Edinburgh and the banks are closed...

Monday, 25th April - (Catch-up)

We had understood from people here that Easter Monday wasn't a holiday in Scotland, and Liz's kids had gone back to school, but when we got the train in to the city, (about 20 minutes), many shops were open, but a lot weren't. And the banks were closed!! I had wanted to transfer the balance of some accommodation to a place in Sandwich, but couldn't do it today.

So, we opted to take a city tour on one of those open topped double decker buses. We hadn't done this  last time and had missed seeing a few things. We got Seniors fares again, and took the tour to the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens. These are really lovely and worth the praise they get, so we had quite a while there looking at Trilliums, and other bulbs, and some lovely alpine plants. There is an enormous tropical glasshouse but this is not our thing, so we decided not to pay the entry fee, and skipped this. Then went down to Leith and the harbour where the old Royal yacht Britania is on permanent display. It was one of those get-on/get-off tours, so we had a look at the yacht, and then had a really nice lunch in the Ocean Terminal shopping centre, and shared a very simple pizza and some really nice Italian beer.

The bus is easy to negotiate the steps up and down as you can steady yourself on the rails, and we went on to Holyrood Palace, which we also hadn't done last time. But they wanted 14 Pounds each to get in and we were by this stage very tired and so just had a cuppa, and went back and got the next bus back to Waverley Station

Firth of Forth, squirrels, deer and the view

Saturday, 23rd April and Sunday, 24th April - (Catch-up)

 This beautifully decorated and maintained apartment is on the first floor, but this gives us great views out over the Firth of Forth, and beyond. The bed is only a double, and with Lee's bruised knee and my coughing, we will use the other bedroom tonight, and both get a proper sleep without waking each other.

We also have a washing machine so catching up with clean clothes is a bonus. The squirrels seem to come most mornings, trying to get at the bird seed the owner puts out in the feeders. The deer are a little more timid and we've seen them a couple of times.

 With these older buildings, refurbishment can't be easy, and some of the electricals are interesting in that you have to throw a switch to be able to use the oven, etc., but you soon get used to that. It's just great to be able to move around and have this much space, especially when you know you won't get it at many other places.The kitchen is fully equipped and the bathroom is newly refurbished, and we have a sitting room at one end overlooking the garden and the views. Very, very cosy and comfy, and compared to staying in hotels, etc., this is the way to go if you need/want to do your own thing.

We are across the Firth from Edinburgh, and the nearest supermarket was Tescos, across the road bridge. Not an easy get, and you have to watch which part of the roundabout you go off at, but we found it and were able to stock up for the week.

Forth road bridge, due for decommissioning, as the cables are rusting!

This road bridge is to be replaced, and ironically enough the rail bridge is 100 years old and still going strong.

Went for a short walk after breakfast and found the local train station, (only a five minute walk), and planned to go into Edinburgh on the train tomorrow, to sort out banking, etc.

Rail bridge

As it was Easter Sunday, we thought most people would be at home for Sunday lunch, so decided to visit the Falkirk Wheel, which is about 40 miles away. Good drive and when you get near it you can see it from the distance. It was built to replace the set of lochs, through which canal boats would have to pass from Edinburgh and Glasgow.

It is the most amazing thing, and literally lifts canal barges and other low-drafted vessels up to the next level of the canal system! There were quite a few people there, but not overcrowded, and we saw the wheel working twice, and you can't believe it can do what it does.

Also being Easter weekend, they were running a steam train across the rail bridge, and it was great to see it chugging away, with lots of people on board.

 The engine was a very sleek design like the Flying Scotsman, big and powerful, with many carriages in tow.

Simple meal of savoury mince, which again makes a nice change from all the heavier stuff we've had on the Mull cruise.

Down to Edinburgh...

Friday, 22nd April - continued...

The drive to Edinburgh was through some hilly bits and past lochs and we kept seeing a little train, which we later realised Ann and Linda had taken from Oban to Glasgow.

