Arriving late into Inverness we found our B&B and after a short stroll and dinner bunked down for the night. With a big drive ahead of us the next day we made a quick sideline trip to Fort George, a working military fort approximately 10 mile out of Inverness on the way to Nairn. The fort contains fascinating memorabilia of the Scots Guard and Regiment (the Highlanders) but is very much a working military base; the chorus of practice gunfire that became our ambient music for the visit very much a testament to its “active” nature.
Weaving through the Scottish Central Highlands our next stop was the historic town of Stirling, containing the imposing William Wallace memorial and the lauded Stirling Castle. Unfortunately our B&B for this pit stop proved to be less than impressive...our first real bad accommodation experience of the trip. The shabby pink linen should have hinted at the night to come where we endured a damp, cold night after the central heating was shut off. And LP recommended this place...words will be exchanged when I return to work.
Stirling Castle, like much of many of the sites we’ve visited in the UK, was under heavy repair work with lots of scaffolding obscuring views and where entire sections were blocked off from visitors. The William Wallace Memorial was a much more memorable stop where after commencing the climb up the tower Dad opted out on floor one and Mum opting out of floor three. The steep spiral ascent finally pops you out on top of the memorial where you’re greeted with stunning views of the surrounding countryside and Stirling Castle.
Arriving late into Edinburgh on a bleak and rainy afternoon we found our way to our apartment (our resting spot for the next three nights) located just south of Old Town. Our third floor apartment proved an excellent base (although the stairs proved less than desirable with our heavy bags) for exploring this ancient capital. Edinburgh exceeded my expectations in terms of beauty where the grand cobblestoned Royal Mile houses an intricate labyrinth of closes each tempting exploration.
Edinburgh Castle proved to be one of our must frustrating experiences of the trip and even our early start did not help us escape the crowds. Once more, we were greeted with castle walls adorned with lots of scaffolding and “no go” areas. Adding to this disappointment were the 5 bus loads of Spanish tourists, all with audio guides in hand, pushing you forward in a sea of guided tour hysteria. 
Needing a break from the crowds we strolled down to Greyfriar’s Kirkyard, housing the fascinating supposed haunted graveyard and the home to the memorial for Greyfriar’s Bobby (the faithful dog who spent 16 years guarding the grave of his master). Unaware that they were missing one of Edinburgh’s most fascinating historical sites the Spanish tourists remained safely tucked in the walls of Edinburgh Castle as we walked around the soaring tombstones of the Kirkyard. Luckily for us a photographer was working his way through the locked section of the graveyard, containing many “haunted” tombs, which we were privileged to explore. The macabre headstones, blackened by the soot of the city and the ravages of the elements sport angry skulls, forlorn angels and faded sorry script hinting at the how’s and when’s of the passing’s of tombs inhabitants. 
Feeling a mite peckish we stopped for lunch at The Elephant House a coffee shop made famous, not only for its stunning views of Edinburgh Castle, George Heriot School and Greyfriar’s Kirkyard and Graveyard, but the cafe were J K Rowling started scribbling a story about a be-speckled boy-wizard.
After a long walk up Arthur’s Seat, to capture some fabulous shots of the city, we wandered back to the Old City via the turreted Holyroodhouse Palace, the stark and modern Parliament House and the tired Edinburgh Memorial before finding HMV where Mum purchased both versions of “Greyfriar’s Bobby”...the Disney original from the 60’s and the 2005 remake...destined to become our viewing for the evening. 
But before delving into this cute Skye canine’s story it was under the city we were to go as we ventured into the Real St Mary’s Close, an actual series of streets that had been sealed up and built on top of. The sealing of the Close from above has created a kind of a time capsule where the street-scape, shops and houses have been preserved just as they were when they were sealed. The tour weaves through a multitude of cramped dank Closes where our guide offers small, sad snippets of life on these tough streets. Particularly poignant is the plague house, whose inhabitants were sealed off from the general public, whilst battling one of history’s killer epidemics. One of the weirdest parts of the tour is the small room of a sealed house where a waterfall of soft toys have been offered to the ghost of the Close, a small girl searching for her lost doll. Not sure what she’s going to do with the Westlife Greatest Hits CD that sits proudly amidst the sea of pink stuffed animals.
Our final major stop in Edinburgh occurred the next day, at the Scotch Whiskey Experience, potentially the best “tour” we’ve done on this entire UK adventure. The experience contains a strange side-show ride in a Whiskey barrel where you’re introduced to the brewing technique for this quintessential Scottish drink before being disembarked into a lecture room where you learn all aspects of the history of Scottish Whiskey, including a clever scratch and sniff surprise. Finally you’re taught how to taste and savour Whiskey with a sample shot (chosen by smell...clever!) in the Willy Wonka of Whiskey rooms; a mirrored room of over 3000 Whiskey bottles, the largest collection of Whiskey in the world. 
Edinburgh proved a fascinating, inspiring city and one which I can’t wait to see again.
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