Global Writing Challenge 06.2026: Sunshine on our London-Edinburgh Vacay

Welcome friends, and thank you for stopping by.  It is the second Thursday of the month (how can that be - didn't June just arrive?) which means it is time for another installment in the Global Writing Challenge.  Glad you are here!!

Global Writing Challenge 06.2026

This month we were asked by Sally to reflect on 'sunshine'.  I've decided to share a little about our recent trip to London and Edinburgh where I expected to endure terribly damp, dreary weather.  

Thank goodness, I was pleasantly surprised!!

Tell Us About:  Sunshine

You might remember in April I was in quite a tizzy worrying over what to pack for our 12-day trip to London and Edinburgh.  Every YouTube and TikTok video I watched, prepared me for the distinct possibility that we would see rain everyday of our trip.  Average daily highs in London for the end of April-first of May would likely be in the upper 50s, and in Edinburgh 5-7 degrees lower.  With a chance of a rain shower each day in both cities.  Average evening lows might dip between the upper 30s and the lower 40s.  

So, I was sure I was going to be chilly if not downright cold.  And PC had insisted we both just take carry-on suitcases.  But everything I watched and read strongly suggested packing lots of layers which can be pretty bulky.  How would I fit it all in?

In my Rewind 04.2026 post, I mentioned packing, unpacking, repacking my suitcase a half dozen times.  Two days before we left, I took everything out of my suitcase for the umpteenth time.  I settled on:

• 3 pullover sweaters, pale pink, lavender floral, purple and green ivy print
• 2 sweatshirts, pale yellow and green
• 2 turtleneck tops, a white and a black and white striped
• 1 long-sleeved pastel, plaid blouse
• 1 short-sleeved dusty pink floral blouse
• 1 3/4 sleeved boho top in a bright, large floral print
• 1 white tee
• 1 graphic tee of Edinburgh Castle
• 1 long-sleeved pale pink, waffle knit Henley
• 1 long-sleeved bright pink tee
• 1 brown, cream and pink plaid blazer
• 2 pairs of jeans, these Lee bootcut jeans and some Quince dark-wash, straight leg jeans
• 2 pairs of hiking pants, an old pair in gray from The Northface, the other these black, quick-dry cargo pants
• 1 pair of black wide-leg, high-waist, pull-on yoga-type pants
• and this striped shirt dress

I packed an old Columbia rain jacket and an old Banana Republic trench coat, a pair of waterproof gray hiking boots, white Rocket Dog leather tennis shoes, black Skechers walking tennis shoes, and a pair of black, ballet flats.

That was a lot to squish into a carry-on but I did it.  Along with a hanging makeup bag.  Wore the yoga pants, green sweatshirt, striped turtleneck, hiking boots and trench coat on the plane.

London - Day One

We arrived in London about 1 pm, took the tube from Heathrow to our Z Hotel Covent Garden.  It was coolish but not raining!  PC was a genius the whole trip, navigating where we needed to go, figuring out the tube, train, and bus routes.  

We got settled into our room, which was very, very, very small (but we knew that going in and were relieved the bed was comfy), showered and changed clothes then took off exploring the area.  

The London marathon had taken place nearby just hours earlier so the street were teaming with runners (in shorts!!) and 'cheerleaders.'  Their energy was infectious and fun to watch.  We ate Hobson's authentic fish and chips with a seat near the window where we could look onto the merriment in the streets.  

Walked off our dinner on the way to the pier where we were meeting for a River Thames sightseeing cruise (with wine and canapes).  Passed the London Tower which we would return to tour on a another day.  It was golden hour as we boarded the boat.  The sun was so bright, we even had to squint in our selfies.

It was a delightful way to see some of the sights without walking from one end of London to the other... which we did do another day!!

London - Day Two

We slept like champs in our postage stamp-sized room.  Took the tube to the Viator Bus Tour station to meet the tour guide for the Stonehenge and Windsor day trip.  I wore a lavender pullover sweater over a white tee and gray hiking pants, black walking tennies and my rain jacket.  

Stonehenge was crazy.  Just out in the middle of the English countryside.  We walked out to it from the carpark where we were let off the bus.  Glorious sunshine.  Birds singing.  Freshly mown hay.  It was so warm, I shed my jacket and tied it around my waist.  And happily, we both wore sunnies!!

Next stop:  Windsor Castle. Afternoon temps reached 70*. PC got so warm he left his jacket on the bus.  

I was flabbergasted at the number of low-flying planes over the castle that King Charles and Queen Camila use as a weekend home.  

Obligatory castle soldier photo. We enjoyed a little snack after the castle tour.  I had an interesting kind of cookie thing made of oat and other grains and dried fruit all pressed together.  It was fabulous.

The sun continued to shine the rest of the afternoon and into evening.  We picked up some snacks for dinner.  With 14K steps under our belt, the bed in our teeny, tiny room felt pretty darn good.

London - Day Three

It was brisk this morning when we started our day.  I couldn't believe our luck with the sunshine would hold out so I wore layers again.  Chose a lightweight pullover sweater with a white short sleeved tee underneath, my wide-legged yoga pants with a waterproof jacket on top.  Maybe it was the raincoat that kept the rain away??  Maybe it was the El Paso sunshine I had slipped in my pocket before we left home??  But we enjoyed yet another good weather day.  

