We left England and took what was supposed to be an 8 hour drive to our Airbnb in Scotland just North of Edinburgh. It ended up taking us about 12 hours, but we had some good adventures on the way. Here we stopped at a castle ruin in the Northern part of England that actually closed before we got there (a big problem we ran into throughout our trip). We used our people skills and got them to open the gates for us and it set the tone for our Scotland portion of the trip. It was about a mile walk to the castle in the freezing cold, but it was the most memorable and picturesque experience. There were sheep alongside us most of the time, the North Sea was right there, and the sound of the crashing waves and wind made it unforgettable.
This is the bridge that we crossed in Edinburgh to get home. Edinburgh (and Scotland in general) is my new favorite place. If I could have a second home anywhere it would be there.
This is the view from our bedroom window at our Airbnb. It was the most quaint and adorable place with such idyllic views.
Out our kitchen window. There were often cows right outside of it.
The boys had separate beds and somehow always ended up in the same bed.
One of the days in Scotland we drove up to Inverness and then to Loch Ness which is nearby.
We visited Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness. Out of the tons of castles we saw, this was definitely a favorite.
They had a show in the visitor's center that gave the history of the castle beforehand. It gave it a lot of meaning when we walked around.
After the show the curtains came up and we saw this view of the castle.
Liam just playing with his double decker bus in a castle window overlooking Loch Ness. He would find favorite spots and plant himself.
All the Nessie Monster tourist areas were closed by the time we had finished with the castle, but we still got some obligatory pictures.
This is Leakey's bookstore, which was inspiration for JK Rowling. Lots of Harry Potter influences here.
There was an amazing old-fashioned candy store in Inverness and Melinda let the boys pick out a bag of candy each.
Liam was always beyond exhausted and super grumpy. It's sad that's what the trip was like for him, but glad he was with us!
A view of the Highlands of Scotland from our van.
At Saint Mary's Close in Edinburgh
Many many gift shops. It was a nice break from the cold some days.
Edinburgh Castle!
Peter found his place in a gift shop in the castle and stayed there with Joy playing with double decker busses.
The boys spent a lot of time playing with the cannons.
The Great Hall. All the castles have a great hall, just like the castle in Harry Potter!
We didn't have a chance to go to Holyrood Palace (definitely want to someday though!), but we walked around the grounds and got some great pictures.
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Dean Village - which was like a town directly out of a 19th century novel.
Lamoni keeping up with his tradition of changing poopy diapers in historical oversea locations.
Liam wanted to push the stroller everywhere. Alone. We could sometimes convince him to just push with one hand...unless he was tired. Then there was a major breakdown.
Lamoni, Mel, and Benjamin got to go golfing at St Andrews Golf Course!
Later that afternoon we left the kids with the men and Melinda, Joy and I went and enjoyed true British tea.
More pictures from Edinburg. I feel like it's the best kept secret. There were not many tourists, and yet it was one of the most magical places I've been.
Melinda learned to bribe Liam with candy for kisses.
On our last day in Scotland the kids were pretty done, so Joy stayed at the house with them and we headed in to do some last minute things with Mel and Melinda. We first went to Stirling Castles, which was probably my favorite overall, then back in to Edinburgh.
I thought this was such a neat idea for a cemetery - they had them single file with walkways like a maze so you could see all the tombstones easily.
In the Great Hall of Stirling castle sitting on the thrones.
Deruchette treated us to dinner. We went to a fancy place and got to try haggis (innards of sheep). I tried vegan haggis and it was good! Lamoni and Mel tried both and said they tasted just the same with slightly different texture.
The far side is the haggis, the middle is mashed turnips and in the front is mashed potatoes.
After eating we walked around "Diagon Alley" (Victoria St)
Meanwhile Joy took the boys on a walk, read to them and just had a nice relaxing time hanging out at home.
The next day we loaded up and headed out early for southwestern England.
We stopped at the Preston England temple, walked around and then went to church next door.
Then we made a stop at the first church building in England - the Gadfield Elm Chapel. The United Brethren were all baptized after Joseph Fielding Smith preached to them, and then they gifted the chapel to the church. The church later sold it to fund the Saints' emigration to America, then purchased it back and refurbished it in the 90s.
There was a lockbox on the door so we could let ourselves in and we had the whole church to ourselves! We sang hymns and took turns "preaching."
There was a gorgeous field where the boys played before getting back into the car and finishing out trip.
