Local trips for aged parents
Apr. 5th, 2008 09:59 pmMy parents came to stay last week and I arranged some trips out. As they're getting on a bit, I had to pick fairly gentle walks with plenty of interest for nosing about. I also wanted to visit some places we hadn't been to before, which turned out to be easier than you might expect.
Craigmillar Castle was our first stop. This is a small castle atop a hill within the city limits and is quite well preserved. There are plenty of chambers to wander around. It also has a good view from the roof, although the spiral steps are too steep and long for ancient legs. Obviously it doesn't compare to Edinburgh Castle but it filled an hour or so on Saturday morning.
After lunch we went on to Inveresk Lodge Gardens. This is a small garden owned by NTS Scotland. It was just the right size for the aged parents to walk around. It was a little early in the season; while it was pleasant enough now, I imagine it would be very pretty come the summer. It's about the same size or a little bigger than Malleny Gardens out at Balerno.
The following day we headed back to more familiar territory: the Botanic Gardens. This is partly because the forecast was for showers, and indeed we were able to shelter from the rain by visiting the hot houses. We wandered round some of the rest of the park too. This was the first time I'd seen the Queen Mother Memorial Garden, which is very nicely done.
It was very good to see Mum and Dad still looking well. I think we tired them out a bit, but they enjoyed themselves. They'll be heading off on another cruise in May, so they are clearly using their retirement well.
Craigmillar Castle was our first stop. This is a small castle atop a hill within the city limits and is quite well preserved. There are plenty of chambers to wander around. It also has a good view from the roof, although the spiral steps are too steep and long for ancient legs. Obviously it doesn't compare to Edinburgh Castle but it filled an hour or so on Saturday morning.
After lunch we went on to Inveresk Lodge Gardens. This is a small garden owned by NTS Scotland. It was just the right size for the aged parents to walk around. It was a little early in the season; while it was pleasant enough now, I imagine it would be very pretty come the summer. It's about the same size or a little bigger than Malleny Gardens out at Balerno.
The following day we headed back to more familiar territory: the Botanic Gardens. This is partly because the forecast was for showers, and indeed we were able to shelter from the rain by visiting the hot houses. We wandered round some of the rest of the park too. This was the first time I'd seen the Queen Mother Memorial Garden, which is very nicely done.
It was very good to see Mum and Dad still looking well. I think we tired them out a bit, but they enjoyed themselves. They'll be heading off on another cruise in May, so they are clearly using their retirement well.