We left Stirling with great anticipation for what lay ahead in Edinburgh, a city famous for its beautiful architecture and rich cultural and historical offerings. The weather was fine, and we felt great after a relaxing few days in Stirling.
It was just after a few miles from Stirling that we came across some of the giant warehouses that we had seen from high on the castle hill.
And there was that peculiar smell....
Whisky warehouses!! We found the treasure! This is where hundreds of thousands of barrels of whisky are aged, shipped here from distilleries all over Scotland! Unfortunately, it's well locked and behind lots and lots of tall fences, topped with nasty barbed wire, and covered from all angles with security cameras. So, we breathed the magnificent fumes for a few miles and kept on our way.
We were again riding on an old railroad right of way, which is great for easy grades, no traffic. And it's fun to ride under the old bridges and tunnels.
Unfortunately, we had taken a wrong turn to end up on this cycle route. Getting back on the correct route involved winding our way through a country park on bad dirt trails, rough single-track, and dealing with confusing maps that were posted randomly through the park. We made it through, and after a short stretch on a terrifyingly busy highway, we pulled onto a farm road to Culross.
We had discovered the famed Culross Abbey! There has been a Christian settlement here since the 5th century, and until about 1217 AD there was a Celtic Christian church here. The Abbey was founded in 1217 by the 7th Earl of Fife, and the monks were of the Cisterian Order. Most of the Abbey is in ruins now, but the church remains intact and beautiful condition.
Here are some of the ruins of the Abbey. The Abbey was huge, and with what little remains one can guess at the grandeur of the place by extrapolation the carved arches and imagining the whole Abbey built in such a manner.
The Culross Kirk is mentioned in a very moving Scottish folk song about a woman called Thaney (or Thenew). The Scottish folk group Malinky do a fabulous version of the song on their Three Ravens album, and it's worth a listen. (Linky... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJT0vPTVCAQ)
After leaving the Abbey we went right down the hill to Culross.
Culross is a neat little village with narrow cobbled streets, colorful cottages, and windey alleys and closes. This village is where part of the Scottish TV series Outlander was filmed. Based on a series of books by Diane Gabaldon, the TV series is reportedly very well done. (We're going to try to watch a few episodes once we settle down.)
We left Culross and headed east along the Forth. The cycle path was largely along the firth, but every so often took a random detour inland, up a very steep hill, through a farm, and then back down again. Great way to see the country-side!
Eventually, we got to the Forth Road Bridge! This is it! Our gateway to Edinburgh!
The road bridge affords a great view of the rail bridge, shown in the back ground above. This rail bridge is beautiful to behold. It was started in 1882 and opened in 1890, built to replace another bridge that had tragically collapsed in a gale while a train was crossing. That bridge had been poorly designed and poorly built, so the new rail bridge was intentionally over designed to instill confidence in the travelling public. It's been standing for 125 years, so clearly it was done right!
The road bridge is a suspended bridge, and is well over a mile long. Thankfully we were off the traffic lanes, and it was smooth sailing all the way over the bridge.
We wound our way through neighborhoods for the next ten miles or so, until we ended up near the city center. At this point we walked our bikes ... Easier than dealing with that traffic, and it was getting late and dark and we were tired anyway.
Right away we found Ali's Cave, made famous by a hilarious spoof on a Scottish tourism board video. Watch the video here... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFubsxHTApw
We stayed at a hostel located over a bar called Malones. It was pretty inexpensive, centrally located, and ... definitely weird. It wasn't a bad place at all, though the kitchen left a little to be desired! A wee two-burner hot plate. Cute.
The hostel is run by the same guy who runs the bar, and it was clear that they don't put a lot into maintenance of the hostel...
This sign was carefully printed and laminated, and posted in one of the stalls in the ladies room... Why would one go through such trouble to make a sign if the issue is going to be resolved "as soon as possible"? Hmmm? Well, it was a decent place, all in all.
We put in our ear plugs to drown out the sounds of the heavily-drinking college kids on the street below, and tucked in. The next morning we had an adventure!
We got up early and followed the cycle routes to the east of the city, about sixteen miles away.
Through a cool tunnel that was nearly a mile long...
Through an apartment parking lot (this is normal for the national network routes; we've been routed through Aldi parking lots, over pedestrian overpasses, on nettle-overgrown footpaths between farmers' fields, up, and down logging roads in the Trossachs... You name it. It's par for the course, and generally the routes are well done, scenic, and safer than being on the roads.)
We were on another railroad right of way through rolling farmlands and past old coal mines (marked by these head-stone looking plaques, and just hinting at the coal-mining history of this part of Scotland)...
To our target! We had a private guided tour of the Glenkinchie distillery, and a wee taste at the end. We highly recommend this malt! Very rich, smooth, sweet, and eminently drinkable. We learned on this tour of "the dram bell." Many years ago, the shift foreman would ring this bell and all the employees, (even those not working that day- they could hear the loud bell as they lived in company housing nearby), would come for their daily ration of whisky. Some would drink their ration on the spot and walk home (they lived close by so they could walk) and others would take their portion home. The employer did this as a perk, and to keep the employees from stealing spirit while working. Sadly, Health and Safety regulations make this impossible now. Glenkinchie still has their bell in place, and they let us ring it! It was indeed quite loud! And shortly after came a wee dram!
