[June 2021] After a few days of our stay in Edinburgh, Scotland, finally the weekend started, so we had an excursion.
The destination was Dunnottar Castle, just south of Aberdeen.
From Edinburgh, you can take a train to Stonehaven and walk from there.
So, we reserved the train ticket (about £ 44 per person for return) and the castle ticket beforehand.
Edinburgh’s main railway station, Waverley, has a mysterious structure with a number of unobtrusive entrances, and it seemed that we entered the back door.
We walked quite a lot on the premises and arrived at the ticket machine, and got the ticket we had reserved.
It was a train bound for Aberdeen departing at 9:29.
It wasn’t too crowded and although we moved to another seat once just in case, I didn’t feel scared.
What stood out in the view of the train window was that there were many golf courses.
And there were a lot of people who were actually playing.
Scotland is indeed the birthplace of golf.
We arrived at Stonehaven in about 2 hours.
It seemed that we came out on the back side again, so we walked around to the front of the station.
The purpose was to take a taxi.
Because we were going to eat lunch before going to the castle.
As for the restaurant, we had reserved a table in the countryside restaurant that my husband found online.
We thought there were taxis in front of the station, but there were none.
The parking position for taxis was shown on the ground, though.
When my husband asked the person at the station, he said that there was a list of taxi company phone numbers in front.
He was a Viking-looking station employee, but he was kind and came out with us to point to the list and told us, “Try Dash Taxi. It’s fast because it is local.”
The restaurant we went was Creel Inn in a village called Catterline.
The weather was fantastic!
Before entering the restaurant, we admired a wonderful view of the sea from the back of the restaurant.
The deep blue sea and the deep blue sky.
It looked good with the green of the grass.
The restaurant had outdoor tables with a view of the sea, but we were guided indoors.
Not many people were there, so we could keep the social distance.
My husband had been imagining that it would be a rustic restaurant like a shack on the beach in Tenerife, Spain, but I was expecting a more posh restaurant.
This was just the half way.
Cafes and restaurants in Edinburgh are taking measures against the Covid in the form of “check-in” with a QR code, but since it was in the countryside, they asked us to fill the form with a pencil.
This is a seafood restaurant, by the way.
Both of us chose the Crab Rolls made from locally-caught crabs for starter.
The one that came out was spring rolls, and I was surprised.
I had imagined something like a lobster roll that we had eaten many times in Canada.
Moreover, I was disappointed because it had the coriander that I hate.
The seasoning was spicy and the taste of the crab itself had been erased.
My husband was happy saying it was delicious, though.
For the main I had a whole sole, which was good with butter flavour.
There was a separate yellow sauce with a strange taste came with it, which I have no idea what it was.
In the UK, fusion cuisine, which incorporates ethnic ingredients into the menu, was once popular, and here the cooking was just like that, an adventure in cooking.
My husband chose a classic British fish and chips.
This is a traditional dish, so there was no adventure and according to him, it was delicious, one of the top five he has had so far.
The meal cost £ 88.15 including a bottle of white wine and dessert.
