Weekend Up North

Last weekend Tim and I went up North for a couple of nights. We had discussed ages ago about going away for a weekend and had looked briefly at flights to some cities in Europe before deciding to stay in Scotland! I have actually not travelled much in Scotland at all so I was happy to use the time to see some parts of my own country. We stayed in a small town called Craigellachie, about an hour North of Aviemore and used the few days to explore nearby. 

We drove an alternative route on the way there which took us right up the side of Loch Lomond and Loch Tay which was lovely. It turned into a really sunny day during our drive so it was amazingly scenic. We stopped off a few times on the way for a little walk where we thought there were good photo opportunities. The village of Kenmore by Loch Tay was beautiful in the early evening sun (where the second photo here was taken).

On our only full day up there we walked five miles to Dufftown, the next town along The Speyside Way from where we were staying. Here we visited the Glenfiddich whisky distillery which I found really interesting, since distilleries are in Tim's line of work, but unfortunately I don't think I'll be a whisky drinker anytime soon! Later that day we visited the Craigellachie bridge where Tim tried to teach me both; how to properly skim stones and also a bit more about photography. I'm trying to learn a bit more whilst I save up for my own camera so our weekend away was a great opportunity for me to try out his DSLR. That night we had a lovely meal at at The Copper Dog, the restaurant in The Craigellachie Hotel which I'd highly recommend if you ever find yourself in that neck of the woods. The next day before we had to drive home, we headed further up North to the coast at Lossiemouth. It had been recommended that the beach was worth visiting and it didn't disappoint; a lovely long part of coastline full of sand dunes and an amazing ice cream shop!

It was really lovely to visit some parts of Scotland that I'd never seen before, and great to spend a weekend away from the city, since I am a country girl at heart! 

"There is no wifi in the forest, but I promise you will find a better connection."

March Playlist

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Botanic Gardens

On one of my days off last week I found myself taking a walk to The Botanic Gardens. There have been some pretty nice Spring days lately but unfortunately this didn't turn out to be one of them. Apparently the morning on that day had been nice but being a day off, obviously I spent the whole morning in bed!! I feel lucky to live only a short walk from the Botanics, it's a lovely place to spend a day off whether it's sunny or not. I do hate sometimes how much my working schedules clash with my friends and boyfriend though. Having my days off during the week means taking to doing things like this by myself which I am pretty used to now, and actually do kind of enjoy. Don't get me wrong, was quite relaxing to wander around the gardens by myself and then sit and enjoy a coffee (and the BEST scone with jam and cream!), but I would love a bit more time to do these things with the people I love.

Although it was a bit of a grey day I still had a lovely walk around the gardens and managed to seek out lots of colour to photograph. I don't claim to be a photographer and only have my phone to take photos, but I do really enjoy it and I'm quite happy with how some of my Botanics photos turned out.

Edinburgh Dungeons

A couple of weeks ago I was invited along to the Edinburgh Dungeons where they were previewing their new 'Deadly Diseases' show for Easter. Having not been to The Dungeons since I was about fourteen I was really looking forward to the night with some of my fellow Edinburgh blogger ladies. The 'getting scared' aspect of the evening hadn't really crossed my mind until I got there and others were making comments about their nerves (Oh yeah, this could be scary!), I actually thought I would be alright with things like this. Well so I thought! ...

The 80 minute tour consisting of 11 different shows, starts in a courtroom where some (unlucky) individuals are chosen to take to the stand and plead guilty to their crimes. From there, as punishment, you will be lead deeper into the heart of underground Edinburgh. The tour explores the historical streets of the city, taking you through a grave yard where you might find Burke and Hare looking for their next victim, and to meet The Green Lady, one of Edinburgh's greatest ghosts. The 'Deadly Diseases' event for Easter is incorporated with a new character in the form of the barber-surgeon (will you brave the barbers chair?!) and looks at the deadly diseases whilst exploring the underground streets of a plague ridden Edinburgh. A section of the tour focuses on the story of Sawney Bean and his carnivorous family who prey on travellers for their next meal. You will be taken on a dark boat ride through the caves of Galloway to find the family (the one section of the tour where I literally screamed!), and when you do, taken to their cave to discover what they do with their victims...and which parts are the tastiest! Nearing the end of the tour you find yourself down at The Grassmarket as a crowd have gathering to watch your hanging. The intense Drop Ride (one of my favourite parts of the tour) gives your stomach an instant sinking feeling, giving the illusion of being hung with the realistic sound effects of breaking necks.

On completion of the tour you will arrive in the new market street gift shop (appropriately named as Edinburgh Dungeons is located on Market Street)! This unique shopping experience gives the illusion of shopping in the cobbled streets of an old market town with gifts displayed on rickety old carts and rat invested boxes. This really helps to continue the whole historical and theatrical dungeons experience right to the very end of your visit.

We were treated really well by all the staff at the dungeons which made it a great evening. Being provided with some food and a glass of wine on our completion of the tour, as well as a sample of gin from the guys at The Gin Bothy on our arrival, were lovely little finishing touches. We also left with a generous goodie bag of pieces from 'market street' such as a tin of Torturous Toffee and a pen with a hidden map of Edinburgh in it (clearly I now have the best pen at work!).

The whole experience is extremely; entertaining, educational, funny, scary...and really quite intense!! The acting, set, costumes, lighting and props throughout the whole tour are flawlessly realistic and really draw you into all the stories and the history, keeping you on each the whole time! I do hope I've not given too much away because it's definitely worth a visit if you're looking for something to do in Edinburgh this Easter, especially when the weather is so poor. I know I'll definitely be back to this award winning visitor attraction with my friends and family soon and really thank The Dungeons for letting me in to review! 

The 'Deadly Diseases'  tour is on until the 10th of April. 

Book your tickets at thedungeons.com/edinburgh.

Spring in Stockbridge

I love spring. I probably say that about all the seasons when they come around, I'm not sure I could pick a favourite one, they all seem to be just what I need at the time. There's something about both Autumn and Spring though; those days that are really sunny but still quite crisp and cold...I love them. I think I've also always like Spring time because it's both Easter and my birthday. Translate: Spring = sunny days, cake and lots and lots of chocolate! We've maybe not had too many really nice Spring days in Edinburgh yet, but I have managed to capture a few nice Spring scenes in and around Stockbridge. I love how bright the first photo is, it was the nicest morning...which naturally turned into a grey and rainy day about an hour after I took this! There are also some lovely Spring flowers at The Botanic Gardens at the moment, and that last photo, the gorgeous early evening sun on the view from my flat. I do hope there's more of all of this to come. 🌷