During a very fleeting (2 nights) catch up with our friends in Chester, we managed to join a Branch training session on the lovely sounding but very noisy inside, ring of six at Hawarden, which has an interesting staircase.  

On Sunday we became re-acquainted with M6(N) on our way to Edinburgh. 

We stopped for a coffee at Tbay services, this this view from the windows.    The fare here was all farm produced and was very tempting but we were only here for a coffee, unfortunately.

It was a very pleasant drive through the Scottish Borders with lots of beautiful scenery on view from the motorway but we decided to turn off and visit Lockerbie for lunch.  

We found a pub that advertised food and perused the menu.   We told the lady that we only wanted a light lunch and I ordered a salad.   A few moments later she stuck her head round the door and suggested that i might prefer the ‘OAP’ salad if we didn’t want much.   This is it, on a full-size dinner plate!

 

I’m sure the car was using more diesel when set out again!  

We turned off the motorway and crossed from west to east via Morpeth, Selkirk and Peebles.

     

We stopped in Peebles for a coffee and look round the town and its ruined monastery.

        

Then on to Penicuick where we are meeting with our friend from Aberdeen and her partner.   It had been quite sunny but after arriving at our accommodation the weather came down.

  Nice Evening…   Going…  Going….   Gone…………..!

Penicuick is not far south of Edinburgh  and we had to take the hire car back to the Airport this morning.   We could see Europcar but finding how to get to it was harder than necessary.   After, incorrectly, going to the passenger drop off area and having to pay a pound to get out of it, we eventually discovered the way in !

After lunch we went to visit Rosslyn Chapel, of ‘The Da Vinci Code’ fame.   The chapel has a long and chequered history since 1074, only being properly restored in the 19th c.    There are many stories relating to the Masonic and Templar connections but none have been proven.   Nevertheless, it easy to spend a lot of time looking at the carvings both inside and out, some of which are amazingly intricate considering the very basic tools available at the time.

           

Rosslyn Castle also has an interesting history but there is little left of it and what there is is difficult to photograph because of the trees.

     

    

The Highlight of the visit to Scotland was the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which we had always said we would go and see when we lived in Scotland but never did!

Here is my rather amateur attempt at a video recording, I have had to edit some bits because of a bunch of ignorant and very noisy Americans behind us.  It is a big file and lasts 9 mins.

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AksnrQT2cvoG0E6TZE7QU-ro_0To

This morning we left Scotland and flew down to Heathrow were we have a nine hour wait for our flight to Johannesburg.