Scotland - The New Years Adventure (Part 2)

The first few days of 2011 were spent roaming around Scotland - the 1st of January in Edinburgh, the 2nd of January roaming the highlands, and the 3rd of January visiting the border and Roslyn Chapel. Quite the beautiful place, although it would be even more so in the summer! Due to the lack of forward planning, the exploration of Scotland was done via a pairing of tours (with different operators).

1 Jan - Arthurs Seat

Woke up late this morning due to being out and about through to the early morning. Manged to get up at 11, meaning that there were a few hours of rest. It's always quite rushed when it comes to holidays - no time to waste. First order of business was to get some brunch - so we went over to a pub down on Grassmarket.

Ordered a hearty big breakfast with juice. I didn't quite read what was included in the big breakfast, just assumed that it was the usual sausage, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, and toast. All of what I listed was included with one more delicacy - haggis! Time to try the national food of Scotland. Haggis wasn't really for me, to be frank. It's quite solid and hearty, packs quite a punch when it comes to flavour - i'm sure it's not the healthiest either... but it's just not for me. I'm glad I tried it though.

Whilst the original plan was to wander around Edinburgh and then visit the castle, we change the plan to visit Arthurs Seat. An awesome change of plan. Arthurs Seat is located in Holyrood Park and is a nice little trek. The incline up to the top is a gradual one, yet chilly without a proper windcheater. I didn't really know what to expect from Arthurs Seat, yet the views were quite majestic. At 251 meters above the city the vantage point provides views out into the far distance in every direction!

The Seat was such a lovely place we ended up staying there for quite some time, the locals that we befriended the evening before came out again to provide some local pointers. Unfortunately there aren't alot of daylight hours in the heart of winter so by the time we got back it was getting dimmer and dimmer. Not much opportunity to see some of the other sights such as the Castle.

We all popped into a local pub for a drink once we got back into Edinburgh proper. There was where the decision was made to do a ghost tour - the Mackenzie Poltergeist. The ghost tour started off well with a bit of information about a little dog called Bobbie who came back to his masters grave every day after he was buried - so the story goes. Next was a stroll around the graveyard - with stories of how many dead rested beneath us, how bodies were taken for the local medical school, and how people were buried alive... starting a nice trade in bells attached to the internals of coffins - resulting in the phrase "dead ringers".

Onto the main part of the tour. The tour guide was actually very good and we all knew that something big was coming up when we crowded around one of the buildings. Multiple warnings were given to us about not to be too silly and not to try and frighten eachother. Apparently Mackenzie comes out and either leaves marks on the victim or victims and feeds on negative emotions. Rightio. So in we all go into a dark, dark, building - a wannabe mausoleum. The tour guide continued as we were all in total darkness. As opposed to feeling scared and uncomfortable, I was assaulted by foul body odour instead. Gross. After a while some dude in a ghost suit popped out from behind the tour guide and yelled out. Since I saw the 'ghost' approach I wasn't surprised by him... however I did feel the push of people backwards as others reeled in shock.

The group scare marked the official end of the ghost tour, and the end of our day. One of the more interesting tidbits of information - was that apparently Mackenzie has tweaked a nipple, yes, tweaked a nipple.

As with all of my trips - there's nothing like a good story. This one about attempting to sleep at night in a hostel dorm. So after the ghost tour it was straight to bed. Nothing special about that. I was awoken during the night by one of the other occupants in the dorm coming back to rest, male. Not a big deal as people come back at different times. I settled in to sleep... however approximately 10 minutes later there was a knock on the door. The dude that just came back opened the door and in came a girl. No prizes for what was going to eventually happen next. Now, the couple settled into bed and didn't make a noise - which I thought was great. Then things changed. Rustling of the sheets, the odd creak of the bunk bed, and the quiet muffled breathing made for a restless evening.

2 Jan - Lochness, Urquart Castle, and the Highlands

An early start to the day this morning as we were scheduled to go on a Timberbush tour - Lochness, Glencoe and the Highlands was the name of the tour. The start point of the tour was along the Royal Mile - and once we got there, at about 8am in the morning there were stacks of people! There must have been at least 3 busloads of people hopping onto the Timberbush buses. Talk about a gravy train! It could very well be that there wasn't really much else to do on the 2nd of January.

Once everyone was aboard the bus we were away! One of the first things that I noticed was that there was a large group of Italians at the back, chatting away. Quite loudly, in fact. Not a problem straight away. However, I knew it was going to be a long day when they just kept talking through the security announcement from the bus driver at the front - who kept plugging away even though there was commotion at the back. How to evacuate the bus and the emergency door/window at the back made a mention... so if something happened... we were all as good as dead. Heh. I'm front loading this mention as they were really quite atrocious, I wouldn't pick Italians as being terrible tourists - and i'm sure it's not representative. However, it was one of the big negatives of the day.