Stopped a couple of times to re-adjust the supplies we'd bought, get some water from the boot, and for me to take a Panadol for the pain in my side. (Too much coughing and/or too much food, but it hurt every time I coughed!)

We had lunch at a little town called Crianlarich, and had a nice some ham and cheese toasties and a cuppa tea. Good to be able to have something light for a change, after all the rich and plentiful food on the cruise.

It was a bit tricky finding our way through to the road that would take us to the Forth Road Bridge, and we had a couple of false starts, but Lee innate sense of direction in this country won out, and she knew we didn't want to end up in Glasgow (this time), and so we eventually found the right one to get us to North Queensferry. If we missed that, we would end up on the Forth Bridge and be heading into Edinburgh!

"Northcliff" was then quite easy to find, and we were shown our 2-bedroom apartment by Liz, the owner.

On the way up some stairs, Lee stumbled and hurt her knee a little, and I had the pain in my side, so we had a simple dinner of some beast chicken and some potatoes, carrots and peas, and then crashed into bed.

Last day and back to Oban...

Friday, 22nd April - Good Friday - (Catch-up)

A beautiful morning, but it ended up being grey and misty as we headed back. Breakfast was pancakes and strawberries, after porridge of course.

The last leg back to Oban was only one hour, and the crew had lots to do in preparation for docking in the harbour. All the laundry had to be organised and the stores packed up. along with getting the actual boat ready with ropes and stuff. 

Judy, Barry, Ann, Linda, John, John, Mary, Maggie, Lee and Gordon on our last night.

It was a tight fit into the wharf and our crew were being "supervised" by the owner, who was taking the Glen Tarsan out for the next cruise, with his own family and friends, and new supplies and food, and grog and all.

Paul, Dougie, Vicki and Bob.

To our minds he should just have let our crew do what they were doing, but he seemed to want to be giving orders from the wharf. Can't have made Captain Bob's job easy!

After the company van had unloaded supplies for the new cruise, we were dropped around to the place where we'd had the car stored for the week. It was out and ready for us, and we loaded up the car and headed next door to Tesco's to take on our own supplies for Northcliff at Edinburgh. It was to be a long day, and we wanted to be able to arrive and have something we could eat, and then crash into the "new" apartment, and our first full week of self-catering.

more to follow...

House on the beach, and the blue and white porcelain...Part 2

Thursday, 21st April - (Catch-up)

Meant to mention that part of the reason to stop here was to walk up to the ruined castle. Not an easy thing for most of us, but Barry and Judy made the effort. They are both experienced walkers, and so knew what they were doing, but even they said it wasn't easy. They didn't end up making it all the way, and said it looked more impressive from the beach, and they actually rescued a lamb which was trapped between a wall and a fence.

After the beach and the castle, we went on to Loch Spelve, and were followed by some dolphins, and others thought porpoises, but we were not sure there were any, and it might have been a trick of the wake in such still water.(?) Once inside the loch we saw oyster catchers, a sea otter, a seal, and a pair of golden eagles.

We moored near a jetty used by the mussel growers/farmers, and some of the group went ashore to walk and explore. The options were to walk around the bay near the ship, or a longer one to another part of the loch. Barry and Judy chose to do the long one, and this was the day the others stayed closer and got to see the deer close up.

Lee and I stayed aboard, and it was so peaceful, and we saw herons, Canada geese (?), and then we noticed the deer emerging from the forest, and realised the others were quite close. Both John and Barry had been given walky-talky thingies, and could contact the boat when they'd had enough. We saw Linda on the jetty and Paul went and got her. Then we got a call from John and the others, and they were picked up. After that, Vicki was aware there had been a call from Barry and Judy, but Bob had been sleeping and didn't quite get all the message, so Paul went off to find them. He came back without them and we found out later that they had heard the tender, but he hadn't quite come far enough, and missed them. Someone went again and got them not long afterwards.