It was a long ride there and back (16 miles each way!) and by the time we got home we were HUNGRY!
We got falafel wraps from one of the many pizza-curry-chip shops (this shop had an especially inexplicable Che Guervera theme). Loads of calories! Be sure to watch that YouTube video we linked above, it'll help to explain the pizza-curry-chip shop phenomenon. We ordered a side of chips, and they were delivered with babaganoush ... strange, but VERY tasty!
We rested a wee while at the hostel, then headed out for some sightseeing in the dark.
This is the magnificent Edinburgh Castle at night. It's impressive, even in the dark!
The next day we toured the castle. It's huge! Magnificent! This is a view to the east, looking through a narrow window in a castle staircase.
This is the National War Memorial, a very solemn place. Inside are books that list, by military group, Scotland's war dead since before World War One. It's quite moving and sad to page through the books and read the names and home-towns of so many thousands of boys, men, and women.
The Castle is home to a variety of other buildings, including Saint Mary's Chapel. This wee chapel was the oldest structure built on the castle site, and houses a few small relics. The stained glass windows are beautifully done, honoring religiously significant figures from Scotland's past, including this one of Saint Columba who we've learned about in our prior travels.
The Great Hall is home to an impresive display of arms and armor. It's a beautiful hall, though not quite as large as the hall at Stirling Castle.
The day we were at the castle we saw an exhibition of Covenanter arms (1600's), done by a group of renactors. Several of them were musketeers, and they fired (blanks!) over the castle walls and into the city below. We have a video, which we'll post when we can. The fellow above gave a great explainer of his match-lock musket. The group also had a cannon, and that shook up the crowd when they fired it!
There was a display of the surgeon's tools. The tool third-in on the left of the musket balls is a musket ball extractor. The way its usage is described is ... gruesome, to say the least!
The castle is quite impressive and has a long history. Like many Scottish castles, it was built, partially destroyed, built again and added onto, and later used as military barracks. It now houses the Honours of Scotland: the sword, the scepter, and the crown. Sadly visitors are not allowed to take pictures of The Honours, I'm sorry to say.
Outside the castle ... Loads of tourists! We're still not accustomed to being around teeming throngs of people! The weather was grey, but dry, and we had a great time just walking around the city.
We found loads of little gems, like the one identifying a house where Robert Burns stayed. Such history!
And The Royal Mile is home to all sorts of strangeness... Like a violin-playing tight-rope walker (who's rope isn't all that tight). There were also bagpipers, jugglers, violinists, and a Stormtrooper wearing a Royal Stewart kilt. It takes all kinds, doesn't it?
That night we went to one of the greatest folk session icons in all of Scotland: Sandy Bells. Malones, our hostel and home-bar, was just across the street from Sandy Bells, and we fortunate to pay a visit to Sandy Bells every night that we were in Edinburgh!
The place was packed! The music was great, and we had a seat right up front. We recognized some of the tunes, and heard loads more that we want to try to learn at some point. There's a session pretty much every night at Sandy Bells, and some nights it's Scottish, some nights it's Irish, and some nights it's a mix.
We stopped at a whisky shop, because, you know, we have a thing for whisky. We found a few we might be interested in, and put them on our Christmas wish list! (Hint, daD)
There's a tourist wool shop right next to the castle with working looms in the basement. They weave tartan cloth right before your very eyes! They had loads of kilts, and bolts of fabric that are used to make them!
There is also a display showing the evolution of Highland dress. From the rough-woven fabrics that were pleated and draped to the finely tailored kilts as we know them today, the kilt has come a long way, and it continues to evolve in style and usage. The photo above shows the official dress of the Atholl Highlanders (center).
A wee selfie in a distorting mirror...
Edinburgh is home to the Victorian-Gothic styled Sir Walter Scott monument.
The monument was started in 1840 to commemorate Sir Walter Scott, the famous poet, novelist, and playwright, who wrote Rob Roy, Ivanhoe, Waverly, and a list of other classics that some of us suffered through in High School literature. Knowing more about the history of the country, and the places Scott came from actually helps one to appreciate those classics in a wholly different light. Might just have to give them another read...
We found Greyfriar's Kirk, where Greyfriar's Bobby is buried. Bobby was a dog who was so loyal to his master that he stayed at his dead master's graveside for fourteen years. Bobby is immortalized in bronze just next to the graveyard.
And the graveyard has a creepy wee shop, too! Sadly it was closed during our visit. It would be curious to see just what they sell?
This is Victoria Street, one of boB's favorite streets in all of Edinburgh. Aside from the colorful paint scheme, Victoria Street is home to a very fine tweed shop. Two, in fact: one for men and one for women! Somehow, and with much anguish, we walked out empty-handed.
