Our next train doesn’t leave until early afternoon, so we still had a bit of time in Edinburgh on Monday. We had coffee and muffins at the Cafe Barcode nearby, including a nice interaction with their Italian owner.
Back at the hostel, we leisurely packed up our room and used the payphone to reserve a room at our next stop, Stranraer. They tell us that yesterday’s misty rain is normal in Edinburgh, and that today’s sunshine is rare. So we enjoyed the crisp and breezy fall weather along Princes Street on the north side of the station, taking pictures and chatting with a bagpiper.
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- The Balmoral Hotel
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- The clock tower of the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh
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- The Sir Walter Scott Monument, as seen from the park below it.
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- Sir Walter Scott
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- A busking bagpiper on Princes Street near the Scott Monumnet.
After wishing a fond farewell to Edinburgh, we got our itinerary for the trip to Stranraer. We had a half-hour layover in Glasgow, but we never left the platform. All we saw of Glasgow was the massive red brick walls of the station.
After another quick connection in Ayr, we gazed at the Scottish countryside in rapidly changing weather. We saw several rainbows, but none would pose for pictures.
We were in Stranraer on schedule at 6pm. Before finding our guest house, we bought our tickets for tomorrow morning’s ferry to Belfast.