Reset search
Exploring the British IslesExploring the British Isles
SatelliteEdit route

Exploring the British Isles

September - October 2018
A 42-day adventure by The Rushs Adventures Read more
  • 41footprints
  • 7countries
  • 42days
  • 358photos
  • 0videos
  • 32.6kkilometers
  • 29.8kkilometers
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • TravelerExploring the British Isles
    1
    Day 11

    Whitby to Edinburgh

    September 11, 2018 in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    Sadly left Whitby as have loved it. Set off for Corbridge in an effort to avoid the motorway. Stopped at a Roman archeological site outside Corbridge which was interesting. It was just like the sites David watches on Time Team. Very interesting. Stopped at a small tea rooms in the town for lunch and a walk around the lovely village shops. Carried onto Jedburgh where we walked around the abbey which was the feature of the town. Our drive to Edinburgh was uneventful, apart from stopping on the border where a lovely Scotsman took our photo despite the strong winds. We easily found Staiton Park and Drive. Our plan was to leave the car here for three days( no fee) and catch bus into the city as no parking near our accommodation.The first bus wouldn’t take us with our luggage but the second did and we were in town in less than 30 minutes. The hardest part of the day was carrying our luggage up 6 stories to our apartment. It was a nice surprise to arrive there and find it is lovely with all we need. The view out the window is great down onto the main thoroughfare which is called The Royal Mile. Definitely would never have been able to find parking though. We headed straight out and walked around the corner to find Grey Friars Bobby, a statue of a little dog, which can bring luck when its nose is rubbed. We ended up eating at the bar beside it with the same name. Were happy to have one more stop at a bar before heading to bed.Read more

  • TravelerExploring the British Isles
    Day 12

    Edinburgh

    September 12, 2018 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Explored Edinburg today. Started off on Hop on Hop Off Bus and so useful for getting our bearings. Got off at Edinburgh castle and it was amazing. Had audio guide which was useful. Crowds of people were there and the views down over the city were lovely. We left there for Carlton Hill which also gave amazing views over the city. David not so keen to do Alfred’s seat which was much higher and required a long uphill walk. Instead settled for some shopping in main shopping area. Boarded the bus for return journey to High street via parliament buildings and Holyrood. After a quick refresh we headed off to Grassmarket for dinner at an Italian restaurant. Finished our evening back at Sandy Bells for the live music. Luckily found a seat and enjoyed listening to the four piece band ( maybe 5 if you counted the banjo player in the corner!)Read more

  • TravelerExploring the British Isles
    Day 14

    Edinburgh

    September 14, 2018 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Interesting day in Edinburgh yesterday. Got up later and headed off to town. Found a tour we were interested in so booked to do it at 12 15. It was Mary King’s Close. It took us underground to a warren of hidden streets from the 17th century and lived in until the end of the 1800s. The guide was excellent and the streets so narrow and steep. We learned a lot about Mary Queen of Scots as well as the plague. We also visited St Giles Cathedral in the centre of town. It was truly beautiful. When we arrived back on the street we found Rose Street where David was able to get new battery for watch and a repair on his jersey. We then wandered for some time mainly trying to find a bus to Leith to see the royal yacht Britannia. Did not find the bus drivers helpful or friendly but finally sorted it and headed out to the seaside area of Leith. The yacht tour started with afternoon tea in the tea rooms on board. All very lovely - yet another scone! The yacht was so interesting. Lots of photos of the royal family over the years and got to see into every room just as it was, even the bedrooms. We loved that. Made our way back into town and headed out to meet Eimear and Craig McCallum, my Irish relation and her husband. Had lovely evening with them. Only dampener has been David not being 100 percent. The hacking cough has turned into a big cold. Will be looking for a decent pharmacy today.Read more

  • TravelerExploring the British Isles
    Day 14

    Edinburgh to Inverness

    September 14, 2018 in Scotland ⋅ 🌫 9 °C

    Well what a great day. David awoke with dreadful cold and miserable but we packed up and caught bus around the corner to Straiton where the car was parked. Relieved to see it still there and no parking fine. Free parking for three days! Could never have had the car in town. Leaving Edinburgh was itself stunning as we crossed the Queensferry Crossing across the Firth of Forth-an amazing long bridge only opened last year. It is the longest bridge of its type in the world. We headed off towards St. Andrews. To my relief found a lovely pharmacist at St Andrews who was able to give David some relief-and advice. We then headed for the highlight of David’s trip - St Andrew’s Golf Course. It was a beautiful spot and we wandered around before heading into the golf shop. He will be looking good on the Tinwald Course! We left there and stopped not far away at a cool farm shop and cafe. Bought some lovely bits for our dinner, including a pot of “Hough” traditional Scottish meat paste, and had lovely lunch there. It left Maggie Beer’s for dead! I then took over the driving and what a drive. It was amazing. The road took us up over many hills and mountains, through ski fields and through villages. Just loved it. Even with the added challenge of at least 200 cyclists on a charity ride on mainly one lane roads. It was a very long trip but the scenery really was spectacular. We stopped at Braemar for a coffee in very old fashioned tearooms. It was another hour onto Inverness which is about the size of Timaru. Wandered around the corner for a lovely drink in a very local pub. We are now back at our third “small” home and after all my driving David is putting together a lovely platter from the farm shop. Cooking up some broccoli as determined to cure his bugs- and not catch them!Read more

