We left early from the “rustic” B&B (no shower – 15 gallons of hot water for all of us) and headed 20 miles south to the Lake Country. Took in the Ullaworth (?) lake – it had steamboats running across it. We continued south to loop back around towards the M6. The views and steep terrain were unusual. Not a lot of room for two cars on the road at once.
We finally caught the M6 and headed north to Scotland. After passing through the town of Biggar for fish and chips (I had a deep fried hamburger and chips) we arrived in the outskirts of Edinburgh. We did our laundry at a campground out of town, and then drove in and met Hamish and Claire – Lynn’s friends in the area. They were very hospitable. They prepared a large home-cooked meal, complete with haggis (good), and we got a quick driving tour of Edinburgh. A large hill in the middle of town gave great views the major sites including the Queens castle and the Edinburgh castle. Supposedly there is some evidence that the hill is actually where King Arthur’s Camelot was.
After dinner we attended as guests the Scotch Malt Whisky Society downtown with Hamish. We had two different Scotches there- very potent stuff. It was a much more casual affair than I expected. Very plush rooms, though, and excellent (as you would expect) Scotch. We then bussed across town to a favorite pub of Hamish and a recommended one for Lynn. After the pints and the crowds (“The Fringe” event was ongoing at the time which draws a lot of people) we headed back for a nightcap and also met Hamish and Claire’s daughter Marie-Claire, who will help Lynn shop for Kinsey tomorrow.
