This
summer I’m wending my way up to Edinburgh with my best Sheffield buddy for my
annual ‘summer’ holiday. The weather
isn’t exactly playing its part in my idea of a summer break, but then choosing
to take a holiday in the UK is the price I have to pay for that. So no bikini or sunblock.
There
are two reasons why I’m heading to Scotland.
And no, one of them isn’t my defection north of the border due to Brexit,
though I was sorely tempted. Nor is it
because the knuckle-biting good looking redheads up that way are more
plentiful. I have certain friends who
would argue this second is exactly why I’m going, but I insist there are two
more pressing reasons. These are:
- I’ve always wanted to visit Edinburgh and decided after being in the UK for over 20 years it was about time I finally did it.
- I need to do some research for my prequel – Palindrome. The research will take place in and around Haddington but it seemed like the perfect opportunity to combine a holiday with work. I believe the common parlance is busman’s holiday.
In the
midst of all this literary research I plan on spending time investigating what
Edinburgh and the surrounding area has to offer. Sheffield best bud and I are staying in a venue with stunning
views and I cannot wait to get there and experience it in person. For those of you interested in a blow by blow account of our stay, it will be on Facebook shortly. This will be my only social media outlet while on hols as I won't be tweeting my comings and goings.
My literary
research will cover such questions as:
- Does Haddington have woods nearby?
- Is there a house big enough to be considered The Big House and would it be on a sort of hill?
- Where is the police station in relation to the nearest housing development?
And so
forth and so on.
I’m
currently wishing I’d visited Haddington before embarking on writing the
prequel. But being the person that I am
my impatience and impetuosity intervened so that I wrote the prequel first and then
began to consider the wisdom of my chosen location.
After
confirming myself a total idiot for my decision to write before exploration I’ll
console myself by indulging in all that Edinburgh has to offer.
Here
are my top five must does for my Edinburgh holiday itinerary:
Tartan
Weaving Mill – primarily because I hope to purchase a kilt if at all possible.
Day
trip to Glasgow for the Rennie Macintosh House – I’ve always loved his designs
and even copied some for the stained glass panels of the door of my living
room. This by the way is not my copy but an original.
Edinburgh
Castle – because you always have to visit a castle, fort or cathedral on your
travels so that you can expound on your meagre knowledge of buttresses.
Arthur’s
seat – simply for the view never mind that it’s a volcano or that it has a hill
fort dating back 2000 years. That’s just geology and history crying to be stepped on.
The
Museum on The Mound – it’s all about money and how it’s made. Their gift shop has souvenirs made from
recycled bank notes and it’s been endorsed by Ian Rankin so why wouldn’t you
want to go?
Hello Holiday!
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. It's much appreciated as is the time you take to write a comment.