Edinburgh

After our stop in the Lake District, we headed for Edinburgh where we had booked an Airbnb apartment for three nights. Again, we were fortunate in that we had fine weather during the drive through beautiful countryside of Northern England and Southern Scotland. Traffic in Edinburgh was typical of a busy city, so navigating to our apartment was a bit challenging. The location of the flat was excellent, in the middle of the "old town" and in the shadow of the castle.

This is the view out of our apartment windows!
The apartment was quite large with the only drawback being the 65 stair steps to reach our floor. Daily walking was OK, but carrying our "small but heavy" bags up those stairs was a bit of a workout!

The other benefit of our location, was stepping out of the front door onto Grassmarket, with its shops and restaurants and only a short walk to Princess Street.

We thought we would visit the castle, but found long queues and tourist groups, so decided not to wait, but to explore other parts of the city instead.

The approach to the castle entrance is dominated by this large arena where the Edinburgh Military Tattoo is held throughout August every year. The Tattoo is the performance of military bands and display teams, and is part of the wider Edinburgh Festival held in at the same time. The grandstand setup is temporary, which I appreciate, as it does nothing for the grandeur of the castle setting.

Nearby was a building dedicated to the sale of all things Tartan. One floor was home to several large looms, demonstrating the production of several tartan patterns.

St Giles Cathedral, or High Kirk of Edinburgh, on the Royal Mile, is an imposing building and a bit difficult to photograph.

The interior was even more difficult!

The obligatory photo of a piper.

The gardens on Princess Street next to the memorial to Sir Walter Scott.

We learned that the Royal Yacht Brittania was berthed at the Ocean Terminal nearby, and since the day was wet and cold we decided to pay a visit.
This yacht was used by HM the Queen and members of the Royal Family for over 40 years before it was decommissioned in 1997.

The chart room reflecting the 1950's style!

The Queen's bedroom and working desk, which looks more spartan than I was expecting.

Crew's quarters were pretty tight, but at least an upgrade from the hammocks that were previously installed.

The on-board banqueting room.

The sitting room for the Royal Family.

We accepted the invitation for tea, we understand the Queen was unfortunately delayed and could not join us.

The engine room, just spectacular, every pipe and fitting was either polished or painted white. These are the original engines with over one million miles covered before the yacht was decommissioned.

In the early days, the Rolls Royce accompanied the Royal party. They later abandoned this practice with suitable cars being available at all destinations.

We drove on to Perth where the weather was better and visited this old cotton mill located on the River Tay in Stanley, near Perth. The mill was built in the 18th century to produce cotton and went on to produce machinery belting. The site was closed in 1989 and became derelict, but subsequently it was renovated to provide luxury apartments as well as a museum depicting the life in the mill in the 19th century. It was sobering to learn of the working conditions in a mill such as this, what a hard life.

The outlook from some of the luxury apartments

We had a tentative plan to visit the Isle of Arran, but strike action threatened by the ferry workers meant that we could not book tickets in advance, so that plan was abandoned.

Next stop, the Welsh borders and the town where Len was born.