A Right Royal Day

Waking up on our first day in Edinburgh, It was nice to see the rain had eased and it was trying very hard to be sunny. We were really feeling the cold here so our first stop today was M&S to buy some extra socks/stockings.  A quick breakfast in the M&S cafe and then we went to find the bus stop for the Hop-on-hop-off bus.  I highly recommend these type of city bus tours.  I have done them in several cities now and it is the easiest way to get around and see everything that is worthwhile seeing as well as getting invaluable and interesting information regarding your surroundings. Because of the shorter days we planned to make the most of it by picking two destinations that we definately wanted to see and work around those.

First up we decided to get off the bus at Holyroodhouse Palace which is still used as the Queen's residence when she visits Edinburgh. The palace is closed when she is in residence so I, for one, was pleased she was not in town.

 This is one of those tourist sights that gives you an audio tour as part of the ticket price.  The history of this palace is very interesting as it was the home of Mary, Queen of Scots and where she spent much of her time after returning from France following the death of her husband.  No photography allowed within the walls of the palace but you can take photos in the abbey ruins adjoining the palace.  The abbey was burned down by Henry VIII's army after Mary broke the treaty to marry his son Edward and went to France to marry it's heir, the Dauphin, instead.

Holyroodhouse is at the bottom end (so to speak) of the Royal Mile, which starts UP at Edinburgh Castle, and is next to Holyrood Park.  That is where you will find Arthurs Seat which is part of the hills you can see peeping out next to Holyroodhouse in the next picture.  We would find another time to visit Holyrood Park.

Right now we had plans to board Her Majesty's Royal Yacht, Britannia and it was quite a distance on the tour bus so time to get going.

We had to travel to the port of Leith which is quite a distance outside of the city of Edinburgh. On the way we went past Edinburgh Castle which we would visit later and also the Royal Botanic Gardens which was also quite a way out of the city centre.

Eventually we reached the Ocean Terminal and made our way to try and find the yacht.  I was disappointed that we couldn't see the yacht initially but had to enter the precinct before it could be seen at all.

In saying that, once we were on board, I just loved this attraction.  Having a peek into the captain, then the officers and then the sailors quarters was very interesting.  After we saw that we went to the Royal quarters and saw how they spent the time aboard.  My favourite area was the sitting room where we are told the Royal Family would gather to chat, listen to music or play board games. It all felt very cosy.

By now it was time for lunch and I had heard that the on board restaurant was worth a try so Miss M and I went to find out for ourselves.  We ordered a soup and sandwich combo which we ate while watching another ship navigate its way into the harbour.

After lunch we did some more exploring and had a look through the enormous laundry on board, the onboard hospital, the mail room and the small kiosk where, we were told, Wills and Harry would spend their pocket money on chocolate or sweets.  It was open for trade and they were selling fudge which was made on site but it was very crowded so we passed by without buying anything.

I really did enjoy visiting the Royal Yacht Britannia but it was time to head back into the centre of Edinburgh. 

Goodbye York, Hello Edinburgh

We were leaving York around midday for our continued train ride to Edinburgh so we had time to see a few more sights around town.

 I was pleased about this because the city wall had been closed to the public on a couple of occassions due to heavy wind so we hadn't yet had the opportunity to explore, but fortunately the gates were open again so after breakfast we went for a walk along one of the three sections of the wall.

 Then there was just enough time to walk back through the town, collect our luggage and check out of the hotel before walking to the Station.

It was a lovely train ride up to Edinburgh through lovely countryside.  We passed through Durham and I spotted the Durham Castle and further on I spotted Bamburgh Castle and Lindisfarne on the horizon.  These are two places I would love to visit.

After approximately 2 or so hours we arrived in Edinburgh where we struggled to get our bearings.  Fortunately I found a tourist information centre just outside the station and we were able to ask for directions to get to our hotel which was quite a walk with two heavy suitcases on quite an uphill gradient.  At least it wasn't raining.  Since we had not had lunch we booked into the hotel which was centrally located on the Royal Mile and headed out for something to eat.  No haggis for us but a delicious pizza to fill us up

and a cold cider to wash it down.

By the time we came out onto the street again, it was pouring with rain and we were freezing cold. Not much fun trying to explore in that kind of weather so we decided to head back to the hotel and get some washing done. I for one was running out of woollen stockings and it was evident I was going to need them.

Looking up the Royal Mile at night. Our hotel was just to the left of here.

.

