Edinburgh in a nutshell

Capital of Scotland, this gorgeous little town should be worth a visit on anyone’s list. Retaining its gothic and medieval appearance Edinburgh is steeped in history and makes an afternoon stroll a worthy activity. Nothing like other major cities, the city retains its façade with stone buildings, spires and the general feeling that you’ve just stepped back at least 100 years in time.

I stayed in the old town, just 5 minutes walk from the train station which was perfect as it was super easy to get around everywhere. Old town is a lovely area to stay in as you get the real feel of Edinburgh complete with cobble stone streets and narrow alleyways. Plus it came with a view of the castle which was literally a stones throw from the hostel and was a great lookout point to see Edinburgh. The free coffee, tea and hot chocolate might of also been a lending point to staying at Castle rock Edinburgh..

The weather was very temperamental and when walking up from the station had to battle wind and sleet but cleared up after an hour or so and I bravely ventured outside wrapped in so many layers the only visible part of my skin was my eyes, cheeks and lips. I was very lucky as the rest of my 4 days there were clear and somewhat sunny.

Day one

Having only an afternoon, today was spent wandering around town and visiting the castle. A stroll around town makes a great activity here as its so different and picturesque, not to mention the abundance of shops selling homemade fudge and shortbread that can easily keep you occupied for a while. The castle costs around $16 euros per adult and recommended about 2 hours of your time. It’s set high up on a hill, which gives it a great point to get photos of the city, which you can do from the car park or inside the castle. The castle is rich with history and needs to be visited to understand its significance for the people, namely the Wars of Scottish Independence and it also being a Royal residence in the 12^th century. It also houses a prison, the oldest building in Edinburgh, early 16 century Great Hall and some museums – something for everyone and well worth a visit!

Day two

With the sun shining today was dedicated to tackling Arthurs Seat, a huge mountain set on the outside of town. It’s about a 30 minute walk from Old Town and pretty hard to miss. We climbed up the front section first which was rather steep but gave lovely panoramic views over the whole city, stretching from the water on the left to the city on the right. The way up is a little rocky and I was torn between watching where I was walking for fear of falling and the view, but once it flattened out the rocks gave way to a grassy area and little yellow flowers that bloomed along the side of the path. After admiring the view and catching our breath we headed down the other side of the mountain and back up another with stairs that looked like a path to hell. As far as we could see upwards was just stair after stair after stair. After my 5 minute internal battle in my head if this was worth it, we tackled the walk and before we knew it were about halfway up. It isn’t the easiest walk, but completely doable and looks a lot harder than it seems. The view at the top was well worth it anyhow. The path up leads onto a grassy area that nearly blew us away the wind was so strong! Tucking all loose clothing in, I re-did my hair after being whipped by stray strands multiple times over and stopped to take a leaning forward Michael Jackson photo because, well who doesn’t want one…

 

Struggling against the wind, we moved forwards albeit slowly towards a giant rocky outcrop which is the highest point. From here we could see the ocean stretching out before us and disappearing on the horizon, rolling green paddocks and rows of ant-size houses – it was amazing. With the wind howling in our ears and a dangerous looking grey cloud looming in the sky we sat behind a giant rock trying to grab some cover from the persistent wind but all too soon a few giant drops of water splashed down and we quickly found the energy to start the walk down. Avoiding the growing puddles of mud we carefully climbed down the back of the mountain which is a much easier path with a steady incline as opposed to the stairs on the way up. The wind was blowing the few drops of rain in our faces, which felt like bullets, and we hurried along towards the town. It only takes about 30 minutes to walk down and with that we headed towards the nearest pub to warm up over some food and a well-deserved cold cider. Even after a month of travelling, this walk still remains one of my favourite days and despite how tough it looks or a dodgy looking cloud that looms it is a must-do.

 

Day three

Wanting to see a bit more of Scotland we jumped on a train to Glasgow for our second last day, plus it was very cheap less than $8 euros return in off-peak times (leaving before 10am and before 4:30pm from Glasglow from memory). The city was not as picturesque as Edinburgh and was a lot more modernised so to speak. To the right of the train station is an information shop and we stopped in here to grab a map and some brochures. Failing to find anything we really wanted to do, we started walking down one of the main streets and towards a church that was on the map. The church was very European with its high ceilings and curved doorways. Downstairs was a tomb and pieces of information on the church which was great for understanding its history but the real masterpiece was the graveyard behind it. Sounds slightly morbid to visit a graveyard, but set high on a hill it gives you a panoramic view of Glasgow and some of the tombstones are just marvellous. Some are very grand and reach about 4 metres high and are just as wide with sculptures that perch on top. Others are like giant rooms that are locked from the outside and ornately decorated, which we later learnt was to stop people robbing valuables from the graves. After wandering around we went back to town, which is predominantly made up of university buildings and sat in the main square for a picnic lunch before heading back to Edinburgh around 3pm. While it was nice to see more of Scotland, Edinburgh was infinitely more appealing and we were glad we only spent one day in Glasglow.

Day four

Today was unfortunately our last day and before heading to the airport we joined a free walking tour that met just outside Starbucks in Old Town (Sandemans free walking tours). It lasts for approximately 2.5 hours and takes you through all the historical sites, and I can’t recommend it enough. We got a fantastic guide, Johnny a born and bred guy from Edinburgh, who was the most engaging tour guide I’ve ever experienced. He engages you with all the tales and history of this beautiful city and we left feeling like we knew just that little bit more which made our stay better. For lunch we grabbed a haggis pie, which is a traditional Scottish food and I recommend you try it before you learn what haggis is made of but ignoring that, it tastes delicious just like minced meat. We also polished off some homemade toffee fudge with almonds which is mind-blowingly scrumptious. Licking our fingers we headed back to the hostel for some free hot chocolate and then off to the airport for our next adventure: Scandanavia!