Lunch had been quiche and salad, and was quite late, and so was dinner.

Our last meal was steak, with a very nice mushroomy/pepper sauce, but it was a little too well done for me, but Lee enjoyed hers. Not the way we would do it at home of course, but given the situation, and perhaps having to keep it longer because of the late pick-up of the others, it was just a little well done.

The last night on the boat was nice, buy nobody wanted it to end, as we were to get off tomorrow. I didn't really mind, as I wanted to move on to other things.

Beds and pillows and duvets...(another aside)

We have been here nearly five weeks, and the other inconsistent thing, (after bathrooms and plumbing), is in the bedroom. 

No, nothing to do with Lee and I, but when you are travelling to so many different places, you do need your sleep. That is not always possible, simply because every place varies in what it provides.

PILLOWS - if you are going to be here as long as we are, buy two pillows at the beginning and take them with you! This will only work if you have a car for most of the time, but at least you will know what to expect each night. The pillows range from what seem like a bag of cereal, to spongy, or very hard.

MATTRESSES - again, these vary from simply lumpy, to hard as rocks, to squishy, to quite OK. But again, not consistent. And, they don't do top sheets. So, if you are a top sheet person you will be disappointed. They do duvets, which also vary in weight and thickness, and they have their own cover, (which is changed after each use). But, they don't seem to change the type of duvet from season to season. I asked at one place, and the lady said she'd never thought of it!

BED SIZE - Never assume that if you book a room which says Double Bed, that you will get any other size. So if you are used to a Queen sized bed back at home, you might just end up being closer than you want to be.

You have to remember to ask. Whenever I have done so, and been told the bed would be a 4'6" (double bed), we have gone for twin beds. That way you both get a good night's sleep.

The most consistent bedding we have had is with Premier Inn hotels. No, I am not on their payroll, but whichever one we have stayed with, and that has been four different places so far, you get the same good stuff every time. This may change, as we still have a number of them across the country to try out, so this recommendation might also change.

House on the beach, and the blue and white porcelain...Part 1

Thursday, 21st April - (Catch-up)

Misty morning, and incredibly still, with the loch like a mirror!

This morning's offering, after porridge, was Kippers, and although a good source of Omega 3 and everything else, I couldn't face them and just had toast and marmalade. Lee tried them, and found then tasty, like sardines, and with lots of bones. Traditionally served with brown bread and butter.

We headed out of the Loch to the Sound of Mull, and to a cove where there was a ruined castle we could walk to. Easy access to the beach, with its one lone house. How does one decide to build a house here, And what of the transporting of the building materials? It looked very cosy and may have been two houses, as there seemed to be a shared chimney.

The beach was dark sand, with the sound of springs and waterfalls on the hillsides above, and as you do when 'beachcombing', you look down for shells and whatever may have been washed up.

I found several pieces of crockery / ceramics, in blue and white, and one piece in black and white, with glazing on the reverse side. Makes you wonder who used them and where they are from, and how long they have been there. The black and white piece still has part of the design on it, and we'd love to find out its origins.

Loched in, and Haggis!!!

Wednesday, 20th April - (Catch-up)

We stayed in Loch Scridain (Loch of Trees), overnight, and again it was very calm and still. We have had no feeling at all that we are on a boat, when we go to bed at night. It is usually in a loch or other sheltered place, and there is no rocking back and forth, no sounds except for nature around us.

The sunrise was red and reflected on the water, (around 6.35am), and after breakfast we headed for Ulva.

We ate haggis! Not the steaming, ceremonial cutting open of the haggis in the traditional way, but a slice served along with our breakfast of porridge, poached eggs and bacon. It was really nice, much to the delight of those around us, who it seemed had all had it before. I had come away determined not to have any, but this was just a slice, and fried. It is very tasty, with plenty of flavour, with oats and spices. So there, something else to be ticked off the list!

