Monday 15 June

The day starts with rain and then clears before our first stop at Durham where we stroll around and visit the Cathedral. Tina revels in the tomb of Bede and Cuthbert – she read Bede at uni. I buy two more ties.

Drove past The Angel Of The North as we headed north and saw a truck with this message in large letters on its back: “Do You Love Your Bum?” The truck was carrying toilet paper.

A brief stop at Heddon on the Wall to see a section of Hadrian’s Wall.

The road from this place to lunch has the nickname of The Roller Coaster – up, down, up, down … The countryside of Northumberland Moors is beautiful: stone buildings/houses/fences, green, rolling hills and shaggy sheep with black faces (Scottish Black Face). Lovely village names eg Kirkwhelpington, Newbigging.

Lunch was at Otterburn Mill – in a small village. Home cooking – I had a plate of mince with dumpling! As we are eating thunder and lightning strikes along with heavy rain and this stays with us for the rest of the day.

We pass from England into Scotland and I take a photo at Carter Bar in the pouring rain. Some things just have to be.

Pouring with rain so just a quick photo at Jedburgh Abbey and drive past the house Mary Queen of Scots lived in. Tour director organises a quick shop and whisky tasting to get us out of the bus and to a loo. I buy 2 cds of Scottish music! That’s it for my heritage.

On the way into Edinburgh we drive past Dun Law windfarm – nostalgia for Palmie!

We have two nights in The Royal Terrace Hotel in Edinburgh. We draw the short straw and get an underground room – titled a “Patio” room – still looking for the patio. We are on floor -1! Room 014.

We don’t join in the group dinner tonight. Tired and we have done all the Scottish things before. Two items from the menu are interesting:
“Creamed clap shot soup” – I have no idea what this is
“rumbledethumps – the Scottish version of Bubble and Squeak (combination of boiled potatoes and boiled cabbage)”