Leaving Rome had its moment's! I caught the shuttle bus out to the airport, but the poor mans airport used by Ryan Air is not the organised airport of its cousin's! What a shambles it was. Queues that took forever to work through, people pushing and shoving, and then hundreds of passengers squashed into one holding area, shoulder to shoulder. I had a very fleeting thought about how we would cope with an evacuation, but promptly pushed it aside - it didn't really bare thinking about!
A final look in the ornate Italian Churches, compared to the grey, rather austere ones I have seen thus far in Scotland.
Part of Bernini's great sculpture of the ecstasy of Saint Teresa of Avila.
The ceiling of the church.
That aside, my window seat managed to give me wonderful views of the Alps as we crossed them, and then of Scotland as we came into land. This too gave rise to a fleeting thought, which I have tried to push aside. As we flew into Edinburgh I could see bright shiny patches on the ground as the sun reflected off pools of water in the fields and on the hillsides, and also on the many little streams. The other thing I observed were the many wind turbines on the hillsides. These observations gave rise to the thought that seeing all the water implies "wet" underfoot, and the windmills imply an abundance of wind. Both things might affect how far, and even how much I enjoy each day! Oh well - I have had the visual warning.
I said in the title of this post that, as the song says, "I know where I am going". At last I do, for most of Scotland, and after that I am not sure. I spent considerable time in a bookshop choosing guide books, and time with shop assistants in outdoor shops where I picked their brains for information, and purchased a few essentials like a compass and gaiters.
For those who are interested in my proposed path, here it is:-
Firstly from John o'Groats down the highway (carefully) through Wick to Inverness.
I then turn off onto the Great Glen Way, followed by the West Highland Way to the outskirts of Glasgow. These paths take me along some well known loch's - Ness, and Lomond and past Ben Nevis (which I may or may not climb, depending on the weather.). From here I will then pick up a path called the John Muir Trail to Edinburgh. The next couple of days will be a bit hazy, but somehow I will work my way South, eventually picking up the Saint Cuthbert's Way to Lindisfarne, and from there I will follow Saint Oswald's way to the outskirts of Newcastle. This gets me into England and as far as I have got in the planning. You will have to wait for another instalment to find the rest of my plans.
Looking towards the Royal Mile, the castle being out of site on the right.
The sun brought people out, and many relaxed on the lovely lawns.
St Mary's Cathedral, where I had my first "sing" in the UK!
Dismantling the stands after the Tatoo, which finished a couple of weeks ago.
Saint Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh.
This was one of the cleverer adds re independence!
I am spending the night in Stirling! How could I go past and not stop here? It is a lovely town, all abuzz at present because this is quite a stronghold of the " yes" vote for the upcoming referendum non Independenceext Thursday . I was accosted frequently by both sides and I just said that the Stirling I came from was in another country, and therefore I couldn't vote! Tomorrow I head to Thurso and will try to make my way to the Orkney Isles and continue being a tourist for a few more days, and hope to begin the End to End about next Wednesday. The weather is extraordinarily mild at present. I have my wet weather gear, but not warm gear yet - Emrys will courier that to Inverness for me next week, so hope it continues mild for a little while longer.
The sign at the railway station.
The station was blue and white.
The boy's club building in Stirling. The Boy Scout emblem is on the right of the door.
Church of the Holy Rude, Stirling. This was the church where John Knox conducted the coronation of Mary Queen of Scots son, James VI of Scotland and James I of England. He was baptized as a Catholic in latin, crowned as a protestant in English
Flags in the street - hard to see, but Saint Andrew's flag of Scotland in the front row, the Union Jack of England the other! The battle continues.
I've had my computer packed up for a while as painting has been going on in my house. But I connect it back up and come upon this exciting post. What an interesting time to be in Scotland! Look forward to finding out more...
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