FESTIVAL FRINGE

Here's a short (but powerful) post from the Festival Fringe back in August. Held every year in Edinburgh the Fringe is the largest of the city's annual festivals and this year it comprised 40,254 performances of 2,453 shows in 259 venues! Subsequently, the city is literally heaving with people throughout August, with almost 2 million people attending this year - contributing an estimated ₤75 million to the local economy. Needless to say - it's a big festival and an excellent time to visit the city! We managed to see a couple of shows this year, below are a couple of pics from one of them..

During the festival some of the Royal Mile is closed to traffic and is taken over by performers of all descriptions, creating a real carnival atmosphere. Here's one we stopped at briefly, outside St Giles Cathedral..

We only stopped briefly as we were on our way to the Speigeltent for a couple of preshow beverages. For anyone who hasn't visited a Spiegeltent you should do so, there's always a unique atmosphere to go with your beer and wine..

After a few drinks and some dinner we left the Spiegeltent and headed up to the oddly yet appropriately named Udderbelly Pasture, home to the giant upside-down purple cow!..

It's a cool spot to come whether you're seeing a show or not, with a multitude of different bars, bands, seating areas and food stalls spread out beneath the trees..

Just a small fraction of the artists/shows on every night during the festival. These posters were on the wall opposite us as we queued for seats to our show. Unfortunately, with a couple of beers under the belt nature called and Evan had to make a dash for the bathroom, leaving Carly to hold our spot in the line..

It turned out to be a good move though. Whilst walking by the stage door he noticed the man we were lining up to see! The one and only Henry Rollins. This man is a living legend - Grammy-award winning former frontman of the seminal rock outfit Black Flag, lead singer of his own group - Rollins Band - as well as actor, prolific traveller and writer and one of the most intelligent people we've ever heard speak (on a plethora of topics). Needless to say the fan inside came to the surface and it was time to ask for a photo, something neither of us have ever really felt the need to do before, but something that had to be done this time!..

Needless to say, upon returning to the queue and showing Carly the photo she was not impressed! But by then it was time to head into the show and enjoy another barrage from Rollins. A couple of hours later we emerged and decided we should have another drink before heading back to Glasgow. It was a good decision as a few minutes later Rollins emerged from the rear stage door to sign autographs, pose for photos and chat to the fans still remaining. So it was that we were both able to meet the man, had a brief chat and leave the Fringe satisfied and happy! If you're ever in Edinburgh in August be sure to do 2 things - book your accommodation in advance and go the the Fringe!!

The next post promises to be a little larger than this one - coming at you from the north and west of the amazing island of Ireland! Coming soon, we promise..

THE BORDERS - GREAT WAVES, GREAT ABBEYS

With a weekend off and a pretty good weather forecast we decided to head over to the southeast coast of Scotland to explore another area we had wanted to see for some time. So it was that we jumped in a car (finally - long story!..) on a Friday afternooon and headed east of Edinburgh into the area affectionately known as The Borders. Our first stop was the tiny village of Coldingham Bay, only a few miles north of the English Border..

After checking into the St Vedas Hotel right above the beach we utilised the last remaining rays of sunshine to chill out with a walk along the sand. It was sooo good to be back on a quiet and serene beach, especially after escaping a Friday afternoon, Edinburgh peak-hour rush..

Coldingham Bay is a beautiful little beach nestled between two rocky points and it even gets some nice waves on its day. This evening though - it was all about the serenity..

The view from the headland at the north of the beach, right on dusk..

The next morning we woke early to this beautiful sight - a glorious sun rising over a calm North Sea. Hard to believe this photo was taken at 9am, but as it was almost the middle of summer the sun was already high by early morning..

After a full breakfast overlooking the beach we jumped back in the car and headed a little further north along the coast to this amazing spot - St Abbs Head. It's a popular dive spot (and apparently one of the best in the country) and we were lucky to visit it on a very quiet and clear Saturday morning..

It's such a contrast from the flat and sandy beaches that dominate the south coasts of Scotland (both east and west) and was reminiscent of the Cape Schanck/Bushrangers Bay coast back home. Another stunning spot!..

From St Abbs we headed further northwest along the coast, back towards Edinburgh (not too close though) to another beautiful beach at Pease Bay. It was here Evan was hoping to catch his first Scottish waves, having rented a board from the hotel at Coldingham Bay..

And waves there were! It was a beautiful morning for a surf with clean 2-3ft waves breaking off the pebbly point/rivermouth to the right and on the sandbank to the left..

And even better was the fact that no-one was out!..

Evan surfed this wave (known as "Peams") for an hour by himself before being joined by 2 of the nicest locals he's ever met. Mission accomplished! With the surfing bug satiated once again it was time for some lunch and a quiet ale or two, then back to Coldingham Bay to drop the board off before heading further south, momentarily into England, then cutting inland to the true Borders region and the town of Kelso..

Kelso was a beautiful little town with cobbled streets, very well maintained buildings and stunning vistas like this. This was the view from our room in the B&B - looking down the River Tweed to Floors Castle. The castle, more of a country house than a fortress, was built in the 1720's and is the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe..

Part of the Civic Week Celebrations in Kelso - known as the Riding of the Marches or Common Riding, the culmination of which coincided with our visit. This was a parade through the main street of town which included piping bands, riders on horseback baring the Town Standard and a fancy dress parade. These celebrations have ancient traditions, dating back to the Middle Ages when riders would be sent to the town boundary to check on the common lands..

The ruins of Kelso Abbey, one of the 4 Great Border Abbeys scattered through the region. Kelso Abbey was founded in the 12th Century by an order of Tironensian monks. From the 13th Century onwards though, with the Scottish-English border continually in dispute and constantly changing, the town and the abbey were often the focus of attack by English forces. In the 1540s it was severely damaged and later left to fall derelict..

The cemetery next to the abbey, right in the centre of town..

Mary Queen of Scots House in Jedburgh, a 16th Century tower house where she stayed in 1566..

The entrance to the ruins of Jedburgh Abbey, founded early in the 12th Century by Augustinian Monks..

After the defeat of the Earl of Surrey at Stirling in 1297 (at the hands of William Wallace) the English ransacked, pillaged and destroyed the abbey in an act of retribution..
Amazing ruins, right in the centre of town..

From Jedburgh it was only a short drive to Dryburgh Abbey. Eerily, it stands alone in a beautiful little valley as the village of Dryburgh was also a casualty of the border wars..

Dating from around 1150 this abbey was a little different to the others, with a design that covered a lot more ground across different wings. It was founded by Premonstratensians, a religious order which itself was founded in France..

Sir Walter Scotts' burial chamber inside the Presbytery. The great writer spent his childhood in the borders area and made his home at nearby Abbotsford House..

The graves of Field Marshall Douglas Haig and his wife (rear headstones). Haig was Commander of the British Expeditionary Force in France and Belgium during WWI, from 1915 to 1918..

Carly inside the Parlour..

The abbey from the south. The land surrounding the abbey is so beautiful, so quiet and so relaxing, and the River Tweed flows by only a short stroll away..

Just up the road from the abbey is the William Wallace statue at Drygrange. Commissioned by the Eleventh Earl of Buchan it was unveiled in September 1814, making it the first monument in Scotland dedicated to Wallace..

The view from the monument looking towards Ettrick Forest, where Wallace and his men camped before heading to Stirling..

From Drygrange we continued heading northwest to Melrose, another beautiful little town and home to the last of the 4 Great Border Abbeys on our list..

Another amazing ruin! Incredible. Melrose Abbey was founded in 1136 by David I for Cisterian Monks from Yorkshire - and repeatedly destroyed by the English during the 14th Century..

It was subsequently rebuilt by Robert the Bruce during the 14th and 15th Centuries and repaired by Sir Walter Scott in the 19th. Today, Robert the Bruces' heart is buried here (his body lies in Dunfermline Abbey)..

After wandering around Melrose we jumped back in the car and continued our journey northwest to the oldest, continously inhabited house in the UK - Traquair House near Peebles. The first official record of its existence dates from 1107, but its believed to be even older than that (!)..

Since the 15th Century the house has belonged to various branches of the Stuart Family. Today almost all of the house is open to guests and it really is stepping back in time when you explore its interior. Many of the floors are sloping and it is full of ancient objects, some of which were used by Mary Queen of Scots and her son James VI of Scotland (James I of England)..

There's even a brewery on site, producing the pretty good (and strong) Bear Ale. This pic's for Alan - the cooling drum in Traquair Brewery..

This one's for Sheryl - lots of old clothing, ah, stuff?..

And this one's for breakfast - lots of bacon. Just kidding!!..

After Traquair House we headed home to Glasgow and sat down to scour the guides for the upcoming Edinburgh Fringe and Comedy Festivals due to start and continue right through August. Up next, yup you guessed it - a night at the Fringe with a very special guest star..

STP, DUNOON, ARTHUR, ZOO & LINLITHGOW

Time for another post here on the blog, covering a few quick trips we enjoyed in June and July.It's not as spectacular as the last post but nonetheless we had just as much fun partaking in the activities covered!

First up, a quick trip to London to see the mighty Stone Temple Pilots..

We've been big fans of STP for about 14 years now (old!) so when we rounded a corner in south London and saw their name in writing above the Brixton Academy entrance we were fairly happy!..

Inside with Tanya, a few minutes before the start..

Awesome!..

It was an amazing gig. Made even better as we'd resigned ourselves to the fact we were extremely unlikely to ever see them live (due to rehab sessions (theirs not ours!) band split ups and non-existent Australian tours). It was definitely worth the wait..

The next morning, having stayed at Tanya's and James' in east London, we thought a quick look around the Tower of London would be a good idea. One of us though, was a little worse for wear, having stayed at Tanya's and James' in east London! We did manage to see quite a bit of it though, including a few of the Queen's Guards..

Looking across Tower Green to the Queen's House (closed to the public)..

Looking across the lawn at the site of the Great Hall (with some of its old walls in the foreground) and out to Tower Bridge. On the lawn can be seen some of the Towers famous residents - the Ravens. They're cared for by their own Ravenmaster to ensure they never leave the tower - as legend states that the 'kingdom and the fortress would fall' if they did..

A few days later we took the train west from Glasgow Central Station to the port of Gourock. There we jumped on the ferry and headed over to the Cowal Peninsula and the popular Victorian-era tourist town of Dunoon..

Looking north from the ferry terminal at Gourock..

It was a spectacular day, around 25-27 degrees with just a slight breeze..

Just another typically idealic Scottish day really!..

We went to Dunoon for a 'sort-of surprise' birthday party for Selina. It was our first BBQ in a long time and the timing could not have been better -chilling out in the backyard of Selina's house we sunbaked, ate, drank and got a little burnt..

The crew..

The view of Dunoon from the ferry as we left in the early evening. With the weather so nice during May and June and a promising extended forecast for summer things were looking good..

Unfortunately the closer we got to the true northern summer month of August the weather didn't really hold up its end of the bargain. It was still warm and very comfortable but a lot of days were windy or cloudy, like this morning when we finally climbed the Salisbury Crags and Arthur's Seat, the highest point in Edinburgh..
Looking down on the Crags from midway up Arthurs Seat. Beyond is Edinburgh city with the castle visible on top of the Royal Mile..

We weren't really sure where the guys at the top were heading, but didn't stick around to find out. The creek-bed they were walking down was almost vertical..

We made it to the top and shared the beautiful views with the other tourists. At only 251 metres and 45 minutes from the city centre it's a popular walk for tourists and visitors alike..

On the northern side of the hill, close to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, are the ruins of St Anthony's Chapel, dating from the early half of the 15th Century. In the background here can be seen the Palace (below centre) as well as Calton Hill (middle) and the Balmoral Hotel (clocktower at left)..
The beautiful ruins..

Looking over St Margaret's Loch..

It's beautiful (and rare of a capital city) to be able to walk 15 minutes away from the centre and feel like you're in the middle of the countryside..

After descending Arthur's Seat we headed to the zoo to visit the relatives..

There's one! The famous inhabitants of the Budongo Trail Chimpanzee Enclosure..

And the famous Penguin parade that happens every day when a different group go for a short stroll around their enclosure..

Bacon! Wait - we mean pigs. Pigs..

A very surprised Scottish Wildcat. Very similar to a domestic cat but an actual wild variety, although they are becoming rarer due to inbreeding with moggies..

The zoo is situated just outside the city centre on Corstorphine Hill. This is Carly, at the top..

More bacon! A lot of bacon..

A week later we decided to tick another attraction of our list by visiting Linlithgow Palace. Situated halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh and seen by Evan everyday on his way to and from work, the village and palace was the 2nd thing we wanted to see in the area, after the Falkirk Wheel. This is the hulking ruins as seen from the lawn, or 'peel' next to it, with the modern aluminium spire of St Michael's Church to the left..

The day we decided to visit coincided with one of Historic Scotland's educational days (it was during the school holidays) so we were treated to jousting, archery, armour-making and falconry displays among many others. Fun for the whole family!..

The palace itself was more fortification than opulent as it was situated in a strategic position between Edinburgh Castle, to the east and Stirling Castle, to the northwest. Thus it was used as a military base for securing the supply routes between the two..

The west facade..

The interior courtyard

Looking down on the arena one of the palace windows..

Looking down into the north wing. It's hard to imagine exactly how the interior of the building must have looked in its prime when all that remains is the stone shell..

A little step back in time in front of the fountain, said to have flown with wine in September 1745 when Bonnie Prince Charlie passed through on his way south..

Up next on the Wee Scottish Blog is a trip to the Borders Region including a surf and the 4 Great Border Abbeys. Coming soon, promise..