Well you take the highroad and I'll take the low road...

Well, Edinburgh has almost come and gone, as has Scotland; tomorrow we cross the border back into England. What’s not to love about Edinburgh? The city infatuated me from the moment I arrived, and this love affair just continues to grow. The weather might have been bleak, but somehow it didn’t seem to matter. Whether it was the Royal Mile, with its medieval buildings and the old tenements, or the ‘new’ Edinburgh, dating back to Georgian times, every street seems to beckon you to something more enchanting and interesting than the last. After a day and a half of almost constant walking, there is only one more thing left to do before we leave; climb the famed Arthur’s Seat.

One end of the Royal Mile, the oldest section of Edinburgh. There has been a settlement at Edinburgh for over 3000 years.

Today started early with a visit to the Royal Edinburgh Botanic Gardens. These were simply beautiful, with the most extensive, and healthiest looking, range of rhododendrons we’ve seen. They seem to simply thrive in this climate.­ 

The Botanic Gardens

A lovely pond at the gardens.

Sorry, I just love gardens.

He stole my chip, bro.

After walking the gardens for almost two hours, it was a quick bus trip back to the city and a look at a 17^th century tenement house, most of it in original condition. It was fascinating to see how in these tenements, part of the Old Edinburgh, people from all social classes mixed. This part of Edinburgh, it seems, was pretty much a classless mixing pot.

The Edinburgh Writers' Museum, in the heart of the old tenement buildings.

In contrast to this, we then visited a most impressive building, Georgian House, built in the new part of the city in the 18^th century. Georgian House was first purchased by John Lamont in 1796 for the extraordinary price of 1800 pounds, which today equates to over nine million pounds. Lamont was a wealthy land owner but not fabulously so who, like many new owners in this part of the city, lived beyond their means. Lamont was to eventually leave Edinburgh to return to his country estate and forced to sell Georgian House in order to pay his debts. Like most other places we’ve visited, I did put in an offer (the guides at the house thought I was joking – they don’t know me too well).

The Georgian House, Charlotte Square. John Lamont and his family lived here.

We also managed to slip in a visit to the National Museum of Scotland before retiring exhausted to our accommodation for a quick nap (well, I’m sure John Lamont used to nap in the afternoons), before out again in the early evening.

Edinburgh Castle

The Castle dominates the view from almost every direction.

This magnificent structure is the memorial to Sir Walter Scott. The Scots love their memorials, but they worship their poets and writers.

Scotland the Brave, as played by this bag-piper - well, you'd have to be brave to stand out in the bleak Edinburgh weather wearing only your kilt (imagine the draft).

Edinburgh, where the old meets the not so very old.

Scotland has been a country of great variety. Some parts we adored, others we were quite happy to be leaving (sorry Aberdeen, you just didn’t do it for us). But there is no question, it is a beautiful country, rugged yet soft on the eyes. Full of history and wonderful stories of men and women who would not succumb to tyrants (and of some who did). It is a mysterious country with food to match (got to wonder about those neeps and tatties, haggis and black pudding). When we cross the border tomorrow, I hope a little bit of Scotland crosses with us, as I’m sure it will.