DAY 19 - EDINBURGH TO ABERDEEN

 Day 19 - Edinburgh to Aberdeen - 26 September 2024

We woke to rain.  Another full Scottish breakfast (we are starting to like these) and we were packing the car in the rain.  Just to be clear, the rain is nothing like Brisbane. It is a light sort of soft shower. However, we waved goodbye to the castle through the rain and drove out.   

Today we see Rosslyn Chapel.  We have been looking forward to this. We knew that it was popular and that they are now restricting the number of people.  Therefore, we bought tickets online beforehand.  It was still cold and wet when we arrived but the moment we walked through the door, we were captivated by the skill, mastery and beauty.

Construction started in 1446 and when Sir William St Clair, the founder, died in 1484, his son took over but rather than finishing it, put a roof on the incomplete area. It continued as a parish church until the reformation when is fell into disrepair.  It was used by Oliver Cromwell as a stable in 1650 and then was vacant for 200 years. 

In 1954, it was considered that the stone work was in poor condition and so a cement slurry was placed over the entire interior surface, covering the beauty of the original stone colour.  In 1995, analysis determined that the slurry had stopped the water within the stone from evaporating and so the interior of the church was very humid.  A trust was then formed to protect the abbey.

The side view of the abbey

View showing the front entry

Pictures of the interior are not permitted so some of these are from the internet just for memory sake.

Intricate stone carving

The aisle

The fallen angel

The green man

The column by the apprentice

We all agreed that Rosslyn Abbey is the most spectacular church. We spoke about it for quiet a while as we drove north to Aberdeen. We stopped for a short break on the way and arrived after a long drive at around 4:00 p.m. to wind and rain. That did not allow any more sightseeing.

Holiday Inn has very comfortable rooms and a wonderful restaurant so we enjoyed the local beer.

 Day 18 - Edinburgh - 25 September 2024

After spending a night in luxury, we woke to enjoy a full Scottish break with the mandatory lack pudding and haggis. The breakfast room is also very elegant. Today we head into Edinburgh.  We were going to see St Cuthbert's Church which is where the great great grandparents of Narelle were married. Don and Julie headed to the castle. Not everything goes according to plan on a holiday. 

We headed to Eskbank train station because parking is quite difficult in the city.  The trains are very comfortable and fast.  They were not packed with people either.  Twenty minutes on the train and we were in the centre of Edinburgh.

 

After a short walk, we found Saint Cuthbert's and it is a beautiful church nestled at the foot of the hill on which stands the castle. However, it didn't open for viewing until midday. Oh well, off for a quiet cup of coffee and then back to the church.  It was constructed in the seventh century for the town of Edinburgh. The parish grew in size until the reformation when it converted to be protestant. 

during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the parish was reduced in size by the formation of other parishes and the construction of churches.  After the Restoration in 1660, the parish remained loyal to the protestant church.  It is still a very strong and active church.

The interior is ornate but in a subdued way. The stained-glass windows are certainly a highlight. 

The altar

Narelle on the path to St Cuthbert's

Looking down the aisle to the altar

St Cuthbert's Church

A carving on the pulpit

One of the windows

 

Then we walked through Princes Street Gardens and past the Ross Fountain which is quite a spectacular monument.  We were pleased to see so many people using the park for a stroll or to have lunch. Obviously there were a lot of tourists there as well.

Ross Fountain

A more laborious walk to Grassmarket which is an area close to the Golden Mile and includes interesting shops and restaurants, most of which are brightly painted.  The place was a hive of activity. We saw the Museum Context (Harry Potter Shop), Elephant House (magical cafe), souvenir shops and lots of colour.  It is a place where it would be very easy to spend a whole day quietly looking through each shop.

We ventured into the Museum Context and looked at the wands for sale.  The shop was so full of people (quite young) that we were jammed for some time. So, rather than battle our way through all four floors, we squirmed our way out, without a wand.

The Grassmarket area

The Museum Context

Wands for sale

The elephant

The Elephant House

We walked to the top of a set of stairs past the university.  It is a stunning building.  At the top of the stairs, there is a section of the old wall and the best views of the castle!

The Castle

There are lots of little alleys and side streets in Grassmarket as well and we just ran out of time to see it all.  Back to the train and the castle for another sumptuous meal. 

We met Don and Julie to find out that it is now necessary to buy tickets for Edinburgh Castle online.  There are no tickets available at the castle. Even with the help of staff, they could not get them.  That was sad. 

