Day 25 - Edinburgh

After breakfast, we headed into Edinburgh by train and found ourselves coming out of the station just where the double decker tourist buses go from.  We decided we would buy a ticket and that we would visit Edinburgh Castle.  There are five different bus trips you can choose from and we bought the tickets that allow you to hop on or hop off whichever bus you wish.

We caught one that went straight to Edinburgh Castle.  The chap giving the talk was great, and silly us got off at the Castle.  I thnk we should have stayed on!  We went past the