6 February Edinburgh – The Museum of Scotland

Alan, Allan, Davie C, Davie MC, Ian, Jimmy, Johnny, Malcolm, Peter, Rex & Robert

We went to Edinburgh today. No, we didn’t do our usual climb of Arthur’s Seat for this was to be cultural visit. Instead, when we gathered at St Margaret’s Loch car park, we turned immediately for the Royal Mile. (It should be noted here that while most of us gathered at St. Margaret’s Loch, the Irvine contingent in their wisdom decided to take the bus and so arrived in the city at St Andrews Square.)

The polis on duty at the parliament building looked absolutely funert (frozen for the non-Scots) standing there for, although the sun shone brightly from a near cloudless sky, a chill breeze blew off the Forth and kept the temperature down. But we kept up a good pace to ward off the chill. Up the Royal Mile we went, up the Canongate, up the High Street to the South Bridge. When we turned the corner on to the bridge the change in temperature was dramatic; no longer were we in the shade and the breeze, we were now in the sun and sheltered from the northerly. It was really quite mild. But we didn’t have time to appreciate the warmth – well, warm for Edinburgh in February – for Rex led us on at a fair old pace.

It was on the corner of the bridge that Robert and Peter decided that they would go in search of the Irvine lot so left us and made their way further up the mile. We continued to Chambers Street and the Scottish National Museum and The Museum of Scotland. We found the Irvine lot where we half expected to find them – in the tearoom having coffee. But where were Robert and Peter? Aren’t mobile phones wonderful things? Within minutes of our call, the missing pair joined us for coffee.

An arrangement was made that we should meet again at a specified time which has escaped the scribe at the moment and at the Chambers Street entrance. Then we went our separate ways to explore the museums.

At the specified place, the specified time arrived and so did all of us! Then we made our way by George 1V Bridge to Victoria Street for Rex and Ian knew the perfect eatery. The Bow Bar may well get plaudits in the press for its ales but there is a distinct lack of food there. The only thing on offer was pies and they didn’t have enough for eleven of us. So much for the great eatery promised by our, now cringing, twosome. One pint of ale and we were off in search of food. This was found in Biddy Mulligan’s in the Grassmarket. Not exactly haute cuisine but it was sufficient to stave off hunger for a while.

Suitably nourished, it was decided that this would be the time to leave the city before the rush hour started. Some hope. By the time we had made our way back along the Cowgate to Holyrood Park it was closing on four o’clock and the rush hour had already started on the west side of the city. And of course that’s the way we Ayrshire men had to go. Still, despite the traffic we all made it safely back home to God’s county resolved to do something similar in the future.