Others went ashore for walking etc, and Lee and I caught up with some diary entries, photo sorting., etc.

We then sailed north to Loch Buidhe, which is another smaller loch, but quite beautiful.

On the way there we passed an Emergency Lifeboat, which was headed for Fingal's Cave as there had been an accident with another party of 'cavers', and their boat had been swept into the cave and a number were in the water. We heard later that nobody was seriously injured, but it just shows how difficult the access can be, depending on the conditions at the time.

Dinner was canapes, then Sole wrapped around asparagus, very nice.

Iona and the Nuns and the Monks...

After the exilerating time at Fingal's Cave, (for Lee anyway), we set off for Iona. This was to be one of my/our favourite stops, if only for its simple, quiet beauty, and the very relaxed feel about the whole island. It isn't large, and has only one main road, which seems to go just from one end to the other.

You can stay here, but there would only be utter peace and quiet, and I think a lot of people these days wouldn't know how to handle that!

I had hoped we'd be off-loaded at the jetty, but the channel between Iona and Mull is shallow at the low tide, so we anchored offshore and did the tender thing. This time it was all calm and serene, and we were able to step on to a beach, and then have a leisurely walk down to the other end, where the jetty was.

It was just so still and sparkly, and another sunshiny day. The walk along the road was quite easy, passing farms, with sheep, and lovely white houses, and stone buildings. 

You can see the Abbey from everywhere, and it was used by monks. The nunnery was quite close by.

 Lee thought someone had said it was the first push of Christianity into Scotland from Ireland (?) The Duke of Argyll is buried in the Abbey.

One of the other passengers said he  thought there had been "salacious" carryings on, and that there might even have been a tunnel between the Abbey and the Nunnery. Don't you just love it!!

Based on that, I did one of my little 'poems'...

"There'd been pillage in the village in the morning, 

and the rape was all arranged for half-past-four,

Monks and Nuns who thought they mattered,

Were all completely shattered,

When no-one came a banging on their door!" *

The Nunnery is a ruin, but the walls are still there and a pretty garden within. A nice little row of shops, and then you are down to the wharf/jetty area, which itself is a bit shabby, and with nowhere to sit.

The tender came back for us in about 90 minutes or so, and an easy transition off the jetty this time.

Dinner consisted of very nice roast pork, with gravy and potatoes and veg. Then, berries, creme fresh and brandy snap baskets.

*(No offence intended or meant towards anyone in religious orders. I just can't help myself, these ditties just pop into my head!)

Fingal's Cave...

Tuesday, 19th April - (Catch-up)

Right after breakfast we headed for Staffa, which is the "home" of Fingals cave. (Not sure if it's Fingals, or Fingal's, but I'll check).

(Just checked, and it is Fingal's, with the apostrophe)

Anwyay, this morning I felt crap, and not wanting to spoil anyone else's day, I decided not to go. (This will be one of my greatest regrets, as I had looked forward to this for so long).  But I really felt weak, and a pit puffy from the asthma. Lee went along with the others, and took my camera, and she did a great job, in difficult conditions.

This is her account of it...

"Landing was OK, but challenging as tide high and some swell and some waves breaking over the concrete pier, but all of us who went, managed OK.

The second group landed at a different spot. Walking around to the cave was a buzz, but also a little scary. There is a rail to hold on to, but you are walking on the outside of the rail, and in some places there is quite a drop to the water below.

Just before we got to the cave, a group from another boat started overtaking us on the path, and it was too difficult to go down into the cave, so I took what photo's I could and headed back. This time boarding the boat was OK, and the weather was quite calm"

Like something out of an "Alien" movie!

Not paint, but some sort of marine growth.

The 'stones' are all hexagonal, and amazing in the way they have been formed, like looking at a beehive, with all its cells, except that these columns are very long and very regimented in their arrangement.

Queen Victoria was said to have done this walk, but I guess she had lots of helpers.

