Northumberland and Scotland Part 1

I didn't realize this when I booked my tickets to Dublin, but I didn't leave myself a whole lot of time to prepare for my mother's arrival. I returned to Preston on April 6^th, which gave me three days to get ready. Which sounds like a lot, but it really wasn't. I had lots of shopping to do, but more importantly I had to clean. My flatmate Mili and I spent a lot of time scrubbing everything down. Next thing I knew, I was at Manchester Airport once again to pick up my mother. I was very happy to see her, and almost as happy to see all the baking she brought from Nana. It was a little taste of home.

We had a big trip to Scotland ahead of us so we decided not to do too much for the next couple of days. We did, however, take a little trip to Lancaster for the afternoon. I elected not to take my camera since being a tourist can get a little tiring after a while.

The night before we left we headed to Wetherspoons where my mother was lucky enough to meet just a few of those wonderful people I keep talking about.

Then the week-and-a-half long journey began. We were up early to board a train to Morpeth in Northumberland, where we rented a car and headed to our first stop: Alnwick (pronounced “annick”) Castle, where some of the Harry Potter movies were filmed.

Just got out of herbology class

Next we headed out to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. This island is interesting because, due to shifting tides, it can only be reached at certain times of the day.

The causeway

One of the coolest parts about Lindisfarne was the priory ruins:

We walked up to the castle as well, although we were too late to go inside. I didn’t mind so much, considering it would have been a steep climb to get in.

Lindisfarne Castle from afar

 The sky was a beautiful blue grey that day: a perfect backdrop for rock sculptures. So we made one.

An Inukshuk in Scotland

But it started to get really windy so we headed back to the town of Seahouses where we were staying. It’s a cute little fishing town with a lot of character and not too many tourists. I would go back there in a heartbeat.

The next day we headed to Bamburgh Castle, located southeast of Lindisfarne on the mainland.

This castle contained my favourite room, complete with a live cello player. I was very reluctant to leave.

Makes me want to take up piano again

The other castle we visited that day, Dunstanburgh Castle, is actually a ruin. But that’s what I liked about it: what’s left of it certainly has a unique appearance.

The following day, we headed north to Scotland and what became one of my favourite cities: Edinburgh. Sophie and her boyfriend Arnaud just happened to be spending some time in Edinburgh as well, so we met up with them for lunch on a sunny terrace.

Momo, Soso, and me

 Then my mother and I decided to hike up to Arthur’s Seat. Sophie and Arnaud had done it that morning, and they said it wasn’t too difficult. So we weren’t worried. But we probably should have been. To put it bluntly, I am not athletic or in shape whatsoever, so getting up there was a struggle for me. Many times on the way up, my mother said “You know, Anna, we can just stop here and then go back down.” But I would have none of it. I started it, and I was going to finish. My mother, as a skilled yoga instructor, had no problem with the physical aspect of the climb, but her vertigo got the better of her a few times along the way. We were quite the pair, what with me stopping to catch my breath every few minutes and her clinging to the side of the hill. But, despite the odds, we made it to the top. And for the views, it was worth every second of that climb.

We spent the next morning at Edinburgh Castle. Situated on top of a giant rock, it offered some interesting historical background (all of which I forgot) and some more views of the city (all of which I remember).

Next: a quick stop at Elephant House, where J.K. Rowling spent a lot of time writing the Harry Potter novels.

This is me stepping on my own foot.

 A visit to St. Giles Cathedral and then Calton Hill finished off our stay in Edinburgh.

To be continued….