Up to the Highlands

Yesterday we left Edinburgh, rented a car and made our way to Inverness. Along the way we stopped at Cawdor Castle and Clava Cairns. Once in Inverness we explored the town and had an amazing meal at a Turkish restaurant.

On the road again this morning....Driving through the mountains up to the Isle of Skye. We stopped to see the picturesque Eilean Donan Castle and a small fishing village Plockton.

Tomorrow we'll be touring the Isle of Skye by car.

Here's our car for the week. It was supposed to be a Ford but they gave us this.

Here's me driving, it's not too bad. Does take some getting used to. And the single track roads can be tricky.

This is Cawdor Castle (of Macbeth fame)

Pretty garden at the castle.

This is on part of a nature trail that goes through the castle woods.

Lovely hillside of Blue Bells.

The Clava Cairns are ancient burial mounds.

Here's the River Ness and Inverness.

Inverness Castle.

Part of our excellent meal in Inverness.

David's full Scottish breakfast. And yes that's black pudding up in the corner. Not sure what that is, I stick with poached eggs.

Edinburgh - The Royal Mile

Today we explored the Old Town. Starting off with the Castle, we made our way down the Royal Mile stopping off at St. Giles and the National Museum of Scotland. And not to mention a little shopping a long the way. And some libation for David.

Walking up to the entrance of the Castle. They are erecting seats for an upcoming big show in August.

Monument to William Wallace outside the castle gate.

The gate from the inside.

Inside the castle is St. Margaret's Chapel built in 1130. It's the oldest building in Edinburgh.

This arch is an original Norman design. (Cool to me at least)

No inside pictures of St. Giles (you had to pay). But John Knox, the founder of Presbyterian church spent a lot of time in St. Giles. His burial spot is in the parking lot: space 23. Sad really.

Looking down the Royal Mile towards Holyrood Palace.

Cadenhead Whiskey. They blend their own varieties from the small distilleries around the country.

A wee dram for David.

And another....He had to try them all right?

Edinburgh - Holyrood Park

Yesterday we arrived in Edinburgh. After checking into our Guest House, we bought some sandwiches and headed over to Holyrood Park. It's a 650 acre park with 3 lochs and Arthur's Seat (a 351 ft. climb). The crag in the center was once a volcano. Through out the park were these yellow flowering bushes that we later found out are called Gorse. If you can make it up Arthur's Seat, you are rewarded with a fantastic view of Edinburgh and on a clear day Fife.

Here's the entrance to the park that's closest to our lodgings. The crag in the middle is Arthur's Seat.

This seems to be a direct route but quite steep.

Looks daunting....

As we walked around the other side, we found another crag and a loch.

This is Gorse. The leaves look like an evergreen but towards the middle of the plant, the dead needles harden into thorns.

After walking uphill, the ascent begins. No railings mind you....

Careful....

We made it! What a view overlooking the park and Edinburgh.

It just stretches on for miles.

David wanted proof that he did it too.

A treat for a job well done!

David was happy.

York

This afternoon we explored the old town of York. York Minster is a very impressive Gothic Cathedral with beautiful stained glass windows. Walking the old town is nice to do and reminds me a lot of St. Augustine in the States.

This is Bootham Bar, one of the gates through the wall. We are staying in a B&B in this area.

Nice shot of the west door of York Minster.

And here's a picture from the other side.

This is an up close shot of one of their stained glass panels. They have a couple set out so that you can see the detail in each piece.

Area around the Cathedral and in the Tudor style building is where we had a tasty lunch today.

Cotswolds

Well we had our first day of rain yesterday but we did what we could on foot and with a very sparse bus system. We made it to Stow-on-the-Wold, Moreton-in-Marsh and Chipping Campden. All were lovely but Chipping Campden is less crowded with more character.

According to my guidebook, this church door in Stow may have inspired Tolkien's door to Moria. Apparently he liked to hike around the Cotswolds.

St James Church in Chipping Campden.

Typical street and stone buildings of the Cotswolds.

Salisbury

We arrived in Salisbury on Sunday afternoon and caught the bus out to Stonehenge and Old Sarum. Then we explore the charming old town until dinner time when we treated ourselves to some fusion Indian food. The next morning we set out for the Cathedral and after lunch departed for the Cotswolds. We're staying at a really cute B&B in Ebrington (just outside of Chipping Campden). We had time for a countryside walk before dinner and it was such a nice change from the big city. Today we'll spend the whole day explore a couple of villages. I may even attempt to ride a bike.

Here we are at Stonehenge. (had to see it) It was actually quite impressive. We also walked around and looked at the burial mounds. Then we went to Old Sarum which is the earlier settlement for Salisbury.

The very impressive Salisbury Cathedral. Built in the 13 cen., it's actually one of the more quickly built medieval cathedrals in that it took less than a century to finish.

Inside the cloisters.

A view from about halfway down the nave looking towards the apse.

The quire benches were decorated with various animal carvings and were a delight to look at them all.

One of these armrests is a carving of a beaver.

Here I am sitting down to some tea and cake upon our arrival at the B&B.

These are the sheep that live just at the end of the road that we can hear through our window.

Setting out for a countryside walk.

What a view!