Wednesday 30th March
Another lazy start this morning, not least thanks to the weather - bitterly cold and with occasional sleet, venturing outside the 'van was not an inviting prospect.
Patsy was warm and cosy though and Sandra cooked up a lovely brekky whilst I chased letters around the keyboard of my laptop.
It's entirely possible that one or either or both of us nodded off at some point after!
The weather had improved considerably and early afternoon we headed back into Berwick to do a Treasure Trail. Regulars will know how much I enjoy this - as I've said before they are a great way of getting to see more of a place and learning a bit about it too.
Our 'inquiries' into the death of a er, Russian peace envoy, Boris Bumpedov started by the library and took us out onto a section of the town wall, back in at the Barracks, emerging further around the ramparts before finishing at the town hall. The sun shone for the most part which took the edge off the biting wind. My usual attire of dead cow helped too and coffee was taken in the high street after.
The town was considerably busier than when we were in last - Monday closing is a thing here. Sadly however, like many places the high street has suffered, be it Covid, cost of living or changing shopping patterns - there were a number of empty units.
Back at Patsy I evaluated a couple of 'research samples' before dinner. A cosy night in with TV followed and as darkness fell I got to try out the new under pelmet LED lighting.
Those on Twitter may recall that I showed off a multi-colour version during my last outing in Patsy, however in truth I wasn't keen so bought a strip of warm white LED's instead, and I much prefer the result.
And yes, that is a set of Christmas lights too. They've been up for quite a while!
Thursday 31st March
Another very chilly start with occasional hail and sleet greeted us as the curtains were drawn Thursday morning, however the previous evening, having looked at the forecast, we settled on a plan that would likely see us enjoy some better weather.
No we hadn't booked flight tickets but instead were heading north - on the train to Edinburgh!
The LNER service was on time and virtually empty and with no stops between it would stay that way.
We ordered coffee on the app and our drinks were delivered not five minutes later. I was well impressed with this.
You may recall that Trev and I did this four years ago but it was worth repeating. It hugs the coast for a fair portion and offers great views. There were signs of heavy precipitation out to sea and evidence of recent snowfall at various points on the route.
Some 45 minutes later Edinburgh castle came into view as we trundled in to Waverley Street and, suitably attired we disembarked and headed for the exit, aware that up in Scotland rules about face coverings were still in place.
Almost immediately opposite our chosen exit was Fleshmarket Close - not a close as we might think but a narrow street cutting through tall buildings, in this case with steps up that would eventually bring us to the Royal Mile.
Fleshmarket Close, as many will know, is also the title of an Ian Rankin book, one of my favourite authors and part of his Detective Rebus series. I took the opportunity to snap a pic.
It was quite a hike and had it been later in the day the little Half-Way House bar might well have been the recipient of our custom. As it was we continued to the top where we emerged into bright sunshine, pausing for breath before our first port of call, a short walk along the Royal Mile, aka the High Street.
The Real Mary Kings Close takes you on a tour back in time, in a labyrinth under the council offices, almost opposite St Giles Cathedral. A guide in historical garb lead us around regaling us with the story of Mary King and the darker side of life in Edinburgh back in the 1700's not least the plague. She told of the plague doctors employed by the city to try and treat the ill, clad top to toe in leather - in the belief that such material would protect them - with the unnerving beak style mask. I noticed a glance in my direction at this point.
The tour took an hour and although not cheap at just shy of 20 quid, was well worth it. Our guide was knowledgeable, friendly and a great story teller Photos were not permitted although you could pose for one at the end, a print of which could be purchased. Sadly it is not wheelchair accessible and a little tricky in places for those with limited mobility but the guide was very patient and helpful. Well worth checking out.
Not wishing to wander aimlessly we decided to splash out tickets for the hop on/hop off tour bus, buying tickets that would cover all three routes. We took the green route first, not least because that was the first one to turn up.
The bus went out past Princes Street gardens, crossing said street then made it's way through New Town, circumnavigating Charlotte Square on the way to St Andrews Square where we got off. The plan had been to have our lunch - baguettes and bananas - on board but eating was not allowed. St Andrews Square was the terminus for all sightseeing buses so it seemed a sensible place to stop - we'd get a choice of where to go once grumbling belly's had been silenced.
Having availed ourselves of the facilities at the nearby bus station - some of the cleanest public loos I've ever seen - we returned to see the next bus just pulling away. Thankfully another driver who was on his break radioed through and we were able to get on at the other side of the square. Very helpful, but then that has been a feature of this trip so far - good old fashioned customer service, not the sales prevention officers we hear so much about these days, particularly from larger organisations.
We set off out through the leafy suburbs, rounding the Botanic Gardens then emerging by the Forth at Newhaven Harbour, passing the Ocean Terminal where the Royal Yacht Britannia is moored at Leith before heading back into the city via Leith Walk and London Road.
It had been a great ride around but unlike the first bus this one was not particularly warm. We alighted just after the North Bridge and sought warmth in one of the close to the station. It was a while before our train was due so I took the opportunity to conduct some more research in the station bar. Whilst thoroughly evaluating my chosen sample Sandra slipped off and returned with some goodies for tea. Our train had arrived and we boarded, again it was sparsely populated.
45 minutes later we were back in Berwick and our luck at dodging the cold and wet stuff had ran out. We made our way to the car where the seats were set to regulo sizzle for the short trip back to site.
It had been another great day out but was good to be back in cosy Patsy for a nice meal, naughty but oh so nice dessert and and evening in front of the telly.
Until Part 4, thank you as always for reading.
Rich.