After Staffa, and the cave, we headed down to Iona...

Plumbing...

It is not consistent. There doesn't seem to be any "standard" about the siting of hot and cold water taps on either hand basins and/or baths and showers. Their positioning changes with every bathroom you get.

Have a look at this thing in the picture, it is like something out of Dr.Who!

If you have a bath, you just let the water run into the bath. But if you want a shower, you have to push-a-button / flick-a-lever or turn another tappy thing, so that the water is re-directed up to the shower.

Showers. The next inconsistent thing. Most have gone to 'water-saving' shower heads, with the promise of a good spread of water. Not so, and once you have them started, they can be very weak, indicating low water pressure. This, combined with differing ways to indicate the hot/cold directions, can make it all a bit tricky. A lot of them are also hot water on demand, where you have to push a button, or pull on a long string switch, hanging from the ceiling, to initiate the heating of the water.

Years ago, when Lee's parents came to the UK, her mother Hazel commented on how much she hated showers over baths. Now I really know what she meant. I didn't give it much thought last trip, but they can be fraught with danger! Not all have some sort of anti slip area, and most baths here are VERY deep, so that by the time you step over to get in, then do the shower thingy, and then get out, there is a big step to overcome.

The other one we hate is the bath, with all the tap fittings and controls, but no shower overhead, just a hand-held thingy, which is OK for most things, but you have to put it down to do others!!
Then if you try and sit down in the bath or kneel, it's just as difficult.

Rather nice refurbished bathroom at 'Northcliff', near Edinburgh

Don't get me started on the flushing mechanisms of the loo's!!!


Not really complaining, just pointing out a few "differences".

Treshnish Isles...

Monday, 18th April - (Catch-up)

Different breakfast again this morning - porridge (and Dougie does great porridge), and they offer Maple Syrup, Golden Syrup or Honey to have with it, and some others have salt on theirs. Then platters of toast, crumpets, pikelets, and all the jams and conserves you'd ever want. But again, more for the birds and fishies!

We went to Lunga, which is a renowned habitat for Puffins! Quite a few of the other passengers wanted no more than to see Puffins, then seals, then Dolphins and Porpoises, etc., not necessarily in any particular order. The flat islands around Lunga and the area, give the impressions of ships, from a distance. They are remnant bits of volcanoes, and from some angles look like those old shots of destroyers, etc.

All out in two lots on the tender, and this is tricky at Lunga, as there is no landing place, and we were warned that we'd have to scramble over large rocks before we could access the grass, and even then you had to watch your step, as there were depressions and holes, and more rocks. So, not an easy disembarkation, but it would be worth it!!

We reached the rocks, and it was tricky, and the crew let out a "plank" to try and get us across, but with the movement of the tender, and the swell, it wasn't just a quick jump across on to the land. Then the picking your way over the boulders, some of which are slippery, and finally the grass. At least there is some footing, and what seems a quite daunting climb up to the next plateau, but we took it slow, and once there, it was just magic.

Thousands of tiny Puffins, darting in and out of their burrows, and launching off the cliffs to the water and food below. They are not really afraid of humans, and we could get some great shots.

We'd been given lunchpacks and had nearly two hours up there, and with our picnic and a drink (water), it was a sparkly day.

Not long before we were to wander back to the "beach", another group arrived on a different boat, and the mood was gone, when suddenly 20 or more people started up to the plateau. Some of our group had gone to different parts of the island, and had their own bits of peace and quiet, so in our own ways, we all enjoyed the experience.

 

Wearing our 'fat' suits against the weather!

And, the other big plus was the silence, and the views. Just the gentle sound of the water below, and the sunshine, and the stillness. One of our best days so far.

That was until we had to try and get back on the tender, which by now was wet, and the plank was unstable, and I did the splits, (which isn't a good thing for any male), Maggy slipped and hurt her knee, and Lee did the full slip/slide/plop and landed on her backside! So, Dougie took we three walking wounded back and they swapped crew and managed to get the rest back the next trip.