Since we hadn't eaten much for dinner the night before, we decided to indulge in a proper English breakfast this morning at 370 Strand Cafe.  Baked beans, bacon, eggs, toast and tomatoes for PC and eggs, bacon and bubble and squeak for me.  Delicious and very hearty.  And check out the 'china'.  So fancy!!  This was a such a treat.

Today we walked our feet off.  After breakfast, our first stop was St. Paul's Cathedral.  It was a beautiful building but too extravagant, in my opinion, for a church.  Dripping with gold.  The ornamentation was so excessive. It made me a little sick thinking of the poor, everyday Londoner living in the late 17th century who did without so much while no expense was spared in the ostentatiousness of this house of worship.  

Next stop, a tour of the London Tower.  Notice those blue skies.

Followed by a stroll in the sunshine across the Tower Bridge.  

Had a little midmorning pastry and tea taking the opportunity to sit down for a few minutes.  Then we were back at it, crossing the Tower Bridge again to catch a bus in the direction of Harrod's.  

We took a very brief tour of the store because I felt absolutely out of place among all of the beautiful things and 'beautiful' people.

On to Sotheran's Rare Books and Prints.  I was actually working up quite a sweat with all this walking in the sunshine.  

The publication I am holding below is one issue of a 48-issue collection of "OZ Magazine" - "a counter-culture magazine independently published between 1968-1973"  - being sold for £12,500 [source].  The one issue I am holding was worth about $350.00 U.S.

From here, we continued our walk about the Kensington area of west London.  Where I posed in front of a number of different book store fronts.  One of them displayed several of the books my online book club has read.  

My favorite was Alice through the Looking Glass - but of course, as Lewis Carroll's book by the same name is one of my all time favorite books.  

Our hotel offered a cheese and wine happy hour in which we indulged after returning to our room to shower and get ready for our evening at the theater.

For our big night on the town, I wore an ivy print pullover sweater in shades of purple and green with a lavender turtleneck underneath, my dark wash denim jeans and black ballet flats.  Oh, and my trench coat.  Ever questioning and doubting our luck with the weather.

We had dinner at the Seven Dials Market Place which was like a bustling mall food court with lots of eating options.  On Lauren's recommendation, we had Yum Bun Asian fusion (y)umplings.  

We walked the few blocks down to the Cambridge Theater for the musical "Matilda" based on Roald Dahl's children's book by the same name.  It was approaching 7:00 pm but the sun was still dazzling and warm.  

The theater was full of school children on theater field trips with their teachers.  Something El Paso teachers would never do.  The production was delightful, the set was very clever but poor PC was exhausted.  He could not stay awake.  So at intermission, we left to get some rest.  I've read the book so I know how it ends!!

When I removed my activity tracker for the day, I was impressed to see we had walked over 17K steps.  Boy, did we sleep well that night.

The following day we would be on the move again but this time by train to Edinburgh.  The weather forecast predicted cooler temps and a greater chance of rain in Scotland so I was anxious to see if we would see the sun at all during our stay up north.  

I am going to push 'pause' on this and continue with the next part of our trip in a second post.  Hope you will return for Part 2.  Will try to get that written for next week.

A Big Takeaway

One big takeaway from this trip was the revelation that we actually pack our own sunshine wherever we go.  Sure, having warm, sunny days in London made our visit more comfortable but PC and I would have had a grand time even in the rain.  And we were prepared for that possibility.  But the sunshine we had in our hearts would have made even a gloomy day or two brighter and more manageable.  Being together and experiencing new places is the best.  I am so blessed.  

Your Turn

Have you traveled to the United Kingdom?  If so, how did you find the weather?  I know we expect sunshineand blue skies when we vacation at the beach but that isn't always the case.  We often experience daily rain showers which makes for a great time to escape the sunand sneak in a nap.  

Now that you've waded for the first installment of my United Kingdom travelogue, I hope you will join me in visiting the blogs of the other Global Writing Challenge authors.

Even though her students begged her not to sing, Marsha loves music.  This time around, she's writing about songs she loves that mention sunshine. Check out  Marsha's post at  https://marshainthemiddle.com.

Sally shares sunshine-inspired outfits and handmade jewelry.  You can visit her at https://www.withinaworldofmyown.com.

Suzy writes about her changing relationship with sunshine and why she appreciates it far more now than she ever did before.  Find her post at http://www.suzyturner.com.

Exciting news.  While we have bid farewell to Rosie as she plans to focus more on book reviews on her blog, we are welcoming 2 new members to the group, Cat and Amy.

For this prompt, Cat talks about her thoughts on sunshine as a vampire. Cat blogs at https://catswire.blogspot.com/.

Amy writes about her first year of freedom to chase the sunshine in all four seasons.  Learn more on her blog https://coffeeandcocktailsatthecasa.com/.

And Deb at https://debs-world.com/ is taking a brief blogging break while she enjoys vacation adventures with family. I am sure she enjoying loads of sunshine.

Next month's Global Writing Challenge prompt comes to us from Suzy who has asked us to write about dance.   Won't you join us?  Mark your calendars and meet us back here on 07.09.2026.  

If you have joined us in writing about sunshine this month, won't you add the link to your post below?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Thank you, sweet friends, for popping in.  Hope you have sunshine in your heart or in your day today.  

Hugs and kisses,