Mum and daughter travel 10,000 miles for Edinburgh Tattoo but are left in disbelief
An Australian mother and daughter who travelled over 10,000 miles for the Edinburgh Tattoo were left 'in disbelief' after it was cancelled.
Cynarra Baker and her mother Sharon flew from Newcastle, in New South Wales, starting their journey on July 24. The pair stopped off in Dubai, before a mini-holiday in Paris and then on to the capital - with the total flight time adding up to almost 24 hours.
The Baker family first dreamed of coming to the Edinburgh Tattoo after Cynarra's grandmother, Flo, told her she would love to come - but they needed a few years to save. While Flo passed away in 1997, the Bakers never given up on her dream of coming to the capital for the annual extravaganza.
Almost 30 years later, Sharon and Cynarra finally arrived in Edinburgh. They had travelled for 13 hours and 45 minutes from Sydney to Dubai, with a seven hour journey onto France - before another two hour flight to Edinburgh.
Cynarra, who has two children herself, said they were in 'utter disbelief' after getting the update on the morning of the Tattoo. They were staying at the Murrayfield Hotel the night before the show, which they had tickets for on August 4.
Cynarra, who retired from the Airforce in 2016 and has worked as a carer since, said she couldn't sleep with excitement - buzzing with anticipation. She woke up and checked her emails, to find out that Storm Floris meant the performance wouldn't be happening.
The Bakers fly back to Australia on Sunday, August 10, and admitted that any tickets available during the rest of their time in Scotland would be far too expensive - and scupper the rest of their plans. After checking online Cynarra found tickets for around £650 each - and knew that 'wasn't going to happen'.
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Instead of getting ready and heading out to the Tattoo on Monday, the pair hunkered down with a bottle of wine and some Netflix while avoiding the storm. Now, they're up in Inverness 'learning about the Highlander way of life' - which is perfect for two 'massive Outlander fans'.
After they were contacted by Edinburgh Live, a spokesperson for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo confirmed they would like to speak with Cynarra and Sharon to explore options of 'how to make their dream of seeing the Tattoo come true'. The Tattoo's CEO Jason Barnett admitted the Bakers tale was 'especially gut-wrenching' and he 'shared their disappointment'.
We spoke with Cynarra after the Monday nights cancellation, who told us: "When I was a teenager I asked my grandmother if she wanted to come to the Edinburgh Tattoo at the castle in Scotland.
"My nana's response was 'oh my, I'd love to go with you'. I told her to give me a few years to save, once I have a full time job, and we'll go.
"I joined the Royal Australian Airforce in 1996 and my grandmother passed in 1997. But that dream never left me.
"Life happened, and mum said she really wanted to come to the tattoo with me as as well. But my dad would never leave Australia for a holiday."
After Cynarra's father passed away in December 2023, she suggested to her mum that the pair go together. They booked the trip in February, and spent months looking forward to it.
Arriving from a stop off in Paris on August 2, the duo were 'so excited' to be heading to the Tattoo on August 4. By the time they were in Scotland, an amber weather warning for Storm Floris had been issued.
(Image: Supplied)
Cynarra recalled: "Mum and I were staying at Murrayfield Hotel. I had a terrible sleep so excited to be going to the Tattoo the next night and we had booked a tour with Rabbies departing at 8.15am.
"I got up and I checked my emails to check the departure time as we had to check in 30mins before departure to find an email saying the tour for the day had been cancelled as well as the Tattoo because of Storm Floris. It's uncanny they named the storm Floris as my grandmothers nickname was Flo.
"I laid in disbelief and asked my mum if she was awake. I then read the email out to my mum, both of us were just silent. Mum just said 's**t'. Well I'm staying in bed then. I emailed our travel agent in Australia.
"He was gutted. I checked tickets for the next night all that was available was £650 each tickets so about £1400 each so we knew it wasn't going to happen.
"Both mum and I sat in our room absolutely in disbelief. What are odds of this happening."
The duo allowed themselves a bit of time to be disappointed by the news, before continuing on with their holiday. They told us: "We had a nice breakfast at Murrayfield and watched Netflix all day, purchased a bottle of wine and went to bed. Now we're looking forward to going to Inverness!"
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While the news was 'devastating' for the Bakers, they had other plans while here in Scotland. The pair got hire car and drove to Corriefodly Holiday Park, planning to do day trips to various spots.
As for returning to the city another year, and a second go at the Tattoo, Cynarra isn't so sure. She added: "Mum says definitely no as she is 70-years-old. For me I'm not sure, as I love this place it feels like home to me."
The family are heading up north to 'learn more about the history of Scotland', with Cynarra looking forward to standing 'where the Highlander way of life changed'.
She added: "I am a huge Outlander fan, and learning about he history of Scotland battle of Culloden Field is a must experience for me.
"Just to stand where the highlander way of life changed will be an experience that needs to be felt. We might nip over to Aberdeen as well."
Jason Barrett, CEO at The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, said "Hearing that Cynarra and Sharon have travelled from as far as Australia and won't be able to see the Show as a result of our cancellation is especially gut-wrenching and I share their disappointment.
"While we can't control the weather, we are exploring options as to how we can make their dream of seeing the Tattoo come true."
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