Edinburgh Take 3

Today was to be all about The Great Outdoors. Sort of. 

We had saved the most strenuous sights for the last full day, with the first item on the agenda being climbing Calton Hill. 

On the way, we popped into St Mary's Cathedral, to be treated to the usual religious icons, beautiful stained glass, and high vaulted architecture, etc. And outside, this bronze statue:

I am not sure how a statue of copulating crickets furthers the ministry of the Roman Catholic Church. I should have asked the Pope when we were in the Vatican last month. 

Having got over our surprise, we promptly continued our climb, where all the training of the previous two days paid off. 

The top of the Hill boasts the unfinished National Monument, an observatory, and art collective. And great views! 

Calton Hill was a genuinely strenuous climb, however we knew it was nothing compared to the Main Event planned for later in the day, climbing to Arthur's Seat. So we popped into a local café for refreshments and a pit stop. 

Like many other businesses worldwide, this café has had to consider gender identity and diversity in the planning of it's facilities, and we thought this establishment had an elegant solution :

OK, no more mucking around, off we went - to a tour of Holyrood Distillery. 

This is Edinburgh's newest treasure, and it has a problem. To be called Scotch whisky the product has to be aged in oak barrels in Scotland for at least 3 years. This Distillery only started up in late 2019, and does not yet have product. How do they generate income in the interim? With very fine gin... 

Fortified by the free samples of gin and 'new spirit', we strode purposefully down towards Arthur's Seat, and straight into the Scottish Parliament buildings. 

To have a look around. And have a quick coffee. And to talk to random strangers.

Anything but more climbing... 

OK, enough stalling, back to The Mission. Off we strode again - into Holyrood Palace. 

This Palace we thought was far better than Edinburgh Castle. The history, the sights, the lack of crowds, the lavish grounds. Just awesome. 

OK, now we had run out of excuses, so up we went. And the higher we got, the steeper it got, plus it started raining. Photos do not do justice to the gradient, and we have no photos of the main climb, nor of the wet and very slippery rocks near the top because we were too focused on not falling off... 

Yes, it was worth it. Not just for the views, also for the sense of achievement and the great joy of not dying in the attempt. 

I don't remember why, but our grandchildren call Mary 'GeeGee' with a hard G sound. I declare forthwith that it shall stand for Granny Goat!

As anyone who has climbed knows, it is often easier and safer climbing up than down, and today was no exception, especially due to the occasional rain showers. The descent in parts was tricky... 

Once safely back to the base of the hill, and after the day's strenuous walking and climbing, all that was left was an easy 4km walk back to our accommodation.

So we called an Uber. 

No use being damned fools about these things....