(Edited and adapted, January 2019 & July 2020)
Part Three: Days 4-6 (York to Edinburgh, via Newcastle)
Period August-September 1990
| Day 4 | SATURDAY | 01/09/1990 | YORK |
| York Youth Hostel am: I had a nice lie-in, got up at 8.30. The showers were lukewarm at best. York: I was very impressed with York Art Gallery, there was an interesting ‘York through the Eyes of a Child’ exhibition. I would’ve liked to visit York Museum, but thanks to Norwich TSB I didn’t have the funds to. York was very beautiful, having lots of ornate shop fronts. It was like a northern Winchester, although I would suggest a friendlier place to live. I had fun trying to photograph a busker as I caused a commotion by accidentally blocking a security van. To make matters worse, my lens cap fell and rolled under the van! York Youth Hostel pm: I got back to base just in time to see the end of the European Athletics Championships. A good win for the GB 4 x 400m relay lads. Even better to see Palace fourth in the old First Division, we must have won. Liverpool were top, no surprise there. I must get a paper in the morning to get the full results – The Sunday Sport, that’s a good intellectual read! I had an interesting conversation with a German woman staying at the hostel. Let’s just say my male hormones were in full flow. I also chatted some more to the South African lady I’d met the night before and we talked about our upcoming visits including mine to Glasgow and Liverpool. |
| Day 5 | SUNDAY | 02/09/1990 | YORK – NEWCASTLE – EDINBURGH |
| York to Newcastle: I had to wait an hour at York Station as I needed to be out of the hostel by 10am and the train to Newcastle didn’t leave until 11 am. Newcastle: the luggage lockers needed fifty pence coins and I only had a pound coin. So it was a case of lugging my rucksack round the city centre. Nothing to really note about the place, I went to two art galleries and found both of them closed. Newcastle has since become far more architecturally and culturally of interest. I want to revisit the city as part of my bucket list, maybe even have a night out there as by all accounts its pub and club scene is quite lively. Anyway, back to 1990, my visit to the place consisted of having a coffee and reading the Sunday Mirror. Newcastle to Edinburgh: There was some fabulous scenery travelling along the North East coastline. Edinburgh Waverly Station was massive, larger even than Birmingham New Street. I sound like a right trainspotter! Edinburgh Youth Hostel: This was very pleasant, lots of Europeans staying at the place. I was placed in a room with some lively lads who seemed to like a drink or two. I Should get plenty of sleep then. There was quite a bit of foreign wildlife, so to speak. I must learn another language or two – maybe even the language of love! |
| Day 6 | MONDAY | 03/09/1990 | EDINBURGH |
Edinburgh Youth Hostel am: I overslept so didn’t have time for breakfast at the hostel. Showers were ok, except I had to keep turning them on. I tried to use my passport as a guarantee to book another night at the hostel, but they wouldn’t let me without hard cash. My plan was to head further north to John O’Groats, but decided this had too many risks involved. I decided instead to have extended stays in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Anyway, I found a TSB and cashed another cheque then reserved a bed for the night, thankfully.
Edinburgh: I eventually got to the city centre at 11am. I spent an hour roaming around the place, not very impressed with the architecture which was all very similar grey facades. I found an arts centre that had an interesting Latin American exhibition.
Had a slap up pie and beans lunch, my days before becoming a non-meat eater. I did a bit more exploring and wrote a postcard home to show everyone that I was still alive.
I visited the Scottish National Gallery. There were interesting exhibitions of watercolours by local artists and Post-Impressionist landscapes.
I had fun getting back to the hostel and ended up at a station very similar to the one in ‘Trainspotting’ where the lads decided to sample the fresh Scottish air if you are familiar with the film. Anyway, the train was full of commuters and I was squeezed in and wasn’t assertive enough to ask people to move to get off at the right stop. I didn’t mind though, as I was sitting next to an attractive woman. I got off at the next station and luckily enough only had a ten minute wait for the next train back.
Edinburgh Youth Hostel pm: I got back in time for tea being served. The stew was pretty ropey for £2.50, not a lot of meat, and pea sized roasties. There was quite a nice fruit pancake with squirty cream for pudding. There was some good entertainment, as the cooks were larking about.
"Drop-in and Chill Out" 