Climbing the Scott Monument...

Our tour continued with a climb up the 287 steps of the Scott Monument, a memorial for Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott. At a height of 200 feet 6 inches (61.1 meters), it is the 2nd highest monument in the world built for a writer, 

Our tour brought us up a spiral staircase to several rooms and viewing platforms.  

The views were definitely worth the climb. 

Here’s another shot of the main train station from a different angle.

Princes Street is a major shopping street and separates the Old Town and New Town (built between 1767 and 1850, so not so new anymore). If you look in the background, you’ll see the River Forth, which flows through central Scotland into the North Sea.

 

Colorful Edinburgh...

I posted photos of colorful Victoria Street when our family visited Edinburgh in 2019, but couldn’t resist posting some more of this lovely curved road filled with boutiques and restaurants. 

Similar to our visit in 2019, flowers were again flowing  out of the turret below Edinburgh Castle. 

.

Eventually we made our way to the Water of Leith, the main river flowing through central Edinburgh...

…and through some charming neighborhoods.

 

An Insider’s Guide to Edinburgh...

The following day we caught a train into Edinburgh. Gillian did an excellent job playing tour guide, bringing me to many areas that were new to me. We started with going up the Scotsman Steps made out of 104 different colors of marble connecting the Old Town with the New Town. 

Somehow I didn’t take a photo of the beautiful stairs, but here’s the view from the top overlooking Edinburgh Waverly Train Station. 

Nearby was the gothic St Giles Cathedral, built in the 14th century. 

The ceilings were especially impressive.

We popped into the National Museum of Scotland...

…which I had visited with the family in 2019. 

He headed to the rooftop garden to see the view. 

Next we saw the statue for Greyfriar Bobby, a terrier who became famous as he supposedly guarded his master’s grave for 14 years. As you can see, people touch his nose for good luck. 

Over 100 years after his death, this headstone for Greyfriars Bobby was unveiled in 1981 in front of Greyfriars Kirk. 

Behind the church was Greyfriars Kirkyard. There is conjecture that it was this headstone that inspired J.K. Rowling for her evil character that can’t be named in the Harry Potter series. 

 

Beautiful Scenery with Gillian...

After two nights with Ashlynn, I headed out early on June 18 to catch the train to visit Gillian for three days of sightseeing. Our first outing was to Aberlady Bay, a nature reserve.  

The walk offered a nice variety with fields crossed by a boardwalk...

…or a sandy path.

…plus narrow paths through woods...

…and a beautiful beach that is only revealed during low tide that we reached by crossing a sand dune.

Also revealed at low tide were the remains of two midget submarines which were placed in the bay in 1946 to be used as target practice for the Royal Air Force.

We also spotted this jellyfish. 

It was a lovely walk!
 

More Trail with Glasgow H3...

Much of the trail was off-road.

While it was all virgin territory to me, apparently it was also new territory for many of the old-timers.

Afterwards we went back to the pub, where we enjoyed two-for-one cocktails and pizza. I was glad that Audrey, the GM, told me about Glasgow H3’s annual Burns Night Weekend, which would give us another excuse to head back to Glasgow months later.

The following evening, Opee enjoyed hashing with City H3.
 

Great Trail with Glasgow H3...

After crossing the city, Ashlynn had to go to work and I set off to hash with Glasgow H3, which conveniently started not far from Ashlynn’s flat. My expectations were low after learning that this was the first trail laid by the hare, but the nearly 7K trail was excellent...

…with lots of lovely views. 

Always love a nice reflection!

Enjoyed seeing mosaics when we crossed the river...

...as well as this sculpture of The Beithir, a lightening serpent most often seen during summer evening storms, will eventually be covered by mosaics as well if all goes to plan.