In late May I embarked on a trip to explore more of my home country, the United Kingdom. I had not originally planned to visit Scotland but my son, who joined me for the first week expressed a desire to go there, so off we went to Edinburgh.

I am so glad we did.

The first morning we set off to explore, feeling refreshed after having arrived quite late the previous night. This being Scotland it was a bit rainy but we ventured out anyway in search of the Johnnie Walker Experience, not because we wanted whisky I hasten to add, I had been told that the roof top bar had a great view, and it did. You can see the castle up on the hill from there, our next destination, although we didn’t go inside the castle but rather wandered the streets close by after the rain had stopped.

A friend had told me that we must not miss the Water of Leith, which is river that runs through Edinburgh and ends in a suburb called Dean village, being a nature lover I persuaded my son to accompany me on a nature walk. We found it quite close to our hotel. It was delightful

Our second and final day dawned sunny and bright, we had no specific plans, so we spotted a passing tram and decided to take it to the end of the line and see where it took us. We ended up at a town called Newhaven on the Firth of Forth which is an inlet of the North Sea. We did not linger long there, just enough time to enjoy the sea air and check out the lighthouse, then we took the tram back into the city.

Back in the city I thought we might go up Calton Hill, another place famous for the views. Edinburgh is full of hills and stairs so wear comfortable shoes if you go. Calton Hill is home an observatory, a Gothic tower and the rather famous Dugald Stewart monument in addition to the stunning views across the city and beyond. We could also see Hollyrood House where the royal family stay when they visit Edinburgh.

Another must see was the very charming Circus Lane and after much wandering around we finally found it and were not disappointed. A fitting end to our short journey to Edinburgh as the following morning we boarded our tartan tailed plane and flew off to Cornwall in the west of England..

Stayed tuned for my next article.

SUBSCRIBE FREE TO PALOS VERDES PULSE

Dianne Gowder Bio:

Here is a link to my Facebook photography page

https://www.facebook.com/Walking-About-Photography-by-Dianne-Gowder-105661514321435/

Also I can be found on Instagram @dgbrit

Originally from England, but now long time San Pedro resident..

Credit for bio picture: Arturo Garcia Ayala

Dianne loves to walk and she tries to do at least 3 miles every day before she heads out to work. Her love of photography evolved from her walks.

“ I have always been amazed by scenery here and more and more I found myself stopping to capture the beauty of my surroundings. As I shared my work I realized that very few people were even aware of what they have on their doorstep!”

Dianne has made it her mission to share the beauty through her photographs and she takes her friends on walks as often as possible.