A Trip To Edinburgh

At the end of March Tony and I went on a little trip to Edinburgh. I was planning a solo trip because I wanted to go and see an exhibition (more on that below) but then Tony suggested that he would come along, work for a couple of days while there, and then we could spend a few days exploring together. So that’s what we did and it was lovely and I thought I’d share some of my photos. Ok, quite a lot of photos. Maybe go get yourself a cup of tea before proceeding. ;-)

When we set off in the morning it was really foggy, making for some dramatic tree views.

Angel of the North. It seemed smaller than I was expecting…

Driving through Northumberland. Very hilly, and very beautiful. A lot of blind summit hills which were somewhat terrifying. :-)

A beautiful reservoir near the border between England and Scotland.

Across the road from the reservoir. This felt like a snapshot of the landscape we had been driving through: hills, drystone walls, and sheep.

The English-Scottish border. Fàilte gu Alba.

Looking into Scotland from the border car park. Such a stunning view. If only I’d had time to get my sketchbook out…

I love this landscape in the Scottish Borders. Those hills that are, as far as I know, extinct volcanoes. It makes the landscape feel ancient… Ok, I had to check if I was right about this. And it sounds like this hill, with three peaks, called Eildon Hill, is the result of volcanic activity rather than being an extinct volcano itself.

Just a random row of houses in a random Scottish town.

Near the place where we stayed in Edinburgh, there was a vegan café. Of course we had to visit it on the first morning. And on two more mornings because their croissants are fantastic. Chapter One Coffee in Dalry Road. Easy to get to by bus, and Haymarket Station is a short walk away.

Just a random road in Edinburgh.

On the first evening we went to see the three bridges over the Firth of Forth, to see if we could get some nice sunset pictures. Sadly, there was too much cloud cover in the west so the sunset was blocked. I did manage to do a very quick sketch of the rail bridge (that’s the bridge in the photo) despite the wind and cold. We also saw a guy on a bench, eating chips, completely surrounded by, not sea gulls but, some very loud crows or ravens. They really wanted those chips!

The exhibition I wanted to see is at the V&A in Dundee. Which is kind of an odd building?

Anyway.

This is the exhibition: Thread Memory – Embroidery from Palestine. It is on until April 26th so you still have a couple of weeks to catch it if you are nearby. It was worth the trip from Essex!

The dresses were incredible. So beautiful. The exhibition is very moving considering what is happening in Gaza and the rest of Palestine at the moment. And has been happening since 1948.

The work is so intricate and detailed. But these are not display pieces. The dresses were made to wear, for every day use. Some may have been made for special occasions. Some of the dresses show signs of wear. Some have clearly been altered to fit different bodies.

I absolutely recommend a visit if you can make it to Dundee before it ends.

I went to Dundee with a friend and after we had seen the V&A exhibition, and had some lunch, we went to the McManus, Dundee’s Art Gallery And Museum. It was too cold and windy to get out our sketchbooks but I would have liked to draw it. It is built in the Gothic Revival style and it reminds me of a French castle but I can’t remember which one.

Parts of the Gallery are delightfully Victorian in the way that paintings and other things are displayed. I quite like it when paintings are displayed like this, close together and in relation to each other.

On the second day when Tony was working, my plan was to go to the National Portrait Gallery (indoor activity because it was supposed to rain) before meeting a friend. But when I got off the bus at Princes Street Gardens it wasn’t raining so I thought I’d chance it and go sketch the view of the Old Town.

And it stayed dry so I managed to fill up a small handmade concertina sketchbook. It was cold and windy so the sketches were very quick and loose but I actually quite like that. :-)

Here is a little video of the filled sketchbook. I am very happy with this Edinburgh souvenir.

While I was working in my sketchbook, these two walked past and I just love that woman’s pink outfit. :-)

I love this view of the Old Town.

On one of Tony’s days off we went across the Firth of Forth to Fife, to a village called Culross. There was a beautiful view of the Firth from the car park.

The 17th century Culross Palace. I wonder if that yellow colour is the original? It is very unique.

Culross is a very pretty village with old houses. The streets of Culross have appeared many times in the Outlander series, so if you have watched that you may recognise it…

Culross Abbey. Mostly a ruin but the church is still standing and used as the parish church. I managed a very quick sketch despite the cold wind (are you starting to see a pattern here?!)

On Tony’s second day off we went to the Old Town. We were going to go to the Castle but then we got distracted by the National Museum. Which has this amazing light filled atrium. It is absolutely stunning.

Afterwards we walked across the road to see Greyfriars Bobby. I did take a picture of the sculpture but it was a selfie and I just looked so tired so I’m not going to share that! :-D

Then we walked through Greyfriars Kirkyard which has a nice view of the Castle.

And that was pretty much it for our Edinburgh adventure. During which I have become slightly obsessed with oatcakes, and once again forgot to try Irn-Bru. I know I can probably buy Irn-Bru here in Essex but that wouldn’t be the same… :-D

On the way home we took a different route through the Borders, this time getting some nice views of the North Sea. If you go east from this point you’ll end up in Denmark. :-)

Shortly after crossing into England, a hazy view of Holy Island/Lindisfarne.

Until next time, Scotland. Tìoraidh an-dràsta.