From "eh?" to 'aye!': Windy Wanderings

On the windiest day I have ever experienced, and perhaps ever will experience, Catherine, Whitney and I foolishly and adventurously went up and over Arthur's Seat before making our descent into idyllic Duddingston. How windy is windy, you may be asking. Quite right. I shall quantify. Edinburgh Castle was closed to visitors (it never closes). There had been wind warnings all over the radio and internet weather sites.

Not the best of days for two just-barely-over-five-feet girls to go wandering about on one of Edinburgh's highest rock formations. Luckily, we had Whitney to tether us down in case of any unauthorised journeys in the direction of cliff edges. All-in-all we had very few casualties (there was a bit of difficulty involving my attempts to get back upright after our lochside picnic. I may have been knocked to the ground thrice in a row... *ahem*), and did have a great deal of fun in the sun!

We followed the walking route as set out in the Frommer's Guide '24 Great Walks in Edinburgh'. A very good library find indeed! The highlight of the walk for me was when we finally got to the kirk and got to see a set of jougs and a loupin' on stane, neither of which I'd seen before. Pictures below!

Up and over we must go!

Whitney contemplates our beautiful surroundings (or perhaps the likelihood of being blown off the edge of our surroundings!)

We poke around the ruins of St. Anthony's.

We did a little al fresco dining with a view over Duddingston loch.

A first view of Duddingston.

I feel that this shot with flying hair/ bundled-up-ness and slight expressions of misery does a good job at conveying the sheer magnitude of the wind.