This is the North Bridge of Edinburgh. A beautiful old bridge that connects Old a Town to New Town, over what used to be a loch. The loch was drained, and is now location of a beautiful park and the Edinburgh Waverly train station. The Bridge was built in 1896, and replaced an older and smaller bridge that had been constructed in 1772.
Our sentiments, exactly! And we couldn't have said it better ourselves!
Are thots, eggsactly, and we cood not half sed it more goodly!
We had coffee at The Elephant House. This is where JK Rowling wrote much of the first Harry Potter book. She returned here to write large chunks of the other books, too. You could very well say that this is the home of Harry Potter! The coffee was delicious, and the number of elephant figurines in the curio cabinets was rather remarkable. After strolling through the streets of Edinburgh, it is easy to see how it could provide the novelist with such magical visions- it is a beautiful city.
Here's a lovely statue next to the Museum of Scotland. And remember, parking is not allowed up there! (Look closely at his feet.)
We spent several hours in the Scottish National Museum, and that was not nearly enough time. One of our favorite exhibits was of the Lewis Chessmen. You may remember Melinda mentioned these during our stay of Lewis/Harris in the Outer Hebridies. The Chessmen were a Viking chess set that was discovered at Uig (west coast of isle of Lewis) in a small stone chamber at the edge of a beach in 1831. It is thought the pieces were made in 1100 or 1200's AD. Quite enigmatic to ponder how they came to be on the beach, in such good condition. Well, Edinburgh is home to these few of the collection, and they are something to behold. They're only about three inches tall but the detail is outstanding. We spent a good twenty minutes looking at the Chessmen, and could have looked longer if we didn't have other places to get on to.
The museum is also home Graeme Obree's hand-made bicycle that propelled him to the one-hour distance record in 1993 and in 1994. What's really amazing is that he built the bike himself using parts from a washing machine and other scavenged sources! His shoes are actually bolted to the crank arm - that makes a very strong fixture and saves the weight of the pedals. The riding position is very aerodynamic (and pretty uncomfortable). We're we didn't ride a bike like this on our adventure!!
Late on Saturday night we took a creepy ghost story tour into The Blair Vaults under the old South Bridge. The Vaults, completed in 1788, are actually part of the foundation of the bridge and formed a network of underground passages and rooms that were home to, well, society's shadier characters. There are stories about lurking murderers, "professional women," whisky smugglers, and even grave robbers and body snatchers who used the passageways to transport their wares to the Edinburgh school of medicine!
Selling corpses for education of would-be docs was a very profitable business at a time when the only bodies available for dissection were those of condemned criminals. The predominant thought about dissection at the time was that it interfered with the soul as it departed the body, thus no reasonable person would willingly donate their remains to science!
On the tour we were treated to spooky stories and tales of haunting and ghosts who still lurk in the vaults. It's a bunch of stories meant to creep out we poor travelers, and it worked!! By the time we ended the tour in one of Edinburgh's many graveyards we were sufficiently freaked out that we stayed on the most well-lighted streets to get home.
The next morning we had great weather, but, alas, our time in Edinburgh was nearing an end. Before departing for Glasgow we had brekkie in boB's favorite pie shop: Auld Jock's!
The pies are SERIOUSLY GOOD! Especially the cheese-and-onion pie, with mash and beans and gravy and a can of Irn Bru on the side! That's good fuel for the road, eh? If any of you are ever in Edinburgh, you simply must go to Auld Jock's. It's at the bottom of Victoria Street, right at the east end of Grassmarket.
We packed up the bikes at Malones and headed west to our new home in Glasgow. We left many things undone in Edinburgh, but we'll be back for more [pies] in November when we come back for The Scots Fiddle Festival [and pies].
Now on to Glasgow. This is to be the final day of the official bike tour, and we should be in our Glasgow apartment tonight, the 12th of October. Hard to believe it's nearly over....
9 October: Stirling to Edinburgh via Cycle Route 76, 764 and 1. Crossed over the Forth Bridge. Visited Bannockburn Battlefield of 1314, the Culross Abbey, Edinburgh castle at night and the famed 'Sandy Bells' folk bar for a late night session. Passed through Alloa, Clackmannan, Limekilns. Stayed at Malones Irish bar and Pub. Total 51 miles.
10 October: day trip to Glenkichie distillery in Pencaitland via Cycle Route 1 and 196. Visited Edinburgh castle, the Northbridge of Edinburgh, and 'Sandy Bells'. Total miles 35.76.
11 October: A day off bikes in Edinburgh. Coffee at the Elephant House, visited the National Museum, the wool and tweed shops and pieshop along the Royal Mile/Victoria st, Edinburgh castle for special reenactment event, St Giles Cathedral, Scott Monument, the Blair Vaults for storytelling tour, and of course 'Sandy Bells'. Total of 0 miles.
12 October: brekkie at Auld Jock's. Depart Edinburgh for Glasgow.
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