued our stroll into the adjacent village called, "Far Sawrey".  Here are a few of the things we saw along the way. 

 

After our walk we got into our car and drove to another lake called Coniston Water.  The drive took us through some much more lush country side.  This part of the country still has the open fields and hedge rows, but their are also wooded areas full of ferns and moss.  Its a really varied and beautiful area.  When we arrived in Coniston Water, we parked in a lot outside of the town where we took a stroll along the water.  

 

Coniston Water is dominated by a mountain called Old Man of Coniston.  Genell and I saw this mountain from a distance and decided to explore it.  We drove into town a departed on another hike.  Here are some pictures...

 

After our hike we consulted our Lonely Planet guide for other near by attractions which led us to tour the Brantwood Estate which was the home of John Ruskin.  John Ruskin was a prominent art critic, social thinker and philanthropist of the victorian era.  As we would learn, John Ruskin, was an extremely important figure in the art scene during his time.  Mr. Ruskin was also very against capitalism (although you wouldn’t guess this after touring his home).  His house was very nice, but the tour only allowed access to about four rooms.  After we toured the house we hiked through the grounds of the estate which extended all the way up a large hillside overlooking Coniston Water.  It took us about 45 minutes to get to the top. It rained the whole way but we enjoyed every second of it anyway.

 

After our ride back home, we took some time to relax at our hotel before heading off to dinner at the pub around the corner; The Tower Bank Arms. This pub was also illustrated in one of Beatrix Potter’s books. Inside they had a bunch of tiny plush Beatrix Potter characters hiding in the rafters in homage. When we left, it was so dark outside. The town doesn’t have street lights and you could see tons of stars. So sweet.