1 - 10 July 2019

Aberdeen to Edinburgh (1 July 2019, 220 km by train, 1.7 km by bike)

Today we turned around, and started making our way back south. Our original plan had been to bike the full circle around the UK and Ireland, before heading back to France. But life intervened, and some dental work in Scotland became the priority. So, Aberdeen is as far north as we will go, and Ireland will have to wait until another trip.

We’re going south by train, and it promises to be an adventure. We’ve never taken our bikes on European trains before. This route, run by ScotRail, requires that you make an advance reservation for bikes. So we had done that, and were all set to go. Our reservations were for a 12:00 departure.

Since it seemed as if there were a lot of things that could go wrong, such as picking up our tickets, having extra baggage, needing to confirm our bike reservation, having to load bikes on the trains, and not being able to maneuver very fast with our bikes and gear, we decided it would be best to arrive early. At least they spoke English in this part of the world which would make it easier.

But much to our surprise, everything went very smoothly. We got our tickets from the clerk at the window, then waited more than 2 hrs for our train. Luckily the train station’s waiting area was in a peaceful atrium, out of the weather (there was a light drizzle outside). We sat in the atrium, got a drink from a cafe, and made sure we knew how to get through the automatic turnstiles with our bikes. It was all pretty straightforward so far.

When the train arrived, it was not clear where we should load the bikes. After walking the length of the train on the platform, looking for the bike symbol on the outside, and not being able to figure it out, PedalingGuy went to find a station attendant to help us. He showed us where the bikes would go. We were able to roll our loaded bikes onto the train, then take the panniers off after boarding. There was only space for a total of two bikes as far as we could see (there may have been more space someplace else on the train, but we never found it), thus the need for bike reservations. The boarding was a whole lot easier than we expected.

We had read online that passengers would be limited to three pieces of luggage. Unconsolidated, we each had six pieces, which was a potential problem. So yesterday we had combined some of our bags, so that we each had only five. We also bought a couple of large, foldable, lightweight bags with zippers and handles that we could quickly use to consolidate some more if needed. But in the end, we were not asked to get our luggage down to three pieces. That was a good thing, because we were able to fit the panniers into the train’s overhead racks, which were under-utilized. Many people brought very large bags, which they needed to store in the big racks at each end of the train car. So the less we needed to put there, the better. 

It was great that we were boarding at the originating station for our train. That gave us extra time to settle in, and figure out the best way to stow everything. 

When the luggage racks at the ends of the train car were full, people started leaving bags near where our bikes were tied. We worried about their luggage rolling around, falling into our bikes. So PedalingGuy worked with a couple of passengers to help them stow their luggage in places that wouldn’t harm our bikes. 

Edinburgh was the end of the line for our train, which was also good. The stops along the route tended to be pretty short. It seemed like it might be tricky getting on or off a train in the UK at a station that’s not the origination point or end point for a line, because of the time it takes to get everything on and off. When we arrived in Edinburgh, we both carried a load of panniers off the train, then PedalingGuy focused on unloading the bikes, while I finished getting the rest of the panniers off the train. It all went smoothly.

In the Edinburgh train station, we had to take two elevators to get to the street level. It was a little bit inconvenient, especially because we could only take one bike on each elevator at a time. But the lifts were pretty quick, so it wasn’t too bad in the end. 

We have a wonderfully quiet room in our hotel, with a fantastic view from the 4th floor on a hill. Our window looks north towards the River Forth. We don’t miss the seagulls of Aberdeen at all.

Edinburgh (2-10 July 2019)

Our hotel in Edinburgh is very close to St. Andrew’s Square, a landmark in the New Town. “New” is, of course, a relative term. This part of the city was built in the mid-to-late 1700s. That makes it newer than the Old Town, which was built during medieval times (about 500 years earlier). But it’s also older than most of the buildings in the U.S.A. It’s all in your perspective.

We were tickled to find a plaque near St. Andrew’s Square commemorating the official opening of Scotland’s National Cycle Network. It’s an unassuming sign, and many people probably don’t notice it. But it means a lot to us to be able to follow the national trails, and we’re grateful to the UK for supporting such a great network.

Over the next week, we visited many of the well-known sights around Edinburgh - plus a few out of the way corners. Here are some of the highlights.

A walk down the Royal Mile is chock full of interesting buildings. We started at the top, near the Edinburgh Castle, and moseyed downhill towards Holyroodhouse Palace, snapping photos along the way. One thing you can’t miss while walking the Royal Mile is the abundance of alleyways, called “closes.” Part of the medieval architecture, these alleys used to lead to private courtyards. These days, they are open, and they provide a fun way to explore quieter parts of the Old Town, away from the touristy shops on the main street.

A visit to the National Museum of Scotland is a great way to spend the afternoon.

We spent quite a bit of time visiting the Edinburgh Castle. There’s lots to see within the castle walls, including the Scottish Crown Jewels, a few of the rooms in the palace, St. Margaret’s Chapel, cells for holding prisoners from wars with the French and the Americans, and two military museums. Interestingly, several of the tour leaders that we listened to mentioned that it was the 4th of July holiday in America. We were intrigued by how much a U.S. holiday was on the radar here in Scotland.

The entrance to the castle is flanked by statues of two of Scotland’s most famous sons: Robert the Bruce and Sir William Wallace.

The castle sits high on a hill, overlooking the city. From its ramparts, we gazed out across Edinburgh’s skyline and enjoyed the beauty of the city.

Some of our favorite sights at the Royal Botanic Garden…

On Sunday, we headed over to the Back Cat Pub for some traditional Scottish music. Several pubs in town host local musicians at specific times of day, or days of the week. It’s very informal, and you can’t be sure who will show up. But there’s always a few musicians who love Scottish tunes, and you can sit and listen to them chat and play music together, in intimate spaces that often have only a handful of tables. When we were at the Black Cat, three guys were playing traditional Scottish reels. The six tables in the pub were all occupied, with some other folks standing at the bar. The music was superb, the cider was nice and cold, and the atmosphere was perfect.

The Royal Yacht Brittania was used by Queen Elizabeth to travel the world, until it was decommissioned in 1997. It’s now on display in Edinburgh, with all of its original furniture and decorations. You can stay in some of the royal quarters on board, as the ship is now also a hotel.

At the other end of the Royal Mile from the Edinburgh Castle are the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament. The Palace is still used by the Queen of England, and she was actually here in town at the beginning of the week. Every year she visits Scotland for Holyrood Week, at the end of June and beginning of July. Her various activities were big news in Scotland.

The Scots are extremely proud of their parliament. They are the only nation within the United Kingdom (which also includes England, Wales and Northern Ireland) to have their own parliament. This year they celebrated the 20th anniversary of the reinstatement of the Scottish Parliament, which previously had been abolished when Scotland united with England in 1707. The Scottish Parliament building is fairly bursting with symbolism in its architecture and interior designs.

From here, we’ll be continuing our journey south, eventually re-connecting with EuroVelo 6 in France. That will put us back on the east-west path, across Europe to the Black Sea.