FNSI for March

My March calendar was already marked with FNSI  and I had already decided that I would continue stitching on block 11 - "The Avenue" for my Edwardian House quilt.

 Unfortunately, when I signed up on Wendy's blog, I did not know that due to staff shortages, I would be called in to work, not one, but two extra days. Working Thursday meant I had to miss out on my Chat & Sew group so I was really looking forward to stitching on Friday night after working again.  I got home early enough for a walk with the doggies but after the walk, I could feel a headache coming on.

Because of this, I only got a few stitches done before the headache turned into a full blown migraine and I had to head for bed, only to have the worst nights sleep and don't feel too smart this morning/afternoon.

My day so far hasn't been a total loss though.  I got a call from Patches Indooroopilly earlier in the week to say that Leanne Beasley's Vignette Issue 11 had arrived in store and hubby took me over there this morning to collect it.  Now for feet up, nice cup of tea and a good read.

A Castle and Afternoon Tea

I had a few ideas for day trips out of York but couldn't do them all. Miss M and I both love visiting castles, so we decided to make our way to Skipton Castle (via Leeds)

Skipton is a really quaint little town somewhere west of York and not far from Leeds. I wish I had taken a photo of the actual High Street in the town because it really was lovely.  It seemed quite a walk into town when we got off the train because we didn't no exactly where the castle was and.....drat it all......it decided to start raining too. I had never visited here before, even though, it is not that far away from my birth town so I had no idea of the layout of the land but from experience, if you aim to make your way to the High Street, there are usually some signposts, a town map or even an information kiosk.

taken on the towpath next to the canal below the castle wall

In our case today, we came across some signs before we got to the High Street and before too long spotted our destination at the top end of the High Street and by the time we got to the castle, the sun was shining again. Skipton Castle is well worth a visit.   The castle is over 900 years old and is wonderfully preserved.  I don't remember having an audio guide for the castle but there is a very descriptive pamphlet which you are given on entry and it gives you information about all the areas which you find while there. Normally, I would recommend getting audio guides and they are normally included in the ticket price but I just can't remember why we didn't do that here. Maybe it was an extra cost.

the main building of the castle

inside the courtyard

information signs like these could also be found throughout.

Lord Cliffords bed chamber......Impressive but I bet it was freezing cold in winter!

I loved the windows in this castle, some looking out over the surrounding moors and some giving views of that lovely hidden courtyard

I think the best part for both Miss M and I was the experience we got when we visited the dungeons.  At the time there was a small school group visiting with a tour guide and we crashed their party down there.  The guide was telling them how prisoners would be held down there for up to 3 months awaiting trial and would then have to walk the distance to York to be put on trial for their crimes.  Although they were well fed (apparantly Lord Clifford insisted on that), the dungeon was small, dark and dingy.  We got to find out just how dark it would have been when the guide turned the lights off! Pitch, pitch black in the middle of the day and I am sure they would have been kept company by a number of vermin as well.  Luckily non were spotted or heard in the dark today, just the deafening noise of kids screaming when the lights went out!

some of the weathered steps in the castle meaning we had to watch our foot placement constantly

After exploring the castle, we were really rather cold and decided it was time for a nice hot cup of tea in the tearooms.  I found they also offered hot buttered crumpets.....yes please! and afterwards a walk around the gift shop where I found a guide book to Castles in the United Kingdom.  I am going to have fun trying to visit them all. The sales assistant in the shop was very sour and inspected my coins very closely, even asking the other assistant if they accepted "ones like this".  I kind of felt like I had "convict from the colonies" tattoed on my forehead. That was the only downer for the day and I got over it.

Anyway, afterwards we had a look around the rest of the castle grounds which included a very derelict chapel.

It doesn't look too bad from outside but inside there were piles of rubble and a very old and disused font. It was bitterly cold and dismal in here so we decided to go for a little walk through the town instead.

I was very tempted to walk along the towpath towards Skipton Woods for a little exploration but it was just so wet and puddles everywhere so we just walked a little way and then made our way back to the station.

On the train back to York we realised we had not really had anything substantial to eat and by the time we got there it would be too late for lunch but yet too early for dinner so we decided to compromise and promised ourselves an Afternoon Tea at Betty's.

The queue this time was outside the door but we were determined we were going to indulge so we joined the line.  Fortunately, it was mostly made up of a big group ahead of us that got seated shortly after so we were at least within the warmth of the doorway before too long.  I was really hoping for a table upstairs this time but no such luck so we headed downstairs and were given a lovely little cubicle.

Afternoon Tea for Two......Oh My!

