Jul 15

Leaders got up by 6:00 am. Still a little bit of jetlag maybe. Let the Scouts sleep in until 6:30. We were able to leave all our stuff on the floor this time because nobody is planning to use the building today. So all we had to do was eat some breakfast and make a packed lunch before leaving to catch the bus at 7:30.

We caught the usual city bus to downtown and walked from the bus stop to Waverly Train station. We were there in plenty of time to get our tickets, so the Scouts sat around on benches for an ½ hour or so chatting up and playing with their iPods.

Our train left the station about 9 am, headed for Stirling. It was about an hour ride. When we arrived it was raining lightly. We headed up the hill towards Stirling Castle, stopping along the way to visit the Old Town Jail. It was not raining when we were eating our lunch outside the jail, and the weather did hold for us for our next attraction, the Stirling Castle.

After getting inside the castle we arranged to meet near the entrance and let the Scouts go off in groups to explore the castle themselves. Many of the leaders opted to take the castle tour which explained much of the history of the castle and surrounding area. We crossed paths with the scouts many times as they showed themselves around. It was very interesting for both the leaders and the Scouts.

Just as we left the castle it started to come down in buckets. That pretty much confirmed our decision not to hike up to the monument, which would have put us in the pouring rain for at least an hour. Rather we opted to ride back to Edinburgh to see a couple more attractions there that the Scouts had indicated they wanted to see.

Right near the Edinburgh Waverly train station is a tourist trap called the Edinburgh Dungeon. It wasn't really a dungeon, and it was a little expensive if you didn't have discount coupons, but it was worth it. It was a combination of acting and history. Fun and informative, and for some of the Scouts it was downright frightening. Half the Scouts were screaming and the other half laughing. All had a great time, including the few leaders that went in with them. I'm sure some of the Scouts are going to call that the highlight of Edinburgh.

After the dungeon it was getting too close to dinner time to climb the stairs of the Scott Monument (287 steps), so we caught the next city bus back to the hall. We phoned back to the hall to let the other leaders (and a few Scouts that decided they weren't up to it) know we were on our way so that they could put the pasta on. This is our first and maybe only home cooked dinner.

We really wanted to get the Scouts to bed early, but after the dungeon there was a constant chatter about it for hours. We did put the lights out at 10 pm and they were much better about being quiet. Perhaps changing the sleeping arrangements a bit helped.