Last Weekend in the UK

 My last weekend in the UK found Margaret and I headed south again, this time to York. There aren't many photos as it was a fairly wet two days.

We had two great days with our dear friends Phil & Sarah and their two children. Not a lot of sightseeing, this weekend was about friends, catching up, and shared experiences.

We arrived just after noon to be greeted at the door with "This is my house, and I'm called Leo!"

After a picnik in the kitchen we were off to the park to meet up with Leo's friend Ruby. After some serious play time and an ice cream at the cafe it was back home to prepare dinner and wait for Phil.

Friday was girls day out, and we headed out of town to Castle Howard, this is the mansion used for Brideshead and Brideshead Revisited. We weren't able to see all of the house, filming for a new BBC series was in progress. Watch for Death Comes to Pemberly, adapted from the PD James novel. We also had girls night out at the pub on Friday, we did leave little Elodie at home with Phil for the evening.

Saturday morning and we were all walking the grounds at the York Racecourse, to find great bargains at the York Car Boot Sale. Leo came away with the biggest and best find, a large Buzz Lightyear figure that speaks both English and Spanish.  Afterward Margaret and I headed back to Glasgow.

Sunday we took Margaret's grandchildren to Troon for lunch. On the way back we stopped at Castle Dean for a great tour.

Now it's time to pack, and hope there is still an empty seat on the flight out of Edinburgh tomorrow morning. Oh, and I will be able to watch episode three of The White Queen, then I'll be waiting until probably until February for episodes 4 to 6 or 10, I can't remember how many.

Rainy Lake District

We left Glasgow as soon as Margaret was home from work Friday, heading south on the M6. Bright sun shined as we passed rolling green hills on the longest day of the year. We stopped at Greta Green on the Scotland/England border, but it was closed for the day. We continued south to Penrith and turned west to the Lake District.
Low sun peaked through the clouds as we drove by verdant hill dotted with sheep and dairy cows. The road narrowed and began to resemble a rollercoaster ride as we came to Keswick on Derwent Waters, our destination for the night. A tourist town for over 150 years, Keswick has hundreds of guest houses and BnBs, side by side, just off the town square. Dozens of outdoor gear shops share the high street with pubs, restaurants, and souvenir shops. Keswick is at the center of the Lake district famed for its high mountains and deep lakes. There are over two hundred hikes documented in the area. The county of Cumbria is known for its local brewers, so we sampled an ale or two before bed.
Saturday was wet with low clouds and a steady rain. We availed ourselves of the local Saturday market in the town square, trying to wait out the rain. Giving up hiking for the day, we drove south to Grasmere, Ambleside, and Windermere, stopping to wander the small tourist villages. We circumnavigated Windermere, the longest natural lake in England. A beautiful lake between green hills, Windermere is a mecca for city folk seeking a secluded country escape. With so many tourist here, seclusion was not the right term.
Sunday was another wet day in the Lake district. Our BnB host suggested a drive along the Cumbrian coast. Margaret was not impressed and suggested Galloway and the Dumfries coast have better views. We stopped in Greta Green for some shopping and a snack. In 1754, the English passed a law limiting marriage to those 21 years or older unless approved by their parents. Greta Green, being just over the English border in Scotland, became the destination of young couples fleeing England for true love. Today it is still the location for many weddings, but perhaps there are more tourist than hopeful couples.
Back in Glasgow, it was a night of packing and prepping for Joe's trip back to Denver, while Mari plans for another week in Scotland and England.

Unedited photos for the weekend can be found on Flickr. There are not many as it was a wet weekend, the camera wasn't  out.

Balmoral Castle

Wednesday found us driving north of Perth on the A93 through green farmland with fields of vegetables and fruits, including strawberries and raspberries ripe and for sale in roadside stands. Past Blairgowrie, the road begins to rise, becoming narrow and twisting through the moorlands. Soon we were in the Cairngorm National Park, with views of high mountains before us. We climbed to Cairnwell Pass, at 2199' the base to Glenshee Ski Area, the UK's largest winter sport area.
The road on the north side of the pass is broader, descending to Braemar, an alpine resort village with shops, tea rooms, and accommodations. It was a nice stop for morning tea.
Just 17 miles down the road was Balmoral Castle, the summer home of the royal family, sitting on a 49,000 acre estate. To our surprise, the grounds were open to the public. A short walk from the gate brought us to the castle. It did not disappoint us, with a tower, turrets, and massive wooden doors. Also impressive was the access allowed to the grounds. We were able to walk around the castle, enter the ballroom, and stroll the gardens. Tea in the tea room and purchases in the gift shop made the day complete.
Back to Perth and a lovely meal at Robin's house.

Unedited photos of the day at Balmoral are up on Flickr.

Of Perth and Palaces

Morning train to Perth from Glasgow's Queen Street station, a busy station but easy to navigate and for a bonus, on time trains. The trip was just over an hour, taking us by familiar sights from our trip ten years ago. Stirling Castle, the Wallace monument, and other sites brought back memories of our wedding and honeymoon a decade ago.
Pulling into Perth, we met Robin as we left the train. She soon whisked us to her house sitting on a hill with a beautiful view of Scone Palace. After a light lunch, we drove across the river Tay  to Scone Palace. Sitting on a site that has been occupied for thousands of years, the palace is the home to the Earl of Mansfield.
The palace is the ancient home for Scottish coronations. Tradition calls for the future king to sit on the Stone of Scone, housed at Scone until taken by the English in 1295. It was only returned to Scotland in 1996, and now resides at Edinburgh castle, not Scone. The palace has seen royalty from Robert the Bruce, Macbeth, through Charles II. In modern times, both Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II have visited Scone.
The palace is impressive, the furnishing rich and historic, but the gardens and grounds were what stood out for us. Huge tall pines, beautiful flowers and shrubs are all laid out to allow a peaceful walk with ever changing views, giving us time to ponder the historical figures that had walked the same paths.
We finished the day with a lovely steak pie at Robin's and caught up on the last ten years. 

Unedited photos from Scone Palace.

Glasgow High Street Shopping

Monday found us taking the train to Queen Street station for a day of shopping. Mari was on a mission to find a certain piece of Scottish stoneware, depicting a mountain we hiked past earlier this trip. We went to House of Fraser on Buchanan Street, a Glasgow fixture. A Edwardian aged six story building with a central gallery open in the middle with a glass ceiling to let in natural light. The department we wanted is on the top floor and we headed for the stairs. As we neared the top floor, the lights in the building went out. All power off, the staff began evacuating us back down the stairs. Guess the hill climbing we did last week was just practice for today.
Back out on the street, we wandered the shopping district, checking back periodically, but the lights stayed off for the rest of the day. More shopping before heading home to Margaret's for tea.

Joe found the Tardis on Buchanan Street, who knew it sold ice cream.

Shopped, Loched, and Barreled

Sunday morning in Glasgow was washing day for the two tired travelers, a quiet morning at Margaret's. By noon we were out the door to Balloch on the south shore of Loch Lomond. A new shopping district anchored by an aquarium sits on the loch offering views of Ben Lomond. Today there was an open air market of local artisans selling craft and food stuffs. We picked up a rhubarb crumble and a beer that seemed to be crafted just for us "West Highland Way" from the Loch Lomond Brewery. The owner was very personable and we walked away with three bees for our dinner. In the square a pipe and drum group entertained the crowd.
Back at Glasgow we watched Andy Murray win the Queens Cup on telly and ate and drank our new bought treasures. Latter Mari was teased with first episode of "The White Queen" on BBC 1. We will have to wait months to see the rest at home.

West Highland Way: The credits

Time to thank the everyone who made this great trip possible.

A huge thank you to Julie at Gemini Walks for organizing our walk. Julie is a wealth of knowledge about the Way and the accommodations available. Her patience with our many questions and her helpful hints made our trip a joy. She handled all the bookings and transfer of bags, as well as providing detailed information to help us on the Way.
http://www.geminiwalks.com/

By far the best guide we found is "West Highland Way: British Walking Guide Series" by Charlie Loram published by Trailblazer Guides. Great detailed hand drawn maps and practical info on transportation, accommodations and meals provided the only book we needed for our trip.
http://trailblazer-guides.com/

Some useful web sites we found:

http://www.west-highland-way.co.uk/home.asp

http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/

http://www.visitscotland.com/see-do/activities/walking/

http://www.ramblers.org.uk/scotland

We met many fellow hikers along the Way, but one asked for a shout out on our blog. Ron of Ron's Rambles has walked all the Wainrights in the Lake District and has a detailed blog of his rambles. He has posted his travels on the Way on his blog. Keep on walking Ron.
http://www.ronsrambles.co.uk/141836313

Special thanks to Margaret who picked us up from the airport, put us up in Glasgow, and drove us to the start of the Way.

And no list of thanks would be complete without including my wife Mari, who did all the planning and plotting to make the trip come about. All I had to do was show up and put my boots on. A wonderful way to spend our 10th wedding anniversary.