Jump to content

Eglesbrech

Members
  • Posts

    5,870
  • Joined

About Me

  • Location
    Scotland
  • Interests
    Cruises, travel
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    The one I am on at the time!
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Baltic

Recent Profile Visitors

The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.

Eglesbrech's Achievements

  1. Do you have Scottish ancestry by any chance (or Yorkshire)? 😀
  2. It’s really cold here today and blowing a storm. Feels more like winter than spring. The Easter weekend looks like a bit of a washout, which is a shame. There was an interesting article on the radio this morning about Easter. Apparently people are buying more decorations than ever and Easter markets are popping up. They were suggesting that it is becoming more like Christmas in terms of buying and holiday events. I always put up a few bits and pieces and have a bowl of daffodils out front and of course the Annual Easter Egg Hunt Cup, which is fiercely fought for each year!
  3. It’s not “veggie bashing”, its a discussion about menus but you know that. The menus have changed so people discuss it. If you choose to take that as a “bashing” then that is your choice. You feel how you feel but please don’t impose motives on others that are absolutely not there.
  4. @July morning you may already know this but blood pressure changes at different times of the day and for example after eating food. Consequently to get a true picture you would need to take it at least Morning and evening, the evening one is likely to be lower. When you do it in the morning do it consistently before eating or it will change the result.
  5. I eat vegetarian food most of the time as well but enjoy the odd bit of fish or steak occasionally but I recognise the need for a decent range of choice for everyone. We don’t tend to argue on here, we offer alternative points of view as, you have, and discuss them in a civilised manner (well most of those on CC do anyway and if they don’t Host Sharon is ever vigilant). Voting with your feet is an interesting point and while it’s valid there is more to it. P&O have actively encouraged people to be loyal to their brand and many have over decades which now earns them significant perks. Were they simply to walk away they would lose these advantages after years of loyalty and tens of thousands of pounds spent with the company. Another possibility is P&O listening to genuine customer feedback. MSC offer a loyalty match but they are one of the few cruise brands to do so. I took them up on it and now travel regularly in the Yacht Club which offers better food and service etc but at a much higher price. I also choose to travel with P&O but just not nearly as often as I used to and when they offer something of interest.
  6. With all due respect to those who prefer to be meat free (vegetarian) or meat and dairy, honey etc free (vegan) turn that statement around. Guys… you know that you are allowed to eat a carnivore menu even if you aren’t a carnivore, right? It works both ways.
  7. It’s lovely, a very nice whisky (much nicer dram than Auchetoshan imho. It that’s down to personal taste of course). Part of the McLeod group which is re opening Rosebank, the one that I mentioned for Falkirk.
  8. @Megabear2 if you do visit Linlithgow Palace look at the carvings above the entrance and remember the children’s rhyme Mary, Mary quite contrary. Look up as it’s literally carved in the stone here, cockle shells and all. The pretty maids are the four Mary’s (which is also the name of a nice hostellry in the town). I would also suggest getting the audio guide for the palace to make the most of the tour (the palace was also used in Outlander). Which distillery are you visiting on the Loch Lomond trip? It must be a lowland distillery and if it’s Auchentoshan then it’s triple distilled and quite a sharp dram. Personally I prefer the Auchetoshan cream which is one of the best versions of “Baileys” I have tried.
  9. I would second the suggestion for Culross (pronounced coo russ). Beautiful little village with an interesting Abbey.
  10. Your hotel is right behind the back steps to Waverley Station, just down from the Royal Mile so a short walk to the Castle for your concert. Yes the centre of Edinburgh is buses and trams only. You can however drive around the outskirts then motorway to Falkirk or Stirling. There is free parking at the Wheel and the Kelpies. Pay for at Stirling Castle. As you are right next to the station you could easily do Stirling and Falkirk by train. As I said above Stirling Castle is easily walkable if you are fairly fit from the station. The Wheel /Kelpies is a short taxi ride. Falkirk Grahamston is on the same train line as Stirling and both have taxi ranks so you could do both in one day potentially. Be sure to check for Dunblane or Alloa trains and the stops (Falkirk also has Falkirk High station which is on the main Edinburgh Glasgow high speed route). In the centre of Edinburgh there is a lot to see and do for 5 days. You could go to Mary Kings close and see the old city underground, the Johnny Walker experience on Princess Street, the Royal Yacht Brittania by tram in Leith, the national museums, Holyrood Palace, the Parliament, Edinburgh Castle etc etc. My best advice is book anything you want to do in advance as in July it will all be busy.
