withsomejam

November last year, saw me tag-along with bearded boyfriend on a couple of jobs he had further afield -one being in Edinburgh. I have wanted to go to Edinburgh for the longest time and even though it was only a fleeting visit, I was so excited for this opportunity.

I played passenger princess on the way up. Knitting, snacking and just generally being delightful on the long drive. I believe it took us just under nine hours to get there in the loaded van. We had a couple of breaks -one being to take some snaps as we crossed the border.

Once we arrived at the hotel in Wallyford and got settled, we realised we needed food and we needed it fast: so we took the trip into the city itself and found our way to a Wetherspoons. Tiredness was hitting hard as we grubbed out and I had my first authentic Irn Bro on Scottish soil. We managed to play a couple of games of cards but to be completely honest we just needed to get those zzzz’s.

The next day, while the boyfriend went to his job, I made my way back into the city with nothing but my wee walking stick as a companion (momentary pause for the gratitude that I could do that). Unfortunately, I hadn’t taken opening times into consideration and had to find somewhere to have a tea while I waited -which weren’t a bother to me as I really wanted to get some writing done.

I found a -you guessed it- Wetherspoons on Waverly Bridge and sat opposite a picturesque building which I later learnt was the National Galleries of Scotland. I sipped my hot tea and managed to get some writing done before heading to Waterstones (…the only place I really wanted to go).

I did get a little distracted on my way there -buying myself a jumper, grabbing some Edinburgh rock for my godfather and admiring the view for far too long. My plan went a bit askew when the boyfriend called to ask where I was and it transpired that he’d finished his job and had been looking for me in Waterstones.

Luckily, I was still allowed to peruse the store for awhile and get some grub before we got on the road. I got a few great buys in the local interest section and indulged in my third Irn Bro of our short trip. I got A Year of Scottish Poems by Gaby Morgan and Where are the Women? A Guide to an Imagined Scotland, by Sara Sheridan. The latter of which I am really excited to delve into. It’s such a wonderful concept so stay tuned for that.

We then found the van and got back on the road. I insisted on going to Maccy D’s for another Irn Bru before we crossed the border. The fact that Irn Bru is at Maccy’s -and from a soda machine is wild to me. It’s such a treat!

We headed off to the next hotel, already getting homesick for all that we hadn’t seen of Edinburgh. It was mad to us that we had driven over eight hours to get there but had only stepped a foot into all that Scotland had to offer. We will definitely be returning.

Cheerio for now!