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Day 5: April 17, 2024
We woke up to it lightly snowing but we were heading South down into the Lowlands and the weather steadily improved. As we drove the 2 hours to Pitlochry, Emma played us a podcast telling us all about William Wallace and his victories and disasters.
Pitlochry is a sweet little Victorian town with a salmon ladder which was ideal for a lovely coffee stop and leg stretch.
From Pitlochry we headed for Stirling Castle... the air was crystal clear and the views from the castle walls were spectacular. We had lovely views of the Wallace monument and of the 'new' Stirling Bridge (built in 1500's). The site of the battle at Stirling Bridge back in 1297 had a wooden bridge which no longer exists.
After a few hours exploring the castle and having lunch we swung by the battle site of Bannockburn also for a look at where Robert the Bruce trounced the English in 1314.
Onwards then to Edinburgh... we had time for a quick orientation walk, checking out The Balmoral hotel where JK Rowling wrote the final Harry Potter chapters , the Scott memorial, St Giles Cathedral and the Mercat Cross, and finally Victoria St... inspiration for Diagon Alley.
Dinner was at the Toby Carvery... a great roast where we tried yorkshire puddings and roasties!
A really lovely day today, and finally into the Moxy hotel where we will be staying for the next 3 nights.