Scotland, our first trip together part 3: Aberdeen to Edinburgh

Back in 2013 I was planning on making a trip to Scotland with a colleague as we were both fascinated by travelling by train and where interested in making one through the birth nation of trains. We decided to head through England all the way up north to the rugged terrain of Scotland. Unfortunately the colleague I was planning this trip wasn’t able to make the voyage and this is where Timothy came into the picture. Even though he just joined the company and barely knew me, he took the plunge when I asked him to join me on a trip to Scotland. Little did we know this would only be the very first chapter in a whole range of travel adventures together.

After our arrival from Inverness the previous evening we started our discovery of the Granite City in the morning. Most buildings are built using the grey granite stone, and the pouring rain during our visit only made the entire visit and city greyer than it already was. We visited the historic town hall and walked around the city centre. To dry up a bit we also visited the naval museum, which of course has a very elaborate section about oil rigs on the North Sea (as Aberdeen is the UK homeport for a lot of them).

In the afternoon we continued south towards Edinburgh. We travelled on one of the few East Coast Intercity 125’s that started as far north as Aberdeen, as they offer a more comfortable journey than the normal Scotrail DMU’s used on most other services.

This time we travelled in first class, the interior looked very much like the 2^nd class one but with wider seats in a 2-1 configuration. As on mainline services in the UK the on-board catering is complimentary in first class, the tables where already decked with cups and condiments.

Soon after departure the service staff came around with an offering of tea to start the journey (how much more British can it get). As we were travelling in the evening we were offered a hot dinner, a menu was handed out giving you the options to choose from.