Delicious little sandwiches with fillings of smoked salmon, chicken, egg and my absolute favourite....baked Yorkshire ham......there is nothing quite like it, just ask Miss M.

And then there was a scrumptious scone with strawberry jam and clotted cream

I have never wanted to savour anything as much in my life as this very special Afternoon Tea so we sipped our cups of tea and nibbled away all the while discussing what we would be doing next.  Fortunately we could not see the queue outside so did not feel guilty over our leisurely tea. And the best was saved for last.  These little mouthfulls of absolute delight

Yummm-eeee!
 

A sprinkling of snow

The wind had definitely whipped up a chill overnight but on waking up the next day we decided to head to Whitby.  Last time I did this, we travelled by train and it took close to four hours and a change of trains to get to Whitby so this time I was keen to try the bus.

Although the weather reports had promised a fine day, it started off very wet and I was starting to wonder if the sun would make any kind of appearance.  And then I got a big suprise.......surely that wasn't......yes it was......SNOW!

 There we were, travelling across the Yorkshire Moors in a Double Decker bus, no less, up and down hills on winding little roads and it was starting to snow. The locals on the bus must have been quite bemused by our excitement...well Miss M has never been this close to snow and I haven't either (for a good many years).  Can you imagine us with our noses pressed up against the misty windows, trying to get a better look, wishing we could stop the bus for a chance to go and crunch through it.

And then things got even more exciting (for me, anyway).  I was always a long time fan of the tv show "Heartbeat" set on the Yorkshire moors with regular visits to nearby Whitby and we got to travel through Goathland which is the real life set for the show.  The bus drove into this very out of the way village and did a three point turn and then drove out again without stopping.  Bizarre! but not as bizarre as those two loonies on the bus oohing and aahing over the village green, the pub and the Aidensfield Garage, which belongs to "Mr Scripts"! There go the locals on the bus, rolling their eyes again.

The train station - Goathland

By the time the bus pulled into Whitby, the snow had disappeared and the sun was desperately trying to make an appearance.  Luckily the rain had stopped but we were to be disappointed when we got to the top of the steps to the abbey ruins.  Because it was February and out of season, the abbey was closed to visitors. I was desperate for Miss M to get a glimpse of this beautiful historical attraction, so we continued walking around the very high wall till we found a spot low enough to get a good view. Yep, been there, done that, got the photo to prove it!

Did you know?.......this ruin helped inspire Bram Stoker's writing of Dracula! I have never read it, but apparantly parts of it are set around the town of Whitby where he spent holidays in the 1880's and 90's.

Even though we couldn't get any closer to the ruins, the walk up those (close to 200) steps was worthwhile, just to see these lovely chaps with the town in the background. What a view they had, if they really cared for one.

Then back down those steps for a stroll around the shops

before heading to the Magpie Cafe for a, later than usual, lunch. Fish and Chips, of course!

 A further walk towards the harbour and on to the harbour wall

a photo of Miss M taking a photo on the harbour wall.......look the sun has eventually come out to play!

The beach doesn't look very exciting today.......brrrr.......it really was cold, especially on the harbour wall.  Time for a walk to the other headland.

Walking up to the opposite headland where the statue of Captain Cook and the Whalebone arch is situated, I took this panoramic shot which I was really pleased with.....I haven't yet conquered the panorama function on my camera.

We decided to take the train back to York as it left a little earlier than the bus and we didn't need as much time here with the Abbey being closed.  The scenery on the train ride is some of the most beautiful I have ever seen in my life. Fields of pheasants (they were everywhere), sprinklings of snow, bubbling brooks and a deer or two amongst the trees.  I love this part of Yorkshire and could see myself living happily hereabouts for the rest of my life. Only thing is, my man is an Aussie with a sunburnt country running through his veins.

Interrupting regular posting.....

to tell you that Sunday was my birthday and the girls from the Fat Quarter Swap spoilt me rotten!

Lots 'n lots of loot here from...LeAnne, Arlene, Lyn, Kim, Wendy, De, Narelle, Jessica, Melanie, Diana, Sharon, Helen and Cathy C.

and my quota of red and aqua (and lime) fabrics has totally been met. I did have one little extra surprise which I thought delightful.

Sharon also sent me these and I just love them.  They perfectly matched my top that I wore on Sunday so I made them part of my outfit when I was taken out to lunch in Montville.

This is a view of where I spent the day ..... the beautiful Sunshine Coast hinterland.....Bliss!

Thank You!