Ooooooh, my poor tootsies had been sore from all the walking in Edinburgh – thank the lord for Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Foot Relief and a superbly comfy bed that had afforded both of us a solid slumber. We made our way through to breakfast, grabbing glasses of orange juice, Croissants and orange juice on our way to the table. I filled a bowl with berry compote and natural yoghurt, whilst The Man wandered off to the hot counter.
Not gonna lie, the fried breakfast offering at the Holiday Inn Express was a bit of a let-down. Maybe we’d been spoiled by having them freshly cooked for us at the guesthouses we’d stayed at, but I was expecting more choice than Bacon, Sausage, Scrambled Egg and Beans. There wasn’t even any Mushrooms or Grilled Tomato! You all know how fussy I am when it comes to sausage (and I’m not wildly keen on Baked Beans either in a fry-up!) so I just had Bacon and Scrambled Egg. The Egg was pretty ok, actually, especially if you went for the softer bits and the bacon was more than acceptable; no-one can cock-up beans, they only need heating, and as long as you’ve used decent quality ones then you’re good-to-go. The Man isn’t quite as particular as me with sausage, but even he left the banger after one bite, so that tells you how poor it was; D-, Holiday Inn Express for your cooked breakfast, and I’m probably being nice at that! Shame, because the room and staff were top-notch. My advice? Stay here, but don’t include the breakfast option.
Leaving Edinburgh, we headed for Rosslyn Chapel which has always intrigued me since I read about it in Dan Brown’s book ‘The Da Vinci Code’. What a stunning Gothic chapel, with passionate staff and guides; I’d heartily recommend paying this treasure a visit. I’m not religious, though for those that are I should say that Rosslyn is a working church and holds Sunday Mass. However, if you’re like us, it’s worth visiting just to see the intricate stonework and hear the stories behind the columns and carvings. We came away planning to re-watch the film at the weekend!
Our next stop was Lindisfarne, and Lady Luck had shone on us, in that the tide times were perfect for our schedule! Although we didn’t quite have time to walk right up to Lindisfarne Castle and around the ruins AND have lunch this time, we still stood and gazed at the Castle on its elevated position. A walk through the fields and past the 12th century priory ruins took us to the bottom of the beer garden at The Manor Hotel. On previous occasions, we’ve enjoyed lovely lunches here (as well as a cold glass of wine or beer!) and Sarah had said that if we visited, to pop in and have a drink on her and the team...so we did.
A chilled glass of Sauv Blanc and a pint of Moretti, accompanied by a Posh Fish Finger Sandwich and portion of skin-on Chips hit the spot perfectly! Good job we’d decided to share the sandwich though... it was mahooosive!!! Lovely crisp, golden batter encompassed a thick fillet of white fish whose flavour was sweet and delicious, and the side salad was cool and crunchy. His Nibs traded the Tortilla chips on the plate for the salad, which suited me fine, and this was a very satisfying dish.
Looking out of the window, it was lovely to see the beer garden so full; I don’t think there was a single table to be had. Given the good weather, folks had chosen to dine al fresco and let their pooches lie in the shade underneath the tables, although you can take dogs inside The Manor Hotel should you wish. Sarah and her team work tirelessly to ensure customers have a good experience, and it’s all done with a bit of banter or general chit-chat. If you find yourselves on Holy Island, then do pop in and support this fab venue.
There’s no way on earth I can be that close to Bamburgh and not visit my favourite beach in the world!! As soon as we pulled into the car park, I smiled and it only got bigger the closer I got to the luscious sandy beach that literally goes on for miles. Combined with the plentiful dunes and Bamburgh Castle as it’s back-drop, you’ll be hard pushed to find a finer beach...I love it!
Our very last stop of the day was to Geordie Birds/ His Nibs’ Mummy. I get on well with my mum-in-law and the one thing she can be relied on is to stick the kettle on and make a brew...and she makes a cracking cuppa. We caught up on all the news and then thoughts turned to the evening meal. Ashington has got a new eaterie, Il Girosole, an Italian restaurant, that we haven’t tried, so that was where we headed.
It’s a nice enough place, though open plan and not a lot of decoration to break it up. I did spy the colourful tiles on the wall though, they are gorgeous. I ordered the Alfredo: Chicken, Onion, white sauce with Penne pasta (you could also choose Spaghetti or Tagliatelle), His Nibs went for the Meatballs in Tomato sauce (also with Penne, I don’t think he wanted to risk Spaghetti in case he dripped on his shirt!) and GB had the Chicken Kiev Pizza (Basically chicken breast with garlic sauce on a thin crust base).
Our server was a lovely young lady who couldn’t do enough for us, and she made our experience all the more pleasant. The meals were all delicious; GB had to leave half of the pizza as it was so big (they boxed up the rest for her to bring home), though both me and The Man said that we’d have liked our sauces to be a bit more unctuous (or have some bread to mop it up with!). Other than that, spot on.
