A DAY AT HARRISON PARK

 100826 Off to Harrison Park

 

 

Woke again to clear skies after a pretty good nights sleep. I thought this mooring location would be a bit noisy as it is rather urban. Surprisingly, that was not the case. 

Got the kittle fired up and made toast with our camp toaster. Tesco Super Berry Granola and yogurt are on the menu this morn.

 

We will have a lazy day getting going as Harrison Park is but a mile down the canal. It looked really nice as we sailed by yesterday and was rather inviting so we will give it a go. 

We cast off from Edinburgh at about 0910 and faster than we thought were at the Visitor Mooring at Harrison Park. We tied up and went for a walkabout. I am still on a quest for a thermal mug. 

                              Keeping LYRA Ship shape

                            Our mooring at Harrison Park

                                 A nice area to explore

                     Remember we are on the John Muir Way   

We did find a nice food store with fresh scones and bought 4 to have with our clotted cream. 

Checking the map, we plotted a roundabout return route to Lyra. This well laid plan was dashed with road construction and we sorta retraced our steps back to Lyra. We did find a route that took us through Harrison Park. 



This afternoon we will fire up the engine to get some hot water. I might have said this but, we need to run the engine 5 hours a day to keep the batteries topped up. On this boat we should only run the inverter, the water heater, and the microwave when the engine is running. The microwave is the only item that really draws the electricity.

 

It is recommended that we keep the fresh water tank topped up on a regular basis. I asked how big the tank was on our briefing and the answer was unknown. The canal maps indicate the location of the water points. There is a hose for filing the tank located in a forward locker. 

 



Also in the forward locker one finds mooring pins. These are about 2.5’ long steel stakes used to moor your boat along the canal. There is also a mallet for driving the stakes should they need to be used. One word of caution is to never cross the tow path with your mooring lines. Thus far we have not needed to use them. 

 



All of your grey water gets returned to the canal and you must use eco friendly soap. There were ample soap supplies provided. 

There is a TV and radio and CD player. We have not used them. 



 

The galley is well stocked with everything one would need to prepare and serve meals.  We did buy extra rubbish (trash) bags. Rubbish can be deposited at many collection points along the way. 

 



We are still very full on water so no need to add any at this time. I will prob sweep and mop the floor after we take showers.



                                     The Kettle is on

                                      Darkening Skies

          Tea and Crumpets most enjoyable on the Quarter Deck

 

One bit of excitement today was as I was enjoying some tea and crumpets a commercial tour boat came into dock behind us. The Skipper on board must have been in training as he walloped the dock a good one with his bow. He then bumped/hit the boat moored in front of him. Then the stern swung out into the center of the canal. The stern was brought almost back in as they were headed towards our boat. A stern line was tossed to a crew member on the dock. I was looking away and heard a big splash. My first thought was a man overboard. I turned to see a fire extinguisher hung up on the stern line. I went to assist in the recovery of said extinguisher. They finally got tied up and went for a smoke before casting off and headed towards Edinburgh. 



We spent a bit of time planning our return to Falkirk. This should be a very very leisurely return. When returning to Falkirk you need to book your wheel (as in the Falkirk Wheel) passage 24 hours in advance. Then on that day one must call the Wheel to confirm you arrival as you exit the Falkirk Tunnel. So you need your phone’s International plan to be working or stop at TESCO and get a burner phone.

 

 

As I am typing this the rain has started and Lynn has done a load of laundry. 

 

Soon we will start the pasta for tonight, we found a very nice baguette for garlic bread. Peach cobbler for dessert. 

 



Weather forecast is for the rain to stop tonight and be partially cloudy tomorrow morning. 

 



This has been such an enjoyable experience, greater than expected. 



 

OFF TO EDINBURGH

 OFF TO EDINBURGH

We are up at 0544 and put the kettle on. I checked the engine coolant and bilge, all is as it should be. Yet one thing is not right - I CAN SEE STARS ALL ABOUT. 

Today the plan is to motor in into Edinburgh and from there, who knows. I will be calling the Falkirk Base to check the status of the Forth and Clyde canal. They have had issues with water level and a small breach.

 

 



Scones and coffee this morn and soon to be underway. No real set plans other than make it to OINK for the best roast pork sandwich in the world. 

My expert advice is for anyone planning a visit to Edinburgh is to get on a stair master for at the minimum of 1 hour a day. Just Saying. My watch shows 46 flights of stairs today!

 Yes and maybe find a thermal mug. 

Edinburgh, capital city of Scotland, balances its deep medieval roots with a lively, contemporary cultural landscape. Characterized by its dramatic volcanic landscape and dark stone architecture, the city is split into two distinct UNESCO World Heritage zones: the labyrinthine, medieval Old Town and the neoclassical, structured New Town.  

I do like this city and there is much to see, The Castle, The Royal Mile, and Holyroodhouse, oh and St Giles Cathedral. We have been here a few time and there is a lot to see and do. 

Oh the toy museum is very interesting.

 

 

We were up and got the morning maintenance done and had breakfast of coffee and scones. We also topped up our water. 

