Day 57: Edinburgh

Distance: 13.4 miles

Yesterday we woke up at Silverburn House to sunshine streaming through the window! We shook our heads in disbelief, pinched ourselves, and checked again. There were the Pentland Hills, not barely visible through rain and mist, but right there, covered with grass and heather, sheep grazing, framed by brilliant blue sky and, in the distance, puffy white cumulous clouds.


Hilary made sure we left fully stoked for our walk by setting us up for a full Scottish breakfast: yogurt, cereal, eggs, bacon, sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms, croissants, washed down with juice and coffee. Since the weather was so nice, we took some time before leaving to walk through their gardens. Really beautiful, even this early in the year, before most of the flowers are out. There's a small greenhouse for starting things out, a vegetable patch, a small pond, and an expanse of shrubs, flowers, and lawn, all with the Pentland Hills in the background.


We said our goodbyes and thanks to Brian and Hillary, and set out over the hills. We walked alongside the Glencorse reservoir, and up and over the wonderfully named Maiden's Cleugh.


Near the top, I heard a familiar tap-tap-tap on my hat - hail! The clouds had moved in from the periphery and one of them decided to make its presence known. But a little scattered hail and even a few raindrops were not enough to bring this day down - it was a really nice walk through a beautiful place.


After only a half dozen miles or so we were down at the bottom, and joined a walkway following the Water of Leith and then the Union Canal into the heart of Edinburgh.


Today was a rest day. We ran a few errands, and saw a little of Edinburgh, but mostly ... we rested. Our friends Michael and Jan are joining our walk for the next two weeks, in the evening we met for dinner. The original plan was to eat at the Bonham, where we're staying. But they were full. I found another place and called. Fully booked. And again. And again. Seems that every restaurant in Edinburgh is full. We ended up having a so-so meal in the overflow room at a bar near here. One of our first subpar meals in the UK.

The really good news is that the weather forecast has done a complete one-eighty from the last few weeks. Instead of clouds and rain every day, the ten day shows big pictures of a sun, with little clouds, and just a touch of rain. Tomorrow we will be walking along the shore of the Firth of Forth, past castles and country houses. If the weather comes through, it should be a great walk.

Location:Drumsheugh Gardens,Edinburgh,United Kingdom