Continuing on the entry above, we woke up on Saturday morning and headed onto the highway. The road systems here are quite different from US highways, and major intersections and highway exits are often poorly labeled (if there’s even a sign). Highways that start with an “M ##” are similar to interstate highways in the US. Highways that start with an “A ###” are similar to our state highways in the US (US 259 for example).
We started out heading north on M90 from Manchester through Lancaster. As we started getting further north, the landscape started getting hillier and hillier. Here’s a picture of our view as we continued on M90 just north of Lancaster:
Sheep covered the fields and hills all across the countryside, and in many cases we would see them scattered up and down extremely steep hillsides. After passing through Carlisle, we drove by this field of windmills. I thought these were really cool:
Soon after this, we crossed into Scotland and took the exit for A7 to head northeast. A7 winds through the is known as the “tourist route to Edinburgh.” We weren’t in a hurry, so we decided to take the tourist route so that we could really experience the Scottish countryside. Here’s a picture of my flat-mate, Nick, driving with the Scottish lowlands in the background:
This windy road took us all around the gorgeous countryside, and we passed through several little towns that were in the middle of nowhere:
As we approached Edinburgh, we saw a random sign that said “Chrichton Castle.” We decided to venture off road, and eventually we found the remains of the 500 year-old Chrichton Castle. Here’s a picture of me with the castle and countryside in the background:
Heading back to the main road, we drove for half an hour and reached Edinburgh, Scotland. Edinburgh is a gorgeous and busy city, and we got turned around a few times before finding a place to park near the city center.
After walking around the city for a while, we finally reached Edinburgh Castle. This castle is absolutely enormous! The south side of the castle is built on top of a 50 ft rock face, and the north side overlooks the waterfront. This castle was exceptionally fascinating because it is still maintained and houses events.
Because we reached the castle after closing time, we weren’t able to explore inside. The guard at the gate told us that the castle is so large that it can house four large weddings simultaneously without any problems.
My camera battery died as we entered Edinburgh, so I wasn’t able to take any pictures of Edinburgh Castle. Nick and I plan on returning to Edinburgh to spend an entire day touring the castle, so I’ll make sure to take some neat pictures then.
Taking to the road again, we crossed the two mile long Forth Road Bridge and headed north along the coastline. Reaching Aberdeen two hours later, Nick and I congratulated each other on a safe and exciting road trip.
I’m not sure where our next road trip will lead, but I’m looking forward to it. Until then, it’s time to hit the school books and study hard.
Once again, I hope things are going great for everyone back in East Texas!
- Stay in touch and best wishes to all of you
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