August 9 - London and Scotland (Part 1)
London Airport
After arriving at Terminal 3, we needed to get to Terminal 5. The only way was to follow the throng of people through to where the bus transfers happen. Given it was around 7am, it was quite busy. We made our way through and up to have our passports checked. We had a good chat with the Border Force guy as he checked out our entry card – he wanted to know if the public service situation in Australia was similar to theirs – no pay rise in quite a while and less people.
After going through the customs check, we proceeded up to security. That was quite an experience. Again, long lines and quite grumpy ‘customer’ service staff. After needing to throw away a couple of items before we even got scanned, we finally got to the point where we could put all our hand luggage through. For whatever reason (yet again), I got the full body scan and pat down. Nothing was found so they reluctantly let me go.
We made our way up to the lounge to unwind for 15 minutes before needing to take the long trek to the next boarding gate at the other end of the terminal.
8:30am in London, but past midday in Australia
Flight from LHR to EDI
The flight itself was on time, smooth and good. We got served a ‘traditional’ breakfast – scrambled eggs, mushrooms, fried tomato and bacon. After a really short flight, it was time to descend and finally get off the plane and get our luggage. It took almost as much time for our luggage to come out as it did for the flight to Edinburgh. For whatever reason they had delays, so there were quite a few people standing around waiting. Some impatiently, some patiently, and then there was the guy next to us. Really impatient. Obviously in his world he was the most important person. His way of drawing attention to the situation was to tweet to British Airways and Edinburgh Airport about it, rather than walk 30 metres around the corner to the service desk. After waiting a little bit longer the bags finally arrived and we were on our way! One of the advantages of flying into Edinburgh, connecting from London, is that you don’t have to have your bags checked. You simply pick them up and go. Apparently you can use the phone there to declare stuff, but I don’t know what they would actually do if you did.
Driving to Milnathort
At the car hire desk, we beat the throng of people heading there and got in early. After confirming all our details, the guy asked us if we wanted the Peugeot (what we had booked) or the Mercedes Benz. Benz please 🙂
After locating our car and getting all settled, we left the airport. Our destination was Milnathort. We found our way quite easy, thanks to Siri.
We passed through a couple of tiny towns before finding my aunt and uncle’s place. Milnathort is a lovely little place. We were staying in a two-bedroom place that was approximately 130 years old. After settling in and resting for a bit, we went for a walk down to the local corner store. We found some snacks and drinks and headed back. We had good intentions to just rest a little and then go and find some food. That changed …
Our accommodation for a few nights in Milnathort
Welcome pack of Scottish treats
Highland Games pack
Ros laid down around 4pm and I was reading on the couch until about 6pm when I felt the need to lay down as well. Next thing I know it was 10pm. Oops. We gave up on dinner and crashed out again instead.
Main street of Milnathort
