Scottish food day of unnecessary unwanted walking

Today was another day of changed plans. Firstly I woke up at 8.30. I lay in bed for a while in amazement – I never, ever sleep past 7.30 and rarely past 7. Was my watch wrong? I was stiffer than I have been for a while, so thought – as little as possible walking - not what I had thought of doing. After breakfast I set off for Charlotte Square – what the books say is the nicest part of the New Town ( Edinburgh started as the Old town – on a ridge with a wall on 1 side and a marshy swamp in the valley. In the mid 1700’s they got someone to design the New Town on the other side of the swamp – rows and rows of Georgian townhouses wth some bits of garden scattered around. Then it spread a bit more – I am staying in Stockbridge which has similar rows and rows of Georgian townhouses) Back to this morning – I was almost at my destination when I discovered I had left my wallet in the flat. Walk there and back – only option – unnecessary walking. The square would have been nice if it wasnot filled with white tents – a book fair. The house I had gone to see was a National trust house and, I thought, very well done. Each room was decorated with furniture and fittings as it would have been for it’s first owner in 1800. There was a double sided A4 sheet of info in each room and a volunteer in each room to answer questions. Some random bits of info – in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s they used to put all the food for all the courses on the table at once, so you could eat your pudding before your peas. The ends of table knives were rounded because it was quite permissible to eat from your knife. There was a chamber pot under neath the sideboard in the dining room for the men to use after the ladies had departed. In Scotland it was (is?) traditional for the bestman to give the bride and groom a chamber pot with a traditional verse written on it. I donot know what the verse says. It was traditionally filled with money and salt – for health , wealthy and , therefore, happiness. In 1 of the rooms they showed a video they had made with actors in the house dressed in the period . It was a day in the life of the family and their servants – using the furniture . It put the whole house into perspective.

I then went to find a shop to buy another shirt like the one I bought in Manchester. I had written down where it was – but it wasn’t. More unnecessary walking – up and down the street a few times before I asked someone. They are getting the right size from Glasgow. Hopefully it will arrive before Saturday.

The guys in Rohan ( the outdoor travel shop) had told me of a few pubs that had OK food nearby. I went to one and had haggis, neeps and tatties. The haggies was OK – bit like savoury very fine mince , the tatties were mashed potatoes and neeps were cubes of steamed turnips. Once was enough – for the same price I could have had salmon. At least it wasn’t as bad as the horrible liver I had in Venice.

Next I went to St Giles, the main church in Edinburgh where John Knox preached. There were heaps of people all around it – part of the fringe festival – and I had to walk a long way round – more extra walking. There was a huge modern organ, installed in 1992. I cannot remember ever seeing anything like it. Then I went to look at another NT property , Gladestones Land. . In 1617 a Thomas Gadstone bought this tenement house and made additions to it. A few of the rooms were furnished as they would have been and a few a bit later. Interesting to compare them with the rooms of the first house 1800 that I saw.

Next I wanted to catch a bus to Cramond a village ( suburb of Edinburgh) on the water NW of Edinburgh. I looked around for a bus stop, could not see one ( they are not very far apart) so set off down the road till I found one. When the bus came I found that there was a stop just the other side of where I was when I started to look ( more unnecessary walking)

Cramond was pleasant. It was about a 5 , maybe 10 minute walk from the bus stop to he waterfront where the coffee shop was packed. There were boats and many people out for a day’s stroll along the waterfront. There were some buildings a bit away and I thought – maybe a less crowded coffee shop, but no – more unnecessary walking. I had a coffee and wandered back and went into the church that I past. The tower dates back to the 15th century. It reminded me a bit of the PLC chapel – lots of plain pane lled wood.

Bus home, then I thought I would go to the pub and have a whiskey. I went to the pub I had been to but it was packed, so I went out . I thought – the wool shop is just up this street, I’ll go there and get the pattern I want – but it must have been on of my other routes into town ( m u walking) I walked back past the pub to a pub nearer where I am staying. It was only half full ( 5 pm Monday). A very helpful girl younger than my daughters suggested I try the ‘malt of the moment’ ie the special of the day. I sat and sipped and wrote a few postcards for a while. It was Miltonduff from Speyside. Less peaty than some i.e. less smokey which I think I prefer, going on the more peaty one I tried in the shop on Saturday. It cost ₤2.50 ( compare with ₤1.2 for a bus ride, between ₤1.5 and ₤2.2 for a cappuccino, ₤3.5 for a glass of wine at a pub, ₤4.5 for a nicer glass in a restaurant) . The other people in the pub were all locals, seemed to know each other, 1 couple brought their own nibblies, nice atmosphere. Not pretentious.

Then I thought I had eaten bread and cheese and hummous and tomatoes and lettuce for 2 nights I would go to the shop around the corner to buy some nice ready made salad. Which I did but I forgot that it was by then 6pm and the shop was shut – m u w!