A long travel day back to Harrogate. Michael, Alison, and I were up early, ensuring we left nothing behind A nice breakfast in the kitchen, cleaned up, closed our suitcases, and got into the car.
We depended on my Waze - with my English-accent female voice named Emma - to get us back to Harrogate. We planned three stops, the first was Dunkeld, for gas and coffee.
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| The place we stayed in Thurso The first stop was in Dingwall. |
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| Decorated mailboxes in Dingwall |
We walked around the main street, looking for a cafe, and found this delightful place. I nearly got the Malteaser cheesecake but settled on a latte and a muffin.
Alison parked the car across the street from the Royal Dunkeld Hotel. I ordered the BLT and a local ale. And there were a few cute dogs to pet.
We walked around Dunkeld, located on the River Tay, stopping in a few shops and the Cathedral.
Once the residence of the Dukes of Atholl, Blair Atholl is about 30 minutes from Dunkeld. The ties between the ducal family and Dunkeld go back centuries. The Duke is the commander of the only legal private army in Europe, the Atholl Highlanders. In 1996, George Murray, 10th Duke of Atholl died unmarried. His peerages passed to John Murray, a second cousin once removed, who lived in South Africa. The day before the duke died, he gave most of his estate, including Blair Castle, to a charitable trust. The duke chose to protect the estate from a 40% inheritance. His heir, John Murray, 11th Duke, made it clear he would not move to Scotland. He considered himself South African. The 11th Duke died in 2012 and was succeeded by his son Bruce, now the 12th Earl. He visits Blair Castle once a year for the annual Atholl Highland parade.
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| The River Tay |
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| The Cathedral |
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| Alison and Michael resting as I explore the garden |
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| Stopped in for hot chocolate ... much stronger than most American hot chocolate. |
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| Atholl Memorial Fountain - built to honor the 6th Duke of Atholl who died in 1864 |
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| faux outrage for the cost of petrol in the UK -- yes, gas prices are much higher in the UK than in the US |
Next stop Lockerbie. The rain started as we headed down the A-9 toward Lockerbie. Out of nowhere, Emma sighed and said: "Traffic ahead. Wake me up when we get there." I was not expecting a snarky description from my GPS, but we began laughing. Emma also noted "Bad weather ahead." She was right.
I chose Lockerbie for the third stop to see the memorial. In 1988, I was working for the Associated Press in New York. One of my co-workers, John Mulroy was one of 270 victims of the bomb placed on a Pan Am flight from London to JFK.
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| This memorial is on the street where the plane crashed into several houses. |
We made one more stop at the Gretna services area before arriving in Harrogate at about 9 p.m. We had dinner at the Portofino Italian restaurant in Harrogate.
June 14 - I turn 70!!!!!!! Michael and Alison took me to Betty's Tea Room for my birthday. I had the Imperial Breakfast. We were joined by two friends of Michael and Alison. The wife is a second or third cousin (I forget, which one) of Mike Tindall, but she has never met him.
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| Follow that truck!!! |
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| My birthday cake Betty's put it in a box (after I blew out the candle). I ate it on the train. |
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| Bought tea and treats |
From Betty's to the Harrogate Olde Sweet Shop to buy a present for my cat sitter and toffees for me. The shop featured a selection of American sweets.
Seventy is a once in a life time achievement (few in my family, including my parents and my husband, never made this far. Mom was 48, Dad, 61 and Bill died at 50.) I wore a button to let everyone know it was my 70th birthday! After breakfast and a visit to the candy store, Michael and Alison dropped me off at the Harrogate train station. I got a direct train, and did not have to change in Leeds or York. Great as I had my big suitcase.
I went to the cafe car to get a bottle of water and a cup of tea. The lady behind the counter saw my button, said Happy Birthday and did not charge me for the tea and water. I also got to pick a snack. I chose a bag of crisps, which I saved for later. I still had my petit four from Betty's, and I enjoyed it with my tea.
Pulled into Kings Cross in the afternoon and headed straight for a cab to Battersea. The line was long.
The condo is located on Lombard Road in a high-rise on the Thames. My host was working away for the week so I had the place to myself. She let me use the fridge and TV set. I had coffee sitting in a chair on the balcony, overlooking the Thames.
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| The view from my room |
I stayed in Battersea in 2019 so the area was not unfamiliar. The bus stop heading to Victoria or Clapham Junction was a few hundred feet from Oyster Wharf where I stayed.
My birthday dinner - just me - was at the Latchmere Pub in Battersea. My birthday dinner: a Caesar salad with grilled halloumi and chicken. No dessert. I stopped at a local Sainsbury to buy food, milk, and water before I returned to the condo. It would be an early night as I set the alarm for 5 am on June 15.
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| a birthday Pimms |
Trooping the Colour.
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