Edinburgh Castle

Having never been to Scotland,  Grayden and I decided to take a couple of day trips from the Lake District to visit a part of the northern third of Great Britain.  Edinburgh Castle was our first day trip on the agenda.  We drove up the M6 excited to see our first glimpse of Scotland!

The early morning fog was giving way to glorious sunshine.

It wasn't too long before we see the sign we've been waiting for!

Scotland is that beautiful green and lovely land like England.  We pass many evergreen forests that appear to be planted for logging purposes.

We get on a smaller A road on our way to Edinburgh.  Passing many sheep farms and lovely pastoral views.

As we reach the outskirts of Edinburgh, we see the iconic Hackney Carriage.  

We also see the Edinburgh Castle up on the Castle Rock!  Now we must find the parking deck and hike up the hill to visit.

Edinburgh is a bustling city with lovely architecture around every bend.  You can view Edinburgh Castle from almost every street.  

Make sure you have comfortable shoes on, because we are walking up....

And up...

And up....Stopping to take photos, we can take a breath!

A castle built on this rock was a very good idea!  Protection on all sides certainly would hopefully keep you safe from harm.   Can you imagine that a royal castle has been here since the 12th century to 1633?  Since the 17th century it has been used as military barracks.  Scotland's history is all tied to the castle--The Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century to the Jacobite rising in 1745.  It is believed that Edinburgh Castle is the most attacked site in all of Great Britain.  Because of it's storied history, it is the most visited site in all of Scotland.  We can attest to that fact as it was quite popular on the day of our visit.

I couldn't help but take a photo of one of the many gentlemen proudly wearing the clan tartan.

Portcullis Gate

We enjoyed an easy entry as we bought the Three Day Scotland Explorer Pass before leaving the US. 

The views from the top are amazing!

Scottish National War Memorial

Like most castles, Edinburgh Castle is a city within itself. 

The Royal Palace clock tower in Crown Square, and our stomachs, remind us our breakfast is long gone.  There are several places to have lunch, so I hope you will join us for our first taste of Scotland.

Yes, I think we'll enjoy this spot!

I ordered the Rosemary Chicken Ciabatta sandwich.  It was delicious!

Grayden had the Eggs Benedict.  He said it was great!

Grayden and I normally split a lunch, but today we were both quite hungry.  After lunch we'll explore the castle more extensively.

I can't begin to recount all that has happened at Edinburgh Castle.  We toured the Royal Apartments.

The Great Hall

An interesting display of Royal Keys to Edinburgh Castle!

While touring we also were able to view the Scottish Crown Jewels.  Of course, no photography is allowed.   

Edinburgh Castle will always have a special place in our memory. 

Many shops in the area carry all things Scottish!

Riding back "home" was lovely.  

Our first time in Scotland was exciting and we'll return soon. ♥

England, Day Two, part two

 

♫Pride and Prejudice♫

We're travelling to the Peak District to visit a very special place owned by the National Trust.  After leaving Emma Bridgewater we travelled to Lyme Park on a series of A roads (similar to US highways but not always four lanes) and some M roads (like US interstates).  Again all we had to do was to go to the GPS and select Lyme Park.  Travelling along we passed lovely vistas.  The afternoon skies are now turning blue!

Upon arriving at the entrance we drove the long winding drive up to the car park.  We passed this interesting looking structure as we ascended the hill.

We later learned this was used as a hunting lodge and later as a jail for poachers.  Continuing up to the mansion we see the lovely Lyme Hall.

Lyme Park was the country home of kings and aristocracy.  The estate was granted to Sir Thomas Danyer in 1346 and passed to the Leghs of Lyme by marriage in 1388.  It remained in the possession of the Legh family until 1946 when it was given to the National Trust. 

The large estate lies in Cheshire in the Peak District.  The 1300 acre estate is quite impressive.  They do not allow photographs inside as many of the furnishings are on loan from local families.   The home is filled with treasures from the Edwardian era,  Lyme's Golden Era!  The Peak District is stunning and a beautiful setting for Lyme Park.

We entered the home's interior through the center courtyard.

After viewing the interior we wanted to see the gardens and view the home's exterior from different angles.  Let's take a look.

Lyme Hall was used as Pemberly in the BBC production of "Pride and Prejudice".  It's where Mr. Darcy met Miss Bennett.

  

The sunken garden above is the Italian Garden (originally laid out as a Dutch garden).  It was created by William Legh and is obviously filled with formal flower beds and a central fountain.  This garden is amazing!  There are four cherub statues featuring  earth, fire, air and water. 

Orangery

Before leaving Lyme Hall we decided to visit their tearoom and have some refreshment.  All of the National Trust places that we visited had lovely tearooms.  It's one more way you can support their efforts to keep up their wonderful properties.  We were told if it were not for the National Trust most of the properties we visited would have fallen into ruin.

Driving down the winding driveway we spotted a small herd of red deer. 

Lyme Park is a lovely place to visit.  I can see why many families in the area come here to enjoy the lovely surroundings.

Here is a map of Lyme Park to give you an idea of its size.

Entrance Tickets

The pamphlet above shows the actual front view of Lyme Hall.