Yabby Jack’s Travel Blog

An authentic Scottish Burns Night

I was lucky enough to be in Edinburgh for Burns Night a couple of days. Actually, I say lucky when what I mean is that I spent days shifting all my plans around and making last minute arrangements with friends to make sure I was north of the border for this cultural and gastronomical celebration!

I decided to Couchsurf in Edinburgh, as my only Scottish friends live much, much further north; the Shetland Isles to be exact. Couchsurfing is a great way to travel on a budget, because you stay with people who live in the cities, sleeping on their couch (as the name suggests). It doesn’t cost you anything, though I usually offer to cook or take them out for a cheap dinner to try and pay my way.

The girl I stayed with in Edinburgh wasn’t actually Scottish, she was an Italian who sold contemporary designer jewellery, but she and all her European friends in the city had organised their own Burns Night celebration, complete with whisky, haggis and crazy poetry. Whisky I’ve tried far too many times to recall and I’ve even eaten haggis once before in Australia, believe it or not. But this was the first time I’d heard any of Robert Burns'poetry, and I’m not sure I really understood a word!

It seemed like all the Italians and Spanish at the party had been practising, and part of the celebration is an address to the haggis, where you quote poetry at this meat dish as it sits waiting to be served. Curious. It did strike me the next day that maybe I hadn’t understood the poems right because it was old Scottish being spoken by new Europeans. Maybe if it had been my Shetlander friends, it would have made a bit more of an impact…

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Worcester – a quintessentially English riverside cathedral city

Worcester is a small city situated in the southwest midlands of England, about 30 miles southwest of the city of Birmingham, the second largest in the UK.

It is most famous for its cathedral and for the composer Sir Edward Elgar, who was has been featured on British bank notes. There is a particularly striking view from Worcester Bridge, with the riverside and the cathedral in the background making the perfect picture postcard. Notable attractions include The Commandery, which was recently visited by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall in 2008 and the famous Worcestershire County Cricket Ground and the Worcester Racecourse.

It has held an important role in national history and was one of the most important ports along the River Severn, the longest river in Britain. The Battle of Worcester in 1651 is known as the final battle of the English Civil War, when Oliver Cromwell and parliamentarians defeated the predominantly Scottish Royalists.

Worcester has proved to be a popular destination for residents from the West Midlands conurbation, some of whom have migrated to the city in recent years, leading to significant population growth which has created the need to build new housing estates in periphery areas such as St Peters and Warndon Villages. Worcester offers some of the best schools in Britain and a relatively low crime rate. Additionally, in the summer months is also one of the warmest and driest places in the country.

Nearby countryside includes the Malvern Hills, which was an inspiration for Edward Elgar and has inspired numerous artists and poets over the years. It is designated as a special area of outstanding natural beauty. In the winter months the hills look particularly remarkable under a thick covering of snow. On surrounding countryside there are plenty of scenic villages, with farms where horse liability insurance may be sought.

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