IRELAND and SCOTLAND - Day 20 - October 20, 2023

LEANING INTO THE SHOULDER SEASON - Day 20 - October 20, 2023

The UK Met Office issued a rare ‘red’ alert for severe rain and flooding in areas of England and Scotland as a result of Storm Babet. The worst of it, for this part of Scotland, seems to be in Brechin, about 75 miles north of Edinburgh.

This morning, we walked in the rain  about a quarter mile from our hotel to a city bus stop at the entrance to the sprawling Dalmahoy estate. 

Thirty minutes later, we were standing in Edinburgh’s City Centre wondering which way to walk to catch our hop-on-hop-off bus. A helpful employee from a nearby pharmacy pointed us in the right direction.

The weather was pretty dreadful, and it was certainly not ideal for riding on the top deck of a tourist bus. We found seats just under the canopy and took off. We had the short tour route between Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

As we rounded the corner along Princes Street Gardens, near St. John’s Church and St. Cuthbert’s Church, the pre-recorded audio tour guide talked about grave robbers. It seems that in the old days, as medical science was in its infancy, good quality cadavers were in short supply for research. This led to a lucrative trade in corpses.

Looking down into the gloomy graveyards with dark shadows of people moving among the misty old trees, it was easy to imagine how creepy it must have been a couple hundred years ago at night in this very spot.

We got off the bus somewhere along the Royal Mile and popped into a cafe to warm up with breakfast. All the other tourists were bundled up in warm clothes and rain gear. Most of them (and I guess this also included us) had a look on their faces that was somewhere between wonderment and mild discomfort. The wind was cold and the rain was coming in horizontally.

After a short walk down High Street, we hopped back on the bus until we got back to Waterloo Place and caught the city bus back to our hotel.

While the others were warming up at the hotel, I took a little walk around the grounds on a nature trail. The rain and wind were increasing, but it wasn’t too bad in the wooded areas.

I was walking along a path and I could hear a reedy sounding series of notes carried on the wind. When I rounded a corner I saw an old stone church and graveyard. Standing just outside the church was a bagpiper. As he played, a wedding party marched into the church. The men dressed in kilts, and the women wearing fascinators, seemed unfazed by the weather. I had a chance to speak briefly with the young piper, who said he was grateful that the weather was so favorable today! He said it’s just another Scottish autumn day.

Well, we’ve pushed the end of the tourist season to the max. The last couple of days have been the only times we’ve had to modify our plans. Now it’s time to pack up and head back home. We’ve had a wonderful time, but I think all of us are ready for some warmer days and the comforts of home.

NEXT: Long hours on airplanes.