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Rosslyn Chapel and High Tea at The Balmoral - 24 May (last day before flying home)

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Very excited about our trip to Roslyn Chapel this morning. We have a booking for 10.30am - 12pm and need to catch a local bus to take us to Roslyn - about 50 mins away. It only costs two pounds each way, which is excellent value. The weather appears to be a bit better than yesterday, although still overcast with a bit of drizzle. We jump off a couple of stops early which works out fine as we have a pleasant 20 min walk to the Chapel (no rain) and arrive with 15 mins to spare - if you are wondering, yes we did align from the bus early by mistake 😃.  Founded in 1446 by Sir William St Clair, the Chapel took forty years to build. The beauty of its setting and the mysterious symbolism of its stonework has attracted, inspired and intrigued visitors ever since. No photos are allowed inside (sadly), but here's some from each side on the outside: We were lucky enough to catch a 20 min chat from one of the guides about the history of the Chapel and all the restoration work they are doing. T
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Not so smooth car rental return, scenic train to Edinburgh and The Real Mary Close walking tour - 22 May

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Bit of a sad day today as we return our wonderful CX60 Volvo - it has been an amazing car to drive around in for 22 days - and we felt very lucky. Quick servo visit to make sure her petrol tank ⛽ is full and we continue our journey to Aberdeen airport ✈. Find Hertz easily and I head off to let them know we are ready to return it as Sue does some final suitcase packing adjustments. We need to catch either the 10.10am or 10.25am bus back to Aberdeen city centre to ensure we make our 12.07pm train to Edinburgh. Everything is going well as the girl takes less than 5 mins to check the car and declare it 'ready for return' and I ask her how to find the airport bus back to Aberdeen city centre. It's less than a 5 min walk from our current location, so we skip off quite content with our efforts thus far. Sadly this is where things go slightly pear shaped.  About half way to the bus stop, Sue asks me if I have her Scotland folder that was between the front seat and console on the pa
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Elgin Cathedral, final grave stone hunt and Searchers concert - 21 May

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Easy start to our day as we head off in beautiful sunshine to visit Elgin Cathedral. Few fun facts; begun in 1224, Elgin was the principal church of the bishops of Moray it was badly fire damaged in 1390 following an attack by Robert III's brother Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan it lost its roof shortly after the Protestant Reformation of 1560 and later its central tower fell the two towers of the West Front and the Chapter House remain intact the ceiling of the chapter house is considered to be one of Scotland's finest octagonal structures  there's a collection of more than 100 medieval stones on public display featuring carvings of expressive faces, flora and fauna (from lions to lizards). Cathedral entry Check out that blue sky!! Ruins and grounds Heraldic Stone 1500s This carving represents Bishop Patrick Hepburn (1538-73), the last Catholic bishop of Moray. Hepburn was no model cleric. He fathered 13 children with at least five different mistresses and was criticised
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Thurso Castle (meeting current owners) & John o' Groats - 20 May

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We have one more thing to do before we leave Thurso - visit the ruins of Thurso Castle. But just before we head off, this is the view we've had from the front gate whilst in Thurso - check out that blue sky again!! We believe one of my ancestors on Mum's side worked at Thurso Castle as a farmer - perhaps tending the fields. As we draw nearer to the castle, I notice a multitude of 'Private Property' signs. Luckily a lady appears from behind a stone fence, so I jump out of the car and ask her if I could speak with any one about the castle ruins. She was very helpful and told me to go through the stone archway, turn left, walk through the next stone fence and knock on the door of the house on the right, Maryanne should answer. So off I trotted, passing some very old buildings and ending up at the house with their door open and a pair of discarded work boots just inside. I knocked but got no answer. I then used the two prong approach, knocked and shouted out in my friendly
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Castle Mey and Gardens (Queen Mothers private castle) and some very old churches - 19 May

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Sue gave me some tablets to help with my cough. It certainly worked and I slept much better last night. Late start for us today, so I did some washing and we headed out just before lunch to visit the Queen Mothers Castle Mey and Gardens in Caithness - about a 25 min drive away .  My Pop's side of the family lived throughout Thurso back in the 1700 - 1800's and on our drive to Castle Mey, Sue discovered there's an airbnb called "Clynescroft" - so we went and had a look. We found this sign: There's a good chance the people who own it are related - quite exciting. Arriving at the Castle, we drive up the long, high hedged driveway eagerly awaiting our first glimpse. There's also a very high stone fence surrounding the property, so our first view comes as I park the car. The rain has decided to pay a visit with a light drizzle so we decide to grab some lunch. Fruit scone with butter and jam and hot chocolate for moi, soup and cheese scone for Sue. The weather w
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Orkney - 18 May

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Up bright and early this morning at 6.45am as we need to leave by 7.40am to queue for the ferry across to Orkney.  Had a pretty crappy nights sleep as this darn dry cough is soooo frustrating. I don't have a sore throat but am starting to bring up little bits of flem. The coughing lasts about 5 mins then stops just as quickly. I'll be grabbing some better medicine later today, in the hopes of killing the cough all together. Overcast today, with a little light rain but Orkney isn't supposed to have any, so fingers crossed ✌. The ferry terminal is only a 5 min drive away and easy to find. We check-in and queue up with the other cars etc. It takes about 90mins to reach Orkney and whilst Sue goes outside to take some photos I stay warm inside and watch the NRL - Roosters V Sharks. Great way to kill the time. Reasonably smooth crossing and before we know it are driving around Orkney to our first stop Skara Brae. Time for a history lesson..... Skara Brae is regarded as the best e
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