We cast off at about 0815 pointing the bow of Lyra towards Edinburgh. We estimated a sailing time of 3-4 hours. 

This section of canal transforms from the bucolic countryside to a busy urban environment in a rather rapid manner. 

The clouds were absent from the sky and sailing into the sun was difficult at times. That said, the sun was very welcome. 

This was a picturesque section of the Union Canal. With that said, all of the canal is picturesque in it’s own right. We did pass several narrow boats that appeared to be derelict. We passed many a bridge and a couple of aqueducts, past farms and families of swans, onward we sailed. 

About a mile out of Edinburgh there is Harrison Park and I must say it looks rather inviting. We may make a stop there on our return. 

 

We arrived at the Lochrin Basin where we will moor for the night at 1100. But before we moor we must navigate the winding hole. A winding hole is an area on the canal where you can turn around. The winding hole here at the Lock-in Basin is located right at the Leamington Lift Bridge. (Winding is pronounced as in South Wind.)

 I must say I did a rather admirable job in turning the Lyra in the Winding Hole. Soon we were tied up just before the Viewforth Bridge. We are getting good at this.

                               THIS IN THE WINDING HOLE WHERE WE TURNED AROUND

 



We stowed the lunch sandwiches and started the walk into Edinburgh. While walking in we noticed a Poundland and will make a stop there on our return. 

On previous trips to Edinburgh we always get a sandwich at Oink. There are three locations in Edinburgh and we went to the one on Victoria Street. Lynn got a Piglet with applesauce and the onion and sage filling, I got a an Oink with Apple and Haggis. The meat is pork picked from a whole hog that is presented in the shops window. These sandwiches are great and with an Irn-Bru made a perfect lunch. 

We continued up Victoria Street to the Royal Mile. We did some shopping at the Visit Scotland shop. It is also a great place to get tourist information. FYI all, yes all the other “Rubber Tomahawk” (tourist trap shop) shops are owned by one person. I just feel better supporting the Visitors Bureau, plus their prices are very reasonable if not better.

 

 

Putting traffic cones on statues is a decades-old Scottish tradition that started as a late-night prank and grew into an unofficial symbol of Scottish humor.      







  

 

We walked a bit of the Royal Mile in what seemed like a very crowded  street. Even though we have been here during Fringe Festival when it is really crazy crowded. Up toward the castle we went, enough of these crowds say we. 

 

Time to return to our quaint ship Lyra. 

We made a stop at The White Hart Inn, which has an interesting history.

 

 
The pub gets its name from a miraculous and holy event that took place in Edinburgh in 1128. The Scottish King David I, against the advice of his priest, set out hunting upon the Feast Day of the Holy Rood, which is Scots for the Holy Cross. 

He came upon a huge, white stag and gave chase but was suddenly thrown from his horse. The mad stag immediately turned upon its pursuer and King David began frantically praying to God for his salvation. The story is told that a fiery cross appeared between the stag’s antlers before it vanished from sight. A grateful King David built a shrine upon the site of the miracle, founding Holyrood Abbey, the ruin of which may be seen today at the rear of Holyrood Palace.

For many years public executions were held a few hundred steps to the east and the crowds would keep the innkeeper extremely busy. 

The White Hart Inn has also welcomed many notable patrons throughout its five centuries including the Scottish bard Robert Burns, who spent one week here in November 1791 visiting his lover Nancy Macklehose (Clarinda) for one last time and during his stay he was inspired to write one of his most beautiful and enduring love songs, Ae Fond Kiss. Some of his poetry may be seen painted upon our wooden rafters. 

Two of the most infamous patrons were Edinburgh’s notorious body snatchers, William Burke and William Hare, who spent the year of 1828 enticing several of their fellow patrons back to their nearby lodgings only to murder them and sell their corpses to Dr Knox at Edinburgh Medical School. Their faces may still be seen grinning from their places on The White Hart’s beams. In recent years, staff and customers have reported numerous sightings and experiences that suggest the hospitality offered at The White Hart Inn over the centuries has been so good that some of our patrons have decided never to leave!



 

       I am  supporter of The Salvation Army and had to stop

 

Continuing on our walk back to Lyra we made a stop at the Salvation Army Store and found a hat and some cards. Sadly no jumpers in my size. :) 

Across the way we found Poundland and this one was closing so there were many deals to be had. We procured more biscuits for our ships stores. 

Next was Tesco for more bread and more lunch meat. I am still searching for a thermal mug. 

Back aboard Lyra we stored our plunder, put on the kettle and will be preparing a cottage pie for the evening meal. 

We are deciding on a plan for our return. 

More on what we decide tomorrow.  Still in search of a thermal coffee mug. 

Today as we passed under one of the many bridges there was a group of folks taking our picture. This has happened more than once. Anyway as we moored up these same people came walking by, I stopped them and asked about the pictures thhey had taken. In our conversation I learned they were from France and also boaters. They said many times people had taken their photos and sent them the images. I asked if they would mdo the same for us and they were glad to do so. I hope in a qweek or so we will get some images.