York, part 2

Not being the sort of people to let things go, we decided to do York again. But we had a totally different trip this time. See my posts about visiting York and doing York with children.

We took the medieval wall walk from the station

to Clifford's Tower.

 and attempted to climb the hill - which we discovered later via signage that you are not supposed to do!

 We explored the inside.

and admired the view from the top!

We nipped across the street to the York Castle Museum. We enjoyed the vintage toys section, the Victorian street and the fashion exhibition with a sacque-back gown and other period pieces!

 We were tempted to leave the kids in prison.

 But took them for icecream instead.

We visited the Birds of Prey in the Museum Gardens! Then we explored the ruins and ran wild around the beautifully maintained flower beds and hills leading down to the river.

Also we decided the best place to eat with picky kids in York is Spurriergate Cafe at St. Michaels Chambers. It has lots of variety, lots of space and a mini soft play in the corner so you can supervise the kids whilst you eat! D loved the full English breakfast all day option and my veggie lasagna was a feast. They do a soup of the day and top quality roll for 4.20. The bathrooms were clean and there was a baby changing, as well as highchair facilities.

I am a month away from having this baby so this may be the last trip-related post for a while!

Day Trip: Linlithgow

Linlithgow has the most interesting church in terms of blending old and new. Within easy striking distance of Edinburgh, Linlithgow castle is a fun one to go to on a medieval tournament day! 

Fast facts:

• Distance from Edinburgh: 19 miles
• Using public transport: 20 minutes
• History: Mary Queen of Scots was born here
• What there is to do: visit the church and the castle

Pros:

• The castle is an easy walk from the train station
• The train is quite direct
• The castle is on the Historic Scotland pass
• It does not feel like an overwhelming amount to see and do - unlike Stirling Castle for example

Cons:

• The castle is so ruinous that it is hard to imagine it ever being a cozy home - it is freezing even in June!

Bamburgh Castle Day Trip

Bamburgh really has it all: a beach, a castle, a quaint English town, and the best ice cream. It feels off the normal tourist track and although the castle isn't one of the giants of British castles for history, size or importance, you can definitely spend an hour or three wandering the fascinating exhibitions!

Note: we went in April so our pictures aren't as good as others online - just type in Bamburgh Castle for some great sunsets etc!

Fast Facts:

• Distance from Edinburgh: 76 miles
• Using public transport: 1 hour and 47 minutes
• History: an Egyptian in the second century wrote about Bamburgh. Nomadic tribes wandered this site and Romans used the hilltop position of the castle for their beacon system but it was really in the 6th century that Bamburgh's recorded history begins as the royal seat for the Bernician monarchs. Bamburgh is also famous for the Bamburgh beast. King Oswald brought Christianity to his lands by inviting St. Aiden to come and teach them.
• What there is to do: explore the walls and the interiors, walk along the beach, stroll through the English village, eat the best icecream.
• Website: http://www.bamburghcastle.com/castle.php

Pros

• Space in the castle for picnicking
• The castle's ballroom/great hall was the best, with the weapon collections in glass cases and the musician's balcony
• The beach can be lovely to walk
• ice cream trucks seem to park there year round and the tea shops sell icecream as well

The view from the castle to the islands is amazing - Holy Island can be seen on a good day!

Cons

• It can be freezing at Bamburgh even on a sunny day
• Even the tea room is freezing

inside the castle scullery

Using Edinburgh Waverley Train Station

I had a friend who visited Edinburgh and overheard my sister in law describing traveling from London to Edinburgh by train as being like 'riding the Hogwarts Express!' My friend's eyes went huge and she said, 'Have you actually been on the Hogwarts Express?'

J.K. Rowling came up with the idea for Harry Potter on a train, probably the one that runs between London and Edinburgh. Of course there is no real Hogwarts Express - or maybe I'm just an old muggle.

Traveling by train can be lovely. Those who get motion sickness might find it slightly easier than riding a bus or even a car along winding Scottish roads. Train travel is great when traveling with active toddlers as they can wander the aisles and not be strapped in. Our boys love watching the trains go by.