Still, the memory of our day with the Puffins will linger...


We were to go to Fingal's Cave but Captain Bob said the weather was now against us and the landing there would be too tricky, so we'd come back tomorrow. We sailed by, and I took a photo into the entrance of the cave, to try and give an idea of its size.

We anchored for the night in Loch na Keal. Dinner was smoked haddock with cheesy sauce, and curly kale, and sticky toffee pudding. Yum.  Lee had cheese & biscuits!

Cruise around Mull - First Full Day

Sunday, 17th April - (Catch-up)

We both slept OK, and the bed on this boat isn't too bad. (We have had worse ones already, and there may be more?)

First full English/Scottish breakfast, and already too much food on the table, but we restricted ourselves. I think all of us thought by then end of the first full day, that the amount of food being served up was just too much. Some other passengers for instance, don't do breakfast as such, whilst others only have one full meal a day, so there seemed to be a lot of "waste", in that there was a lot left over. The unused bread went to the gulls, and some of the scraps became bait for the kreel baskets for crab, etc.

Gordon not good, and so decided to stay aboard whilst Lee went on the tender to Duart Castle. She went to to top of the castle, and there were great views, although misty. The castle had been in the same family's hand for generations until fairly recently.

Mill race beside main road.

Lunch was a sort of buffet of crab meat,smoked salmon, baguettes, etc., and then we set off for the beautiful little town of Tobermory. It is so pretty and set on a small inlet, and the buildings have been painted different colours, which is quite striking when the sun is on them. Lots of quaint little shops, but most closed until tomorrow, when some will go ashore again. One shop had some nice dragonfly pieces, but when we thought we'd go back in the morning and have a look, they were not to open until 10.00am.

We'd moored in the harbour overnight and had another excellent meal of canapes of ham and smoked beef with chutneys, etc., and then really nice lamb shanks, which were so tender. But again, far too much.

(Note: the boat doesn't sail during meal times, dinner is always at a mooring, and we don't set out again until after breakfast)

Tomorrow, the Treshnish Isles of Lunga and Staffa (and Fingal's Cave) ...

Cards and Banks, and money...

Thursday, 28th April - in Edinburgh - (an aside)

We've really had no trouble using our cards, except that some machines and/or checkouts don't like the Travelex Cash Passport, and I have been signing in those cases. The actual cash is easy to use, but the coins mount up very quickly. (I can now appreciate Australia having gotten rid of our small coins!) Tip: when the coins build up, and you have a purse full, use the 1 and 2 Pound coins for small stuff like coffee and papers, and parking machines, and laundromats, otherwise you'll need a bigger purse! Then, dump the small pence in donation jars, or tips glasses.

We were advised by my cousin Ann to try and use ATM's inside banks, and we have mainly done that, or at least used ones in very busy places with lots of people around. We've also taken out as much cash as we can each time, which saves on having to use ATM's more than you need to, and then we then share out the cash between us, so neither of us is carrying it all. This has worked out well so far.

Met a couple from Australia, who were staying at the apartments at Northcliff as well, and we were on the local station, preparing to go into Edinburgh. We explained that the ticket machine was card only, and he wouldn't use it, and said that every time he used his card overseas, his bank (ANZ), was charging him $10.00!  Lee and I withdrew GBP 500Pounds ($770), and St.G charged us $3.20 (ish) for the Foreign Conversion fee. I'd be changing banks pretty quick if I was that man!

The other good thing is that the exchange rate has been steady, if not getting better, since we've been here, so all is good. And, we are managing really well within our budget, and not skimping either.

The only problem is that there are soooo many beautiful things you want to buy, and you can't bring them back, either because they are restricted, or you would need an extra bag for them.
We are investigating the pros and cons of either paying excess baggage, or sending stuff back and paying the postage/freight.