Picking up items in will

[Chickencuddle]

I have wrote on here before about my relationship with my family. Estranged from most of them. Etc.
My grandmother who I was in contact with recently passed away and she left me some jewellery in her will.
I live in Northern Ireland and the rest of my family lives in england. My uncle messaged asking me to get someone to pick up the jewellery.
I asked if I could pick up a certain weekend and he agreed. I booked flights. It is next qeekend and I am now messaging asking for times. I originally asked if I could pick up the thursday evening after we land. He said he was busy. I asked if we could come get it saturday morning. He said he was playing golf. I have now messaged asking when suits him and he hasn't replied.
I am worried as we booked these flights especially to pick up the jewellery and we really cant afford to come over again. He was not very nice to me when my grandma was dying and after. So I feel like he is being difficult.
Aibu?

Phone the solicitors and do it now now...

Explain the situation and that if the items cannot be made available to you for collection at their office or by your uncle (explain how difficult he has been) then they (the solicitor) will need to secure the items and you expect them to be couriered to you at the expense of the estate.

Send a follow-up email to solicitors summarising events so far and attach full messaging correspondence with uncle.

Dont contact him again, just contact the solicitor from now on. If they tell you to contact him send them an extract of all your messages showing you have tried and that he isn't replying. If he is named executor then he will be failing in his responsibilities and they may well give him a reminder that he has a legal obligation to behave properly.

He has mdssage back though saying he will let me know so assuming he has contacted them.
Also when I googled it said it isnt appropriate for anyone other than the executer to contact solicitors. Im worried ill make things worse.

To be fair to him, I doubt solicitors are open this week, he’s unlikely to be able to confirm you can collect from a solicitor until Monday.

If there are solicitors involved they may be the executors, I'd ring and ask them, I wouldn't contact uncle again, what are the items, can they be posted instead.

Why are you messaging back and forth when you can just call him and have a conversation?

you have only suggested two times and if he does an activity on Thursday evenings (I do) and has already booked to play golf with friends he won’t be changing plans, why not try Friday? Saturday afternoon?

I have asked what time he is free and no reply so I then said about solicitors and he said he would do thay and let me know.
Not calling as estranged not spoken in 20 odd years

Just get them sent by insured carrier?

There may not be a solicitor involved, there doesn't have to be.

That’s a great idea.

If the jewellery is valuable it may need to be valued as part of the estate and not distributed until probate has been granted, if probate was needed.

Just call the solicitors. He’s fucking you around.