From Ambleside to Edinburgh – Into the City Buzz

 

The ride from Ambleside to Edinburgh wasn’t too bad. I stayed within the beauty of the Lake District for a good while—rolling hills, stone fences, and quiet stretches that let my mind wander. But as I got closer to the city, the traffic picked up.

Edinburgh quickly reminded me of New York City—only with shorter, older buildings. The kind that look like they’ve seen centuries of stories. Navigating into town was a bit of a maze. Roundabouts with hidden exits, surprise ramps, and busy intersections tested my patience. The hotel didn’t offer parking or even a spot to unload, so I followed their directions to a nearby garage. Or at least, I thought I did.

I ended up at the wrong parking garage. Thankfully, I wasn’t charged. Eventually, I found the right one—about a third of a mile downhill from the hotel. They had a system where the camera was supposed to read my plate and apply a discount code from the hotel. Of course, that didn’t go smoothly either.

So there I was—two uphill hikes in full riding gear, weaving through crowded sidewalks like a space man in a sea of tourists. One of the elevators at the hotel was out of order, because of course it was. Check-in happened at the bar, where I was handed one bottle of water like it was a trophy. I finally made it to my room—top floor, tucked into the corner. It had small round windows. Odd little things, like ship portholes. Strange, but kind of charming in its own way.

Edinburgh was already showing me it was going to be a different kind of stop on this journey.

Once I settled in at the hotel, I set out on foot and wandered into a nearby mall packed with restaurants of all kinds. I landed on a spot that served pizza and beer—just what I needed after the long ride and parking saga. It hit the spot.

After eating, I returned to the parking garage to move the bike to the motorcycle-specific area. Then it was another uphill walk through the crowded streets back to the hotel. I was beat. I hit the bed and was out.

The next morning I was up by 4 a.m.—still on road time, I guess. I spent a little time catching up on the computer and bought a ticket for one of those hop-on hop-off bus tours. The hotel’s breakfast wasn’t free, and it didn’t look too appealing anyway, so I skipped it.

As usual, I was way too early for the bus. I waited about 25 minutes, but I was the first one on, so I got a great seat. The tour lasted about an hour and a half and gave me a solid overview of Edinburgh—from its layered architecture to its tangled streets full of history.

We rolled through the Old City, past the Grassmarket, which the guide said was a historic marketplace. I joked to myself: What’s the Grassmarket? A place that only sells meat from animals that ate grass? Yes that is true! But hey, it's Edinburgh—anything’s possible.

We passed the Scottish Parliament building, which the tour guide mentioned was open to the public. I mentally bookmarked that one. Turned out I’d get more familiar with it than I expected… thanks to a run-in with the local police. More on that in a bit.

From my hotel room.

 

Through a dirty window

I think that is a hotel. Reminded me of the Guggenheim Museum in NYC

The bus tour.

A castle that I did not visit.

That round window on the top of that little tower was my room.

I had skipped breakfast so I had an early lunch.

A little more about my visit to the capital city in my next post.