Skip to main content

A long train journey to Sutherland

So here I am in Scotland...hopefully I can catch up a bit with my blogging but then again.... I am slowing down but not from choice.  I have a nasty cold so my energy is lagging to put it mildly.  I am looking out at the lovely evening and wishing I could go for a walk but there is no way.

It was a long trip up from Berwick yesterday with changing trains at Edinburgh and Inverness.  I found out today that the bus from Inverness would have gotten me here much quicker.  Oh well.  I took an earlier train so I could have a couple of hours in Edinburgh so left at 10 a.m. and got here after 8 p.m.  It will be even longer when I return to London at the weekend - a twelve hour trip! Here's a bit of what I got up to in two and a half hours in Edinburgh...






Of course I had to go and pay my respects to Greyfriars Bobby - that was a priority!




It was a misty day as you can see.  I had (another) quick trip to the Museum of Scotland - one day I will spend the time there it deserves!  This was taken from the top floor veranda.


I can't resist a bag piper!  And if they are playing "Scotland the Brave" I am a goner....

Then the train to Inverness where I sat opposite a friendly couple.   Then changed trains there for the final journey up here.  Some of the scenery along the way....



Loved these station murals at Dingwall.




I got misplaced getting to the Bed and Breakfast.  The instructions in the email said turn left outside the station exit and I took it literally and turned left out of the station (although there was no other way to go)  and ended up in town.   I knew from being in Golspie before that this was not right.  I flagged down a lady driving by and instead of directing me she drove me here.  Love the highlanders!  Like I've always said I can't find my way out of a paper bag sometimes.

 I have a large room with an ensuite toilet and shower.  And a view of the sea....not "oh look I can jump into it from my window" close like in Jersey but it's on the horizon.   The land lady did my laundry today which was so kind.  I had asked where the nearest launderette was (Dornoch) so I joked that me and my laundry would be going sightseeing together there.  It's reached the stage where my jacket (which I've had to wear all the time except in Malta) needs its own seat on buses and would have needed one on the plane home if I didn't wash it.  So all done.  Clean clothes; nothing better when you are on the road!

Had a fabulous day today - but that will be another post!!! 



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A walk from Westminster to St Paul's Cathedral

I have decided to put the Thames Path on hold until I am back in London next month and we have more Spring like weather...I will be going into a more rural area that is prone to flooding as well.  I am staying at about five miles maximum a day as well...my knees and feet have been giving me major grief so I am not pushing myself. However that doesn't mean I don't want to walk.  One of my favourite British Walking Federation walks is one that starts at Westminster tube station and covers 10km to St Katherines Docks just east of the Tower of London.  Yesterday I walked as far as St Paul's and will do the rest of the walk in the next couple of days.  Normally I do this entire 10 km walk my first day in London but not this time... So here are some of the highlights along the way....what a gorgeous day it was.  A different view of Big Ben Can you believe this was my first time on Parliament Square Another hero on Parliament Square Classic ...

The Colourful houses of Mazatlan, Mexico

Well this isn't even Throwback Thursday and I am reminiscing about my (all too short) week in Mazatlan, Mexcico in January of 2010.  It was one of my best holidays EVER.  I stayed in a delightful little hotel called La Siesta which was on the waterfront in the central part of town.(known as centro) overlooking the ocean.   I walked around the town photographing buildings, ocean views, dogs....visited the Mercado, attended a fantastic Flamenco dance performance in the restored Teatro (theatre), toasted the sunset with a beer from my balcony every evening and ate at some wonderful restaurants.  I also took a couple of day trips which were okay but my time in Mazatlan overshadowed anything else I did. My one foray into the Gold (tourist) Zone left me horrified and scampering back to my beloved Centro.  And did I mention I did this as a solo trip?  Mexico has had a lot of bad press lately and while there ARE bad things going on there I still believe the average...

Cowboys and Outlaws in the Big Muddy of Saskatchewan

One of the (very) few advantages of being stuck at home during this pandemic has been an opportunity to see more of my home province of Saskatchewan.  Last summer and fall not only did I do a couple of day trips with friends but I took four day tours with Engelheim transport, a local Regina company.   I have to admit my favourite day out was the "Big Muddy Valley and Outlaws" tour. While I had been to the Big Muddy previously many years back I was eager to revisit and learn more of its history.   So in early October, I hopped on board and off we went.  The bus is only booked to half capacity so it was easy to social distance, hand gel was a must each time we boarded the bus,  masks were required when you got on and off the bus and in any buildings we visited.  I felt totally safe and oh my, it was so good to have an adventure!!  Despite the name the Big Muddy isn't a big huge puddle of mud but a valley of badlands that were formed from a glac...