Moving on to Scotland -- Sunday June 23, 2013

I alluded in a previous post that we really were turned off by the cities we have visited.  They are so crowded and touristy, that they are not really enjoyable.  I almost feel like we HAVE to visit them because we may never come this way again, but frankly, Ed & I both really like the countryside instead.  Can you say 'country mice'?

We were talking about this with our hosts because our next stop was scheduled to be five nights in Edinburgh, Scotland.  (I know.....many of you have told us that's your favorite city!), but I had cancelled that reservation, so we were undecided on what to do.  They suggested we stay just outside the city in a little town called Aberlady.  They recommended an Inn that they stayed in and liked so we decided that's what we would do! 

Lindisfarne Castle

We decided to take the longer coastal route from Thropton, England to get to Aberlady, Scotland.  We rode up the A1 stopping first at Holy Island, also known as Lindisfarne.  This island is located on the east coast of Britain, just south of the border to Scotland and is a tidal island.  You can only get on and off the island on the causeway during the low tides!  The only actual tourist attraction on the island is the Lindisfarne Castle. 

From there we continued up the A1 to find a little seaside town to have lunch.  Seaside towns are not at all like at home.  Many are not so nice or are pretty deserted.  And there is almost no housing developed along the coast like at home! 

Dock at St. Abbs

We ended up stopping in a small fishing village called St. Abbs , which is located on the south east coast of Scotland, in the Berwickshire area of the Scottish Borders.  St. Abbs has a working dock and a hub for a lot of scuba divers.  There were beautiful mountains that went right into the sea.  Very quaint and we had a delicious lunch in a local pub.

Duck's at Kilspindie House

I had signed us up for three nights at Duck's at Kilspindie House.  We were met by a smiling desk clerk who showed us around and made us feel at home. It turned out to be very nice. It's not a bed & breakfast, as such, but rather a family run 'restaurant with rooms'.  It's an older hotel but with a very different feel then St. Helen's!

Rooms were small, but very clean and came with a delicious breakfast each morning as well.  They had a restaurant and pub if we wanted right on site, too.  It was only $150 US for 3 nights! And it was only a 10 minute ride to get the half hour train ride into Edinburgh.

We both decided this was going to be a very good alternative to a location in the city.