  • TravelerExploring the British Isles
    Day 15

    Inverness

    September 15, 2018 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    A lovely relaxing day spent exploring Inverness. What a lovely place with beautiful river and green spaces. We loved this after Edinburgh. Up early and David has improved overnight. Off on the Jacobite Loch Ness Tour at 10 30. We enjoyed the commentary of the bus driver out of town to a spot where we boarded the Jacobite Warrior boat which took us out over Loch Ness. At that point the weather was cloudy but it improved and the sun came out. Fresh enough though as we sat out on the open deck. Sadly no sign of Nessie. Got off up the Loch At Urqhart Castle. It was truly beautiful as we roamed around the ruins. Peaceful and photo opportunities at every corner. We boarded the bus again and were taken to the Loch Ness Centre and exhibition. This too was excellent with lots of short movies with its information about the Loch Ness Monster. We again boarded the bus for the ride back into town. We arrived back at 2 and found some lunch. Was surprised my Caesar Salad came with chicken, bacon and black pudding! Not sure about their claim as the best cafe in Inverness! We walked through the streets and over the swaying bridge to the apartment where we took a break. Headed out at 4 30 for a beautiful walk along the river which again was gorgeous. We stopped at a very noisy bar for a drink before heading back. Dined later at a lovely bar around the corner with a great menu. Couldn’t believe it was where we had stopped last night as the clientele were unrecognisable. It was much quieter and we ate well. Have an early start tomorrow though as have to be on Fort William by 10 to catch the train to Malaig.Read more

  • TravelerExploring the British Isles
    Day 17

    Inverness to Luss

    September 17, 2018 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    An action packed day. Up very early as had to pack up and leave for the drive down the side of Loch Ness and over to Fort William which was about 2 hours. Once there we caught the Harry Potter steam train for Mallaig at 10 15. Everyone boarding was excited and the train was full. The trip to Malaig was 2 hours and just so relaxing and full of atmosphere, mainly steam! The line travelled along the coast, through bush and around lochs. The highlight was going over the Glenfinnan Viaduct from the movie, although tricky to get a good photo as everyone trying to do the same. We left the train in Mallaig for a lovely lunch in typical Scottish hotel before wandering around the village and fishing wharf. Got back on the train at 2 10 for the return journey. Our trip was made even more pleasant by the young couple sitting opposite who were from Austria and on their honey moon. They spoke excellent English and were very interesting to chat to especially as the girl had been a Bosnian refugee as a child. She had a fascinating life story. We arrived back at Fort William for our two hour trip to Luss at the bottom of Loch Lomond. The journey began with the most beautiful views as we headed up over the highlands. There were many lochs, waterfalls and interesting road features. However a road accident meant a diversion and very frustratingly our 2 hour journey became 4 hours so arrived in Luss tired and hungry at 8. On the plus side we saw many beautiful sights including gorgeous farmland and villages we would not have otherwise seen. In the dark Luss which is rated as the most beautiful village in Scotland seems to be in the middle of a forest but right beside the lake. On finally finding our accommodation which is a cabin right beside the lake we wandered 500 metres up the road to a beautiful big Scottish hotel for dinner. It was basically empty but we had the undivided attention of 4 lovely staff and a beautiful meal. It finished with a mini whiskey tasting (just to say we had had some) given to us by a nice young guy who knew so much about it. Can’t wait to explore here tomorrow as even in the dark we could tell that Luss is stunning.Read more

  • TravelerExploring the British Isles
    Day 17

    Luss to Glasgow

    September 17, 2018 in Scotland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Another great day. Woke to a view 500m out the window of Loch Lomond. Overcast weather but mild and a stunning view. We ate our lovely breakfast that our host had provided overlooking the lake. Then left for a beautiful walk through the local forest following a quirky fairy trail which included lots of hidden fairy houses, a troll, toadstools and even a book of spells. The river and bush were beautiful and took us on a circuit arriving back in the village. The village really was gorgeous but very busy with at least 4 tourist buses stopped. We collected our belongings and headed into a beautiful coffee shop before departing for Glasgow. The 40 minute drive was surprisingly easy and in no time we were parked outside the hotel and checked in. We then moved the car to a car park building around the corner which allows us to park for half price. We then boarded the Hop on Hop Off Bus and did a lovely tour of the city for the rest of the afternoon. This included disembarking once at the Clydesdale Distillery for an hour long tour and tasting. We really enjoyed learning more about whiskey and tasting was actually ok. We returned to the hotel for complementary wine and cheese in the bar and sorted out our arrangements for the night. We met cousin Seamus and his new wife Jaqueline and headed off for dinner at a cool pizza place which was huge and full of people and atmosphere. We left them and taking their advice visited two very cool bars while aquainting ourselves with the main shopping area. We have loved our first day in Glasgow and finding our way around very easily. It seems a very interesting city with lots of atmosphere.Read more

  • TravelerExploring the British Isles
    1
    Day 18

    Glasgow

    September 18, 2018 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    We have loved our time in Glasgow. It is a really interesting city with very friendly people and so easy to find our way around. Added to that we have loved spending time with Seamus and Jaqueline. Yesterday we ate a lovely breakfast at the hotel before setting off in light drizzle for a 7 km walk basically following the bus route from the previous day. Walked along the banks of the Clyde River to the Squinty Bridge, the SSE Hydro arena and auditoritium. They are amazing pieces of architecture built for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. We carried on to the Westend where we veered back into the main shopping area. There we separated for two and a half hours and looked around the shops. Some of the centres off Buchanan Street were amazing such as the Princess Square and the St Enoch Centre. Meeting up again we ate lunch at an American themed bar at 3pm. We refreshed at the hotel before boarding the Glasgow underground for Seamus’s. It was so easy to use as only goes in a circle and we were there in 10 minutes. Seamus picked us up and drove us another 5 minutes to their lovely tenement home. Jaqueline cooked a beautiful meal (so welcome after all our hotel food) and special that Flora McNulty joined us. Their two Russian Blue cats were entertaining and we had a wonderful night. When it came time to return to the subway we all realised we had had too much wine to drive anywhere so the four of us set off on a lovely 15 minute walk first to the University of Glasgow and Flora’s flat and then to the Subway station (totalled 29465 steps of walking for the day!) We were back at the hotel probably before Seamus and Jaqueline walked home! All in all a lovely night with my NZ cousin. Tomorrow we leave for Windermere. Slightly nervous as weather warnings for high winds are out. Hopefully it will come to nothing.Read more

  • TravelerExploring the British Isles
    Day 19

    Glasgow to Windermere

    September 19, 2018 in England ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    Considering it is the largest city in Scotland, Glasgow would be one of the easiest to get in and out of. We collected the car from the carpark and were on the road by 10. We headed off in very heavy rain on the motorway to Carlisle. By the time we were there the wind had got up and was at it’s worse between Carlisle and Cockermouth, where we stopped for a lovely coffee at very quaint tearooms. We carried on knowing the storm hitting Scotland was behind us. By the time we were driving through the beautiful countryside and villages of Keswick and Ambleside it was barely raining and still quite warm. We carried onto Windermere and had to do quite a drive around to find Glencree Guest House. It seems there are two distinct areas, Windermere and Bowness-on -Windermere and we are right in the middle, ten minutes from each. Both areas are full of guest houses and the lake front itself looks busy with activities. We will see what the weather brings tomorrow as to what we will do. Tonight we wandered up and down finally settling on a lovely restaurant in Bowness to eat at. Ready now for an early night as breakfast is served in the dining room between 8 and 9.Read more

  • TravelerExploring the British Isles
    Day 20

    Windermere

    September 20, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    An amazing day exploring the Windermere area. Got up for breakfast in the guesthouse dining room. Then headed down to Bowness where we boarded a large boat which carried us over to Wray Castle( about 40 minutes). The weather was overcast with some sunshine and very mild. The lake was still and the scenery was stunning. Many huge manor houses were visible in isolated spots around the shore and there was a variety of boats out on the water. The forest came down to the water’s edge and there were numerous little bays. Our boat pulled into the village of Ambleside and we immediately boarded a much smaller craft which took us another 15 minutes to Wray Castle. We wandered around the grounds before setting off on the 6km walk along the edge of the lake. The walk was flat and through beautiful forest with lake views all the way. No squirrels, otter, deer or foxes though which was disappointing! We stopped at a caravan site for 15 minutes to chat to the owner of one of the caravans. All good until we were just about running at the end to catch the small boat back over to Bowness 35 seconds late, which the driver made a big deal of! Otherwise would have had to wait another hour and a half. Had a coffee back in Bowness and then caught the bus to Ambleside Village. By this time it was raining and it only got worse while we were there. However we did manage to stay dry as we went in and out of the shops. We returned to Bowness in the bus at 4 30 and chatted to a lovely English couple (she had been to David Lange’s wedding as was a family friend of Naomi Lange) and then spent a frustrating hour trying to connect to the wifi. Gave up and headed into town where we ate at a Thai restaurant which was recommended-and such a lovely change from pub food. We then went for a lovely walk as the rain had stopped. Finished up having a lovely cocktail in a bar. All in all a beautiful day despite the weather.Read more

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English