  11. Yes indeed. At the Titanic Museum in Cobh you are given a ticket when you enter with the details of who you are as a passenger, which. Class etc. As you go through you see where you would have slept, washed, the food menus for your ticket class etc. At the end of the tour you check your passenger to find out their fate. That’s what I meant when I said above that we died which Becket would know as she has visited. It makes the whole thing more personal. As “I” was a third class passenger I would not have even got near a lifeboat.
  12. Falkirk is much more accessible from South Queensferry than from Greenock but if you are doing a land based tour then probably better yet. If you are in the area then you can plan visits to the Wheel (booking required), the Kelpies, Callander House (Outlander connection - kitchen where beheading took place) and the newly reopened Rosebank Distillery (booking required) all within a three miles radius. Stirling is just up the train line too for the castle. If you did the train from Dalmeny you can go to Edinburgh Haymarket then change and take a Dunblane train into Stirling. The castle is about a 15 to 20 minute walk uphill from the train station. It’s amazing, some think better that Edinburgh and not as busy. If you want less faff then a taxi to Linlithgow and a direct train from there to Stirling. Linlithgow by taxi is the easiest option (it’s about a 15 to 20 minute journey) but I would pre book a taxi. While there will be some at the dock, there are always lots of passengers after them to get them up the hill to the station. I take it you are tendering in from under the bridges so you need to factor in the time it takes for that for any booking. (fun fact, the character Scotty from Star Trek was born in Linlithgow). The sail out from South Queensferry is lovely as you see the 3 bridges and further along the Isle of May and Bass rock. Take binoculars as you may be close enough to see some amazing bird life on the Bass rock. Re Kirkwall how easy this is after a tour depends on where the ship is, big ships are out at the docks so a shuttle bus is required. The times we have been there the shuttles have been frequent so easy enough to leave the tour bus and hop on one into town. Re Loch Lomond yes very scenic and pretty.
  13. We did the Titanic museum. We both died! As you say well worth a visit. We also joined the locals in one of the pubs and tried some Irish Whiskey which was very nice, particularly the Redbreast 12 year old pot still. I spoke a few words with a really old local in Gaelic and we understood each other!
  14. Kirkwall is nice place just to wander round. There are lots of little bespoke shops. It also has St Magnus Cathedral and the Bishops and Earls palaces https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/bishop-s-and-earl-s-palaces-kirkwall/right in the centre of town. A taxi ride away is Highland Park or (my favourite) Scappa if you fancy a whisky tasting. Both need booked in advance. If you want to try the local whisky without taking a tour then most pubs in the town centre will have a decent selection and the Orcadians will be more than happy to tell you what to try. South Queensferry has a station (Dalmeny) but most trains go just from Fife to Edinburgh or Edinburgh to Fife. The station is up a steep hill quite a walk away from the dock. The Falkirk wheel would mean a walk, a train into Edinburgh Haymarket, a train to Falkirk Grahamston or Camelon (Dunblane or Alloa train) then taxi ride to the wheel and the same in reverse. You also need to pre book a ride on the wheel as it is very popular. It is possible as the trains are frequent but a bit of a faff. A pre booked taxi would be another option. You could take the train ride to Dunfermline in Fife which has the Carnegie museum https://www.carnegiebirthplace.com which is fascinating and the Abbey https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/dunfermline-abbey-and-palace/. Dunfermline was the ancient capital of Scotland and is worth a visit. South Queensferry is a nice little town with some coffee shops, restaurants and shops so it’s pleasant for a walk around if that’s all you want. A short taxi ride away is Hopetoun House https://hopetoun.co.uk A short taxi ride (or train ride via Edinburgh and back out) is Linlithgow. The palace https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/linlithgow-palace/there was the summer palace of the Stuarts and well worth seeing. The town also has some nice places to eat and a lovely walk around the Loch. If you happen to have the English equivalent of Historic Scotland then be the Bishops palace and Dunfermline abbey or Linlithgow Palace are free entry depending on the length of your membership. Just ask if you have any questions about the above.
  15. At least. Poor Gary Rhodes is long dead.
×
×
  • Create New...