GM trip day 1 - Thursday 30th July 2009

The objective was simply to head north. Our first holiday cottage in Lossiemouth was a Friday to Friday booking. After reaching the end of the M6, the family decision was to head over to Edinburgh, somewhere we had never been before. Accommodation was secured at the Holiday Inn, and we all went out for a nice meal in a Turkish restaurant to celebrate mine and Marianne's 15th wedding anniversary, which was also today.

GM trip day 2 - Friday 31st July 2009 - Arthur's Seat GM/SS-272

After a pleasant continental breakfast in the hotel, we drove out to Holyrood Park, and around the estate road to a lay-by between a lake and the summit of Arthur's Seat. A steep path climbed up to our right, towards an increasingly busy summit.

           

The four of us sunblocked and sunhatted up - it was a lovely morning - and began the climb. The small rocky summit of Arthur's Seat commanded super views over the city of Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth. The summit was crowded with many people, and then more so with large warden-led groups of foreign tourists, so HF was out of the question.

   

We struggled over a period of about an hour and a half to get the requisite four QSOs using 2m FM handhelds, but eventually did so, and returned down to the car. After a short drive, we did a bit of ambling around the sides of Edinburgh Castle, before hitting the A90 north to Moray.  The holiday apartment on Pitgaveny Quay, Lossiemouth, was excellent. Clean, spacious and well-equipped, with great sea views on two sides. We were also impressed with the seaside town of Lossiemouth, a quiet and friendly place, with a great beach and good local services, takeaways etc.

Thanks to the following stations worked on this activation: