I've got my Edinburgh jaunt booked. Rang up this morning and reserved my ticket. Silly me rang the wrong number at first - wrong offer. What a dolt I am! Anyway, I rang the second number. Waiting for ages with that darn music in the background. Then was put through to the clerk.
I'm going on Monday 15th March. Weekends were heavily booked so I plumped for a weekday instead. Leave Darlington at 9 am (catch the 8.30 from Middlesbrough to get me there). Arrive in Edinburgh at 11.02. Have till 7 pm to potter about. Train gets back in Darlington at 9 pm. Back home to Middlesbrough just after 11 pm.
Okay, it's only a few hours, but it's enough. My parents were from Edinburgh, and I used to go up several times a year to visit an aunt there. Hopefully I'll go up again for another holiday before too long (just a B & B). But it's great knowing I can get up there even as a day tripper. I bet the train services run these offers every year at this time. I'm aiming to go up at least once a year from now on!!!!!
You should have heard me on the phone. I was sooooooo excited. I was jumping up and down like a mad thing. The clerk had to say "Calm down, calm down!" After I'd finished the call I was dancing around in the hall, going "YES!!! YES!!!"
YIPPEEEEEEE!!!!!
Dancing with excitement - Edinburgh jaunt
Don't forget your passport Northerner ... we Scots don't just let anybody in you know!! ;-)
Winterguard
I'm glad there's a "We" in there. I NEVER call myself English. Northerner is the nearest I get to that.
It'll be an odd sort of trip. A bit sad maybe. First time back without my parents. I'm promising myself that this will be an annual event - at the very least.
Northener's good enough for me ;-)
You'll notice some changes in the city if you haven't been for a while. Thankfully most of them for the good.
I hope you have a nice, albeit sentimental trip.
Wintermoor
Last time I was there was 1993 or so. Or 1992 for the city itself. I started turning ill at the end of 1993 and that was the 90s over before I knew it. I had intended to go up with my sister in the spring of, was it 1998? That was to be for my aunt's 90th birthday - I wanted to see that. But she had Alzheimers at that stage and was in hospital - she probably wouldn't have recognised us. I was also seriously ill myself at that stage - ended up having an op. By the time I had recovered she had passed away.
I am still debating with myself whether to make it TWO day-trips. I have enough tokens from the newspaper to make two journeys. I could have one trip to see Edinburgh itself - have a walk along Princes Street say. And a second to take the little bus out to the neighbouring towns and villages to see, by bus at least, some of our old haunts. Only booked the one at this stage.
I'm thrilled for you too Diane!
A magic city, and I didn't realise you had roots up there.
Hope it's a wonderful day (or two lol) and you get to see and do all that you'd like to
Back to my roots - a wonderful thought! I'd love to have lived up there - but I've never seen the jobs come up. Big competition for them too. May be when I retire? Not Edinburgh itself, too expensive. But out a bit, near where my aunt lived.
My tickets arrived in the post this morning. Two days? Very tempting!
By roots I meant that your parents used to live there.
There are some lovely gardens around there (including the Botanic, which I've never visited)
Yes, two days it is then LOL
;)
I'm planning a holiday up there sometime. Once I get myself a job I'll start looking through the brochures for a little B & B. Nice carrot eh?