Here are questions I have been asked by visitors over the years regarding using the trains.
How do I book train tickets?

Check out this site for booking train tickets: http://www.thetrainline.com

There are other sites as well but the one above promises to be the same price or cheaper.

Buses tend to take forever, but be cheaper than the train. If you want to be on a 10 hour bus ride from London to Edinburgh, that is. The train for the same journey takes 4 hours. We have Megabus here, believe it or not!

How will I know when to get off the train in Edinburgh?

You will know when to get off because the train usually terminates at Edinburgh Waverley. Also every train station has signage and an automatic voice usually plays 'We are approaching Edinburgh Waverley.' If you do accidentally stay on a train which say terminates in Glasgow or elsewhere, explain to the driver or ticket master what happened and he may be able to help you.

back entrance to Edinburgh Waverley

Will there be elevators/ramps at the station?

Europe is terrible about having elevators and ramps but the UK is better than France!

There are lifts at Edinburgh Waverley and Edinburgh airport but you have to look for them.

What do I do at the train station?

Edinburgh Waverley station sides on Prince's Street. You may be able to walk to your destination but Edinburgh Waverley also has a taxi queue. There are signs but if you don't spot them, ask some nice lady. There are also more taxis on Prince's Street, so if the taxi queue seems to be taking ages, you could try out there.

taxi queue on Waverley Bridge outside the station towards the Prince's St exit

Surgical Strike Day Trip: Stirling Castle

The Gateway to the Highlands, this castle is arguably the most important in the history of Scotland. It takes hours if not days to do Stirling, so it can be tricky to plan a day trip.

Fast Facts:

• Distance from Edinburgh: 42 miles
• Using public transport: 1 hour and 42 minutes
• History: Robert the Bruce ordered the castle defenses destroyed so the English could not take it again like every cool medieval defensive structure in Scotland, but it was rebuilt and many Scottish kings and queens were crowned there including Mary Queen of Scots
• What there is to do: explore the walls and the interiors, especially the ones redone to the era of Mary Queen of Scots' father, James V, and the workshops with tapestry-making and other arts and crafts. There are a lot of places to picnic and buy a cup of coffee!
• Website: http://www.stirlingcastle.gov.uk/
• Other things to do in the area: 
• Argyll's Lodging is included in your Stirling Castle ticket
• church of the Holy Rude and chuchyard just on the other side of the car park wall to Stirling Castle are a great place to explore and/or picnic
• the Wallace Monument (but this is a separate ticket)
• Doune Castle is just a short bus ride away
• Battle of Bannockburn visitor centre and site

Tons of statues of Robert the Bruce and William Wallace all over Stirling

Pros:

• easy to get to on the train unless there are train works
• lots of history
• 'living history' spin with the reconstruction of the castle how it was supposed to be back in James V's era
• lots of helpful guides in costume
• 75% clean bathrooms
• picnic space
• easy access to coffee
• costumes for kids to dress up
• a lot of interactive learning opportunities
• there are also bugs at the castle, we learned, which was my toddler's favorite part

Cons:

• HUGE hill from train station to castle
• Wallace Monument is a good trek and can look like a quick excursion but can actually take all day
• a lot of Stirling is open to the elements
• rather pricey unless Historic Scotland member (29 pounds for two adults on a Saturday)

Timings:
8:30 leave the house for the bus stop
9:30 train to Stirling, 51 minutes
10:24 arrive in Stirling
11:00 arrive at the castle, picnic
11:30 run all around the castle
2:37 catch train home
3:32 arrive in Edinburgh - catch bus or taxi home
4:00 home - if anyone napped on way home they are in the clear for a 7 pm bedtime!

Spendings:

• £18.80 train tickets
• £29.00 castle tickets
• £2.50 coffee

Stirling Castle is one of our favorite castles in the UK and therefore the world. Its unique approach to reconstruction takes it back to its glorious past. It is the ideal place for history lovers and for children with tons of energy alike.