The train station is extra-ordinarily long and the train was at the end.  We probably walked well over 100 metres along the platform.  It was so strange to us.

Us waiting on the platform

It is a long drive to Aberdeen tomorrow and the weather is not looking too good at all.  

Day 17 - Kelso to Edinburgh - 24 September 2024

We started the day with another Scottish breakfast. Abbotsford House is close to Kelso and on the way to Edinburgh and we decided to drop in.  Abbotsford House was the residence of Sir Walter Scott, arguably the greatest author from Scotland.  He was born in 1771 in Edinburgh and wrote 27 novels.  He died at 61 during 1832.  His books were so popular that he became very rich and modified Abbotsford House to create a unique and interesting place to live.

The house is exactly as it was the day he died.  His descendants had constructed another wing and lived there so that the place could remain untouched.

The armour in entry room

Abbotsford House

His study

Look at that ceiling

More of the entry

The entry

He really had a unique ability to decorate within the house.  He and his wife also loved gardening and so they built enormous gardens, including a heated building.  There are glass houses for plants that would not normally grow in this area.

The formal garden

An enormous garden

He travelled a lot and suffered a stroke whilst in Europe and he desperately wanted to return home. He was unable to climb the stairs to his bedroom so had a bed installed in his lounge so that he could look over the Tweed River.  He died in that room. 

We then dropped into look at Melrose Abbey which would have been an extra-ordinary building at its peak.  It is in the village of Melrose about 10 km west of Kelso.  It was founded in 1136 by Cistercian monks at the request of King David 1 of Scotland.  A smaller monastery had been established around 650 AD a few miles to the east.  Saint Cuthbert is buried there.  He had previously been at Lindisfarne.

The Abbey was very productive and progressive for the time.  There were up to 100 monks living there.  It had a "sewerage" system of sorts and very productive vegetable garden.  In the 12th century, the monks implemented new farming techniques and sold Melrose wool throughout northern Europe. A town slowly grew up around the abbey. Interestingly, during a time of famine four thousand starving people were fed by the monastery for three months. That is an incredible feat.

Of course, this Abbey too was targeted during the reformation and, whilst it operated as a parish church until the 1800s, it did not recover.

Melrose Abbey

Detailed carvings

What a building

Intricate columns 

Beautiful work

Then we headed to our castle stay.  It was quite something to turn a corner and see the place for the first time.  We have huge rooms and the grounds are enormous.  Luxury for two nights!  I think that we will enjoy this stay.

The castle

Our room

A guard

We are not sure of this

A lounge

 Day 16 - Kelso - 23 September 2024

We started the day with another full Scottish breakfast and then had a walk around Kelso.  We wandered across the road to the Kelso Abbey ruins to find that they were closed.  Apparently, the brickwork is in danger of falling and so it has been closed to the public. It would have been a spectacular building.

The Abbey was started in around 1113 by Benedictine monks from France or, more precisely, the Tironesian monks.  The Abbey operated within the Tironesian order until 1540  when Henry viii introduced the reformation. In 1560, the Scottish Reformation sealed the Abbey's fate by no longer recognising Tironesian monks. Then, local people started to remove stone for their own use so that we now have a very small part of the Abbey remaining.

Kelso Abbey

Kelso Abbey

Then we went to Floors Castle. It is a spectacular place and is still occupied by the family. No photos allowed so unfortunately, we cannot add any here other than the exterior and the gardens. We parked and then had to walk about one kilometre to the castle. The grounds are enormous and very well maintained.  The gardens must take an enormous amount of work to keep in shape.

Floors Castle

A statue

A centre piece of the garden

Narelle in the garden

What a garden

We stopped for morning tea in their cafe as well. They serve cakes under glass domes as well as clotted cream teas. Wow.

It was then only a short drive to Hedberg Abbey ruins.  Jedburgh Abbey was founded in the 12th century by the Augustinian monks.  When King Henry viii proceeded with the protestant reformation, the monks were permitted to stay at the Abbey, however by 1671, there were problems with the buildings, and it was determined to be too unsafe to be inhabited.

The Abbey

Basement

Some information

More beautiful work

Beautiful craftsmanship

What a building

Look at that arch

The grounds are kept well

Here we are

We then headed back to Ednam House for a stroll around the gardens which are very good. They have a purple rose which is quite rare, as I understand. Then back to the Queens Head for another pub meal. They are the best!

What a place