It was a very early start for many of us travelling to Edinburgh on Tuesday 21st March as we all had to meet at the Airport and meet up for the Flight. A word of WARNING please read any flight information from Michelle very carefully as there were NO bags booked for inside the plane hold and it was Cabin baggage only .... this is confusing as each airline has a different Cabin bag (under seat bag) size NOT overhead locker baggage. This led to a few of our group falling foul of the baggage size rules and having to pay up to £45 each for oversize baggage .... PLEASE READ MICHELLES INFORMATION CAREFULLY AND CHECK YOUR BAG SIZE AGAINST THE INFORMATION SHE HAS INCLUDED.
This caused a bit of a delay at the boarding gate but did not stop us having a great time.
We were met at Edinburgh Airport and got a coach to the Novotel in Edinburgh, which is conveniently located at the rear of the Castle (and below) and close to the Grass market area and was ideal for walking (15 to 20 mins) to the Royal mile.
The hotel had a pool and jacuzzi plus a bar and restaurant which we all used throughout the visit. We had plenty of free time and the Hotel was close to all the attractions by foot .... Princes Street 25 mins ... Edinburgh Castle 20 mins .... Edinburgh Zoo 15 mins in a Taxi (£15} .... Royal Yacht Britannia 15 mins in a Taxi (£15) .... Red city Hopper/Big bus tour 15 mins walk .... Edinburgh Ghost Tours 20 mins on foot. Some were even more focussed and planned a walking Whiskey Tour starting at one end of the Royal mile and finishing near the Castle.
Edinburgh is a city with many activities and plenty to explore. The hotel was ideal as a touring base and the staff were more than happy to help with planning your day trip.
The highlight of course was to see the Musical Annie on the Wednesday night. The show was fantastic, and Paul O’Grady was popular (Sadly we didn’t know that he would pass away later that week).
The events of oversize baggage did not deter some of our party shopping to fill what space they had left in their cases, and I am sure that the PST will benefit from a future course on ‘Bag packing’.
Although I was only standing in as a chaperone, can I say how much I personally enjoyed the trip especially in renewing friendships with the widows and chatting over Breakfast or coffee .... I have only included a few pictures as everyone was busy arranging their own itineraries and splitting into smaller groups and sharing the days experiences later at dinner.
I think that everyone enjoyed themselves and were sorry to leave but all too soon it was time to head back to Belfast. Can I just thank the Trust for organising the trip and the Musical.
Colin McAllister
