Edinburgh 8. Walk to the Castle

My last day in Edinburgh and a walk from my B&B in West coates through Princes Gardens with its wonderful fountain up to the Castle. The Old Town is full of alleyways and steps. As expected my favourite view was from the Castle entrance back across to Arthur's Seat with all the tourists milling around in the forecourt. 

Final views from Northumberland

Back a week now and here are images from the final two days - a visit to Lindisfarne and a walk along the golf course at Embleton and back along the beach. Ending, as is traditional, with a fine sunset from just near our holiday house at Seahouses.

 

 

Classic Views at Bamburgh Beach

Not the best lighting for our visit to bamburgh Beach. Here a few views using slow shutterspeeds and/or foreground interest to try and make the most of the 'classic' views.

Kylemore Abbey and Clifden

Kylemore Abbey and Victorian Walled Garden were originally built as a Castle in 1867 as a romantic gift by Mitchell Henry for his wife.  It became home to a community of Benedictine Nuns in 1920 and has been renowned as a place of spirituality and education. We chose a still misty morning, which suited the location and the rhododendrons well, but, unfortunately, also the midges which somewhat curtailed our visit. We spent an hour or so in Clifden, our largest town in the area.

Beaumaris Castle and Church

We spent the last day in Beaumaris exploring the Castle and Church.

Beaumaris Castle was the last of Edward I’s massive building programme in North Wales but he never got round to finishing it as his finances were needed elsewhere in Scotland. It would have been twice the height! Technically perfect and constructed according to an ingenious ‘walls within walls’ plan, Beaumaris Castle was a 13th-century innovation and has been a World Heritage Site since 1986.

St Mary and St Nicholas Church. The handsome 14th-century church in Beaumaris was erected shortly after Edward I built the castle, to serve the castle garrison and the people of Beaumaris town. The oldest parts of the church are the nave and aisles, and the west tower, all of which date to the 14th century. The alabaster tomb of William Bulkeley (d. 1490) with his wife Elin, is impressive as are the wooden carvings on the misericords.