Exactly one year ago today, Ted and I were visiting Edinburgh, Scotland ! I was in the UK for a work trip and we made a mini vacation out of the experience by arriving a few days early and then staying for the weekend.
While trip planning Ted and I were desperate to visit Scotland so we made it happen. We booked a 5am train from London to Edinburg. After a four hour ride through the English countryside, we found ourselves in the land of Jamie Fraser (if you don’t get that reference we need to have a serious talk).
We spent just a day in Edinburgh but got so lucky with everything. It was February but the weather was mild and there was sunshine. Our trip was meant to be so here’s what we managed to fit in to give ourselves a taste of Edinburgh.
Royal Mile
If you have even just an hour in this city, the Royal Mile is the place to go. It’s one of the oldest sections of Edinburgh and lined with shops and restaurants.
What I noticed is that the architecture is so distinct. Most of the buildings are made of the same stone and it is indeed very gray. Very Scottish!
Edinburgh Castle
The Royal Mile is really a hill that leads up to the Edinburgh Castle. We didn’t have time to take a tour but admired the grounds from afar. I made a promise to myself that we’d come back with more time someday and do the castle justice.
Free Edinburgh Walking Tour
We signed up for the 1pm Walking Tour that took us to the following sites – it was well worth it since we were on a time crunch.
• St. Giles Cathedral
• Mercat Cross
• Greyfriars Graveyard
• Martyrs Memorial
Harry Potter Sites
Our free walking tour also took us on to some key Harry Potter sites. This was my favorite part. We saw the building that inspired the idea behind Hogwarts and the street that serves as the famous Diagon Alley. We walked through the famous Greyfriar Cemetary which is the source behind many Harry Potter names (Thomas Riddle!). We also saw the café that J.K. Rowling wrote most of Harry Potter in – it actually looks out onto Greyfriar cemetery. It was easy to picture J.K. Rowling looking out and creating that magical world of wizards and witches that we all love.
Dinner at a pub
By the end of the tour it was getting dark and it was pretty damp and cold. I mean it was Scotland in February so it was to be expected. So Ted and I ran into the first pub we saw and had some hearty food to warm us up. Ted loved the Scottish whiskey too!
We took the train back to London and were “home” by 11pm that night. It was one of the best days, and even though it was long we got to visit Edinburgh!
If you want to check out the rest of our UK trip – check out these posts here:
Post 1: England Part One
Post 2: England: Bath, Canterbury, & Dover
Post 3: My Two Day London Itinerary — This is a throw back post from our very first trip to London – a perfect guide for first timers!
