Spring Break in Scotland - Day 2

Day 2 (Monday) - Arthur's Seat and Train to Pitlochry - on Day 2 of my break I woke up, checked out of the hostel, and went to go hike on Edinburgh's dormant volcano: Arthur's Seat. Arthur's Seat is located in the larger Hollyrood Park, which belongs to the Queen. It's essentially a large expanse of rugged hills, grass, and lakes right in the middle of Edinburgh. There are a number of paths (hundreds, maybe?) which loop around and cross the park, making it a hikers paradise. Most of these paths are well worn by tourists climbing up to the summit of the volcano for the absolute best view of Edinburgh, as well as the surrounding Scottish countryside.

I took a number of different paths to try and cover as much of the park as I could until 4pm, when I had to catch a train to Pitlochry. One of the paths I picked had a recent rock slide, so in order to go on I had to do a bit of climbing boulders, which was fun. The rest of the time I wandered from area to area in the park, taking LOTS of pictures of the scenery. The park is very rugged and hilly, but most everything is covered with soft peat moss and grass.

Though the clouds were heavy, there wasn't any rain (fortunately). The only problem of the day was very strong winds. I would guess that it was constantly 30mph, with gusts up to 80mph. I was almost knocked off of my feet a couple of times! This was especially scary at the very top of the mountain, where a stumble could have meant falling back down the rock face. I clung to a tall rock when taking pictures, just to make sure I didn't fall over! For the last part of the hike I chose a path that went right along the edge of some steep cliffs (the same ones I had walked next to at the beginning of the day). My heart was in my throat, peering over the edge. I was just glad that the winds were blowing AWAY from the edge, not towards it!

After the hike, when I was tired and hungry, I went back to the city to sit in a Starbucks, read my book, and wait for the train to Pitlochry. The train itself was pretty quick, only 1.5 hours or so. Since Pitlochry is a relatively small town of 3,000 it was easy to find my B&B just off of the main road. The B&B is owned by two Austrialian expats (a few of many that I met on my trip. I think I met more Aussies than Scotsmen!) who now live in Pitlochry while their daughter has started her first year of University in Aberdeen. The B&B - called "Carra Beag", after a nearby peak - is very cute. I had a single room upstairs with an ensuite bathroom. Downstairs there was a small library with a fireplace and comfy couches. I enjoyed reading books and relaxing by the fire when I was done with my hiking!

That's it for the second day. Click below to see pictures of Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh.