Christmas at Arthur’s Seat
Honestly, I don’t really know how it started. But at some point in my traveling history, I started going on a hike everywhere I went. I suppose it’s a combination of things. Partly because a lot of my traveling I do by myself and hiking is something that doesn’t require companionship. Partly because it generally doesn’t cost much, if anything at all. It doesn’t require you to speak a foreign language (caveat here, please please know your routes, safety phone numbers and any vital words in the appropriate language before you go). And the biggest part is that it gives you the best views, an adventure and something to remember that isn’t just eating or drinking, not that that there’s anything wrong with that either!
Well! Look at me blather on about nothing at all!
Christmas morning dawned, gray, cold and wet. And really dawned is not the appropriate word. Fun fact about Scotland in the winter, it’s far north enough that the sun doesn’t ever really get much past the horizon line and has a bit of a late lie in and an early bedtime.
I digress! When the sun had finally made its holiday appearance, the hubby and I headed to Holyrood park, past the palace and to what is know as Arthur’s Seat.
Arthur’s Seat is actually a 350 million year old extinct volcano. Legend says that it is the ancient location of none other than Camelot.
I can’t resist a good legend! The gothic atmosphere of the day was just perfect for a brisk hike and some really good imagining of long ago kingdoms.
There was actually a fair few folks out and about which gave me pretty good confidence that it wouldn't be too difficult of a hike. There is a very direct route to the top but it is rather boring so we took the longer way, first going away from the top to get a look at some ruins that were worth the very brief detour.
Unfortunately, past this point I was on my own for the hike to the top. The hubby was still recovering from a broken leg and resulting surgery and with the remaining hike being 90% mud and 10% rocks, it wasn’t worth the risk of injury. So I headed off for the top, looking forward to a warm drink and a hot shower on my return.
And here’s where the lovely Christmas hike-adventure, legendary home of Camelot, beautiful Scotland gloom, overseas travel bit turns into a more realistic version of events.
Here on The Winter Traveler, I want to be honest with you. I want you to know that travel is amazing and beautiful and fun…but it is also messy and surprising and not at all the way that it is often presented.
Being me, and wanting pretty pictures for my blog and my photo albums I took this of myself, thinking; “off on an adventure! Let’s climb to the top! Through the freezing mist and slippery mud!”
….And then immediately slipped and fell all the way in the mud. Just as a man and his dog were walking past. I wouldn’t say it was my worst moment. But it certainly wasn’t my finest!
I decided to push on, despite looking and feeling like a mud popsicle.
The truly fun thing about hiking is the inevitable part where you are huffing and puffing, when suddenly a child whizzes past you with absolutely no effort on their part and you wonder if you are truly too ancient to leave the house after all.
But then, far behind your youthful counterparts, you reach the top and it’s so worth it.
You can see all of Edinburgh from the top, with the castle just over a mile away. It was beautiful, but also quite windy. Within minutes of reaching the top, a heavy mist began rolling in until it looked like this…
As the mist gathered, it became difficult to see where exactly the path to return was and it ended up being a much more difficult journey on the way back. And suddenly there were far fewer people around just when I wanted them around the most! But I did make it back safe, cold, happy and tired in the best way.
Oh, and don’t worry, the hubby had a good laugh at my expense when I showed back up at the hotel looking like this and the mud had literally frozen to my pants which had frozen to me!
Ah, the joys of travel!
Until next time,
-Krystal
