Maxfield Adventures - Living life to the Max: Conwy to Edinburgh

Preston Temple * Castlerigg Stone Circle * Traquair Manor Hedge Maze

Today was a travel day (we're going to put a lot of miles on this car in Britain) from Conwy to Edinburgh. Once again we picked out a couple of stops just because, the first was the Preston Temple - closed for cleaning but we were able to walk around the grounds. Stewart had a companion whose father is in charge of the temple grounds, we tried to find him, but he wasn't working today.

Our next stop was Castlerigg Stone circle via the Kirkstone Pass in the Lake District of England. The pass was a beautiful drive with dramatic stoney green hills (mountains) lined with stone fences everywhere. Sheep dotted the green hills and every once in a while ended up on the side of the "highway" (I use that term loosely as no US official would allow for such narrow roads with blind corners - every time a car approaches Eric has about 1 second to slam his brakes and swerve left into the hedge). We liked Castlerigg. It wasn't crowded and the kids could run around the stones weaving in and out of them. It was good stop to stretch our legs.

We had another amazing scenic drive for about the last hour into to Edinburgh. It looked very different from the one in Wales. More green, less rocks, just as many sheep, and a road that if going fast enough felt like a roller coaster - lots of ups and downs. As we crested one hill, we were shocked to be buzzed by a fighter jet. It was flying so low that we didn't see it until we came up the small rise and I thought it was going to crash it was so low as it sped down the small canyon. It tipped it's wings as if saying "hi" as it zoomed past.

Our final stop was the Traquair Manor House Hedge Maze - the largest in Scotland. From the start to the center it's a 1/4 mile of pathway and the only way to reach the center is to find the center of each of the 4 quadrants of the square first. It was not easy. It took Charlie over 30 minutes to reach the center and finally Maren had to head back to help him. The hedge was tall enough hat you couldn't see over. There was another family in the maze as well that we could hear but never see and that also never made it to the center until on our way out we directed them the right way. It was an hours worth of great entertainment. We can now see why a hedge maze was included in the Tri Wizard Tournament.

We arrived in Edinburgh just after 6:00. Our apartment is in a converted whisky warehouse right at the water's edge. It's a cool area that's been reclaimed and turned into housing. We're about a 20 minute bus ride from the old center of town. We're glad that this apartment has 2 bathrooms and only Stewart has to sleep on the couch this time, and at least it's a couch that pulls out to a bed. I made homemade Mac-n-cheese tonight which was perfect comfort food for a rainy day (as it has been all day). Stewart now has a pasta aversion because of all the bad pasta that his mission companions made him throughout his mission - the other kids devoured it though.