Ignoring the obnoxious Italians at the back, the journey was actually quite pleasant. I knew that Scotland was a beautiful place to visit, yet I was still pleasanly surprised. It's really a place worth visiting - the New Zealand of the North... apparently. Scotland would be even better in the summer, so it's one place that i'll definitely end up visiting again. Through the day we ended up in the Scottish Highlands, stopping at the Lochness, and visiting Urquart Castle. After that, it was on the way back to Edinburgh.

The highlight of the tour was being at the Loch at Urquart Castle. Why? Well, it could be the fact that i'm partial to castles, ruined or not, or it could be the calmness of the place. The great thing about the visit was that the lake seemed so still, and the air so crisp - "fresh", as it were. The experience could best be described as uplifting, whilst also clearing the mind. Good times!

One of the great things about the bus tour is that it was choc full of information. Whilst it's not everybody's cup of tea, I quite like learning bits and pieces of history and culture wherever I go. I learnt about the kilt, how the traditional Scot would carry two knives (one in his sock), the Massacre of Glencoe, the Jacobite uprising, and the number of random bits and bobs as we made our way through the Scottish north. The coach driver was extremely knowledgable, just talked all day!

Back at the hostel by midnight. New tenant in the room this night. Female. No special guests, got some sleep. Nice.


3 Jan - Scottish Border and Roslyn Chapel

The last full day in Scotland was quite relaxing. Another tour, yet in the other direction - down to the Scottish Border and back via Roslyn. This tour involved visiting the Scottish Border region, and the Roslyn Chapel. The last feature of the day was to catch a train back to London.

So the tour - it was quite a laid back tour. There were only a dozen or so tourists on the coach, and it was nice and quiet. The highlights of the tour were the visit to Scott's view and Rosslyn Chapel. Clearly the big ticket item of the tour was Roslyn.

Rosslyn Chapel, for those who aren't aware, has been popularised by Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code. Visitors to the chapel have exploded from several thousand a year, to tens of thousands a year! If the numbers aren't correct - the order of magnitude is.

Unfortunately the chapel is undergoing reconstruction work, and will be doing so for some time. Not only is it an admirable chapel it's got a marvellous history... as well as some mystique. A few quick points - The chapel was incomplete and was intended to be much, much grander (I would really love to have seen the place if it were completed in it's original form). The Chapel was shut down during the English Reformation - the St.Clares of Roslyn were one of those that held out practicing Catholicism well into the Reformation until they were told to shut up shop. There's also a great story surrounding the master stonemason and the apprentice, but i'll leave that for the experts to tell - great story.

So after the tour was completed there was some time to kill before we needed to head back to London. One of the ideas, admittedly not my own, was to visit a Comedy Club. Fantastic idea. Into town we went and it was immediately obvious that we were at the right place. A quiet street, residential feel, long queue. Once the doors opened the line gradually thinned. Unfortunately as we reached the front door the remaining 2 dozen people left lining up were told that the venue was full. Aww :(.

So fast forward to the train trip back from Edinburgh Waverly back to London Euston. Now, I thought that this would be a great opportunity to get some rest. I couldn't have been more wrong. First of all the legroom that I normally would have had available was cramped by some lady bringing along something like 3 bags. That wasn't the worst of it. Some time during the night I could hear a mobile phone conversation. From what I could hear at the beginning of the conversation it wasn't going to be a short one. The jist of the whole scenario was that the girl in the carriage was on the phone with her cheating boyfriend. The conversation went on and on - "why are you doing this to me? why did you run off with some Spanish trash?". This went on for a good 20 minutes or so before one of the other passengers told her to take it outside.

As I was near the front of the carriage I could still hear her conversation after she moved passed the sleeper carriage door. The conversation went downhill very quickly, with a solid sprinkling of swearing and name calling. "You are the devil" she yelled, "don't say that to me - you ran off with that Spanish sl*t and visited her family!!". Ouch. Not the easiest to be upset by her keeping me awake knowing that she's just been cheated on. Finally the phone conversation ended and she went back to her seat, tears streaming down her face. Rest did not follow as she sobbed and cried her way back to London.

Scotland - The New Years Adventure (Part 1)

Scotland was where I spent New Years Eve and the first couple of days of 2011. Glad I did it. I haven't really seen much of the Northern Hemisphere since arriving in London, but this is the primer which will hopefully open the door for the year ahead! Edinburgh was recommended as a place to celebrate the new year, so that's where I went - with a couple of pals of course.

The transportation mode of choice was the train. Popping onto The Train Line website makes purchasing train tickets quite simple. Next, to celebrate the New Year one can't go past the Hogmanay - Edinburghs way of heralding a new year... unfortunately I wasn't going to be there for the torch procession from the Castle! The hardest part of the whole enterprise was finding accomodation - with less than a moth to go, every single place that I found was booked out and/or required a minimum stay (of 3 to 4 nights stays). After hours of searching I eventually found a hostel a short walk away from the action - just about the last place I could find (Budget Backpackers) - great name, I know. At 50 quid a night each for a 4 person dorm, not what i'd call budget!

So New Years Eve, Kings Cross Station, 2pm. Onto a First Capital Connect train bound for Edinburgh. Now for some reason I thought that seats weren't allocated, this is probably based on my experience in the UK 5 years earlier - where I had a BritRail pass and just hopped on to trains wherever and whenever I wanted. It was not the case this time. Allocated seats was the name of the game, with ticket stubs on each seat outlining who should sit where. My distant memory seemed to recall plenty of little tables on the train in four seat blocks. Wrong again! Anyway... back to the main story... as the train travelled 200kph time passed quickly as I took the opportunity to catch up with my co-travellers as well as fit in a quick nap in anticipation of the long night ahead!

The three of us arrived in Edinburgh Waverly Station and quickly disembarked and headed for our accomodation for our stay in Scotland. Unfortunately for us, the most direct route available to us was closed - due to the Hogmanay, perhaps. So, out the side entrance of Waverley we went and headed on down to Cowgate. We checked in, dumped our bags, and quickly headed out again - 4 person dorm, the three of us plus one random (who wasn't in at the time).

The first order of business was to get a bite to eat before joining the rest of the revellers at the street party. We were told of a few places to eat by the hostel reception and made our way to a couple of them. It was almost 9pm, yet the kitchens for just about every pub we went to was closed! I would have thought business would have been good. Nevermind, an Italian restaurant was open on Grassmarket - so that's where we ate, with a few ciders to get the night started!

We eventually arrived at the street party at 10:30pm. We walked past the police cordon and security check... inside! Once we passed the security checkpoint two things were immediately obvious - the amusement park rides (for example... a Ghost Train) and a small music stage. I was expecting the music stage, but not the rides! The most popular of the rides was the reverse bungee, crowds gathered around the ride to watch people get flung into the evening sky. I ended up going onto a ride, but not the reverse bungee - not sure what it's called but it was a swing which also rotated - not the best thing to go on after a few mulled wines!

As midnight approached the volume of people seemed to jump. After doing a tour of the street party boundaries it was time to camp out and find a spot to watch the fireworks. The most popular place seemed to be just down the road from the Edinburgh castle, and that's where we stayed. Whilst waiting for the fireworks to start a few random local students decided to have a quick chat with us. Each of us were approached differently but mine went something like this:

Male Student: "Hey there, yea you - can I ask you a question?"
Mark: "Sure, go ahead"
Male Student: "See this girl over here, name is Julia, what do you think of her?"
Mark: "Sorry? Not sure if I heard you correctly"
*Male Student taps girl on the shoulder and she turns around*
Male Student: "Julia here, what do you think of her?"
Mark: "She's great!"
*Julia, Male Student, and Male Student's mate all have a bit of a laugh*

Very random indeed.

Next, the fireworks. The fireworks were nice, and the crowd were very much behind the display infront of them. I liked them, although I must admit... nothing on Sydney. Perhaps i'm a little biased, but i've been hard pressed to find something better than the New Years Fireworks in Sydney. There was a variety of fireworks - bright and colourful, sprial and whiney, fizzy and glittery - it was all there (clearly my descriptive skills leave much to the imagination!).

Once the fireworks were over it was time to hit the music stage - as there was only the one hour left before the street party festivities were set to close. So up we went to mingle in with the crowd, straight into the middle of the mass of people crowding around the stage. Bright lights, dancers, it was all there. The singer could have been a somebody, I wouldn't know. Whilst we were dancing in the middle some old middle aged guy appeared and started dancing closely to any young person he could find. Very creepy. Eventually he made his way near us and hovered close, as there was a cluster of young girls not too far away from us. Extremely creepy. After a while we got chatting to a few locals, as the creepy old guy was a primer for conversation.


Meeting up with a couple of local Scots was great. Always great to meet new people. After the street party finished up we headed on over to the Doctors pub. Now this pub got its name due to it's location - the old hospital (a.k.a. the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh) used to be located just about across the road. So it's not too difficult to find out where the name comes from! Fortunately Doctors was still open for a while, so we all sat down and had a few drinks. Good times. Now would be a great time to add that I was picked up at the bar... but that's a total lie.


We eventually got kicked out of Doctors pub as it was closing time. Not quite finished yet. For a little while longer we continued the festivities at a local flat. Some strange gingery drink from M&S seems to jog my memory somewhat... but I have no idea. Finally ended up getting to the hostel (in the rain) close to 7am in the morning. Rest quickly followed.


So Hogmanay was decent - something that's worth doing with friends, not exactly party-party-party. As it turns out it's a great way to meet some locals! I was quite surprised that there weren't lots of people wandering around drunk - but that's probably because the lines for alcohol were so long... one would sober up just getting to the counter. More food and more music would be good... although I must admit I didn't sign up for one of the concert/street party combination tickets. Next time, perhaps.


That was part 1... in part 2, more Scotland! ... and some travel quirks.