Friday morning we set off from Broxburn at 8am. Canal rules are that you can only drive your boats from 8am to 8pm, and no engines running from 8pm to 8am. Running the boat during the day heats our hot water, and we charge all of our devices. Once the engine is off, interior lights work, but the lone electrical outlet, microwave and hair dryer do not. You learn to adjust your schedule, and we’re ready for bed not long after 8:00 anyway.

We continued through beautiful countrysides, dark mossy passages until passing over the main thoroughfare on the outskirts of Edinburgh. For the last hour we were cruising through the center of Edinburgh until reaching the end of the canal. Here we turned the boats around and moored up for a couple of days.

After a quick lunch, we sett off to explore the city. We had a couple of destinations in mind, and did some general wandering and popping into shops and churches. Highlights of the day were St. Giles Cathedral (where a small operatic concert was happening), Calton Hill, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse (no, the King was not in residence). Our feet were extremely tired, and we opted for the bus back to the boat – another fun thing to do is the local public transportation.

Our Indian dinner from the previous night provided plenty of leftovers for dinner on the boat. We have the microwave, so dinner was at our place. We discussed finding ice cream, but turning in for the night was more appealing.

Saturday morning brought us Ann and Bob’s daughter, Natalie. She’ll be joining us on the boats for a few days. More sightseeing was on the agenda for the day. In the morning we did more of our walking tour of the city. We stumbled upon St. Mary’s Cathedral and took a walk through that – another singer was practicing, which added a nice touch. Then off to Dean Village, a quaint neighborhood of old mill houses and cobblestone streets along the River Leith. We followed the river along a lovely path – green and mossy with the sound of the trickling river. It was such a peaceful spot, but so close to the bustling city.

Circus Lane is a small photogenic street.

Our last stop of the morning was Greyfriars Kirkyard, a supposedly haunted graveyard dating back to the 1500’s. One of the notable markers is that for Greyfriars Bobby, a Skye Terrier who guarded his masters grave for 14 years.

Just as we were finishing lunch on the boats and getting ready to head to Edinburgh Castle, the rain began. A few sprinkles turned into a serious downpour. Luckily, Bolt (similar to Uber) came to our rescue. We have learned that Uber is not reliable – you can request a ride, but one never comes. We’ve used Bolt twice, and a private cab, which makes venturing off the canal pretty easy.

It was a rainy start at the castle, but we made the most of it and wandered through the various buildings. I think we enjoyed the prison the most. 😁 The castle limits how many tickets are sold for each time slot, and today all tickets were sold out. They say in summer months that is 15,000 visitors per day! I don’t know if that was true for today, but it was crowded! As we headed back to our boat homes, the rain had stopped and the skies had brightened.

Instead of having a long cruising day tomorrow, we opted for a 2 hour trip this evening to get out of the city and on our way back for another day in Linlithgow. Dinner of fish and roasted veggies on the boats and time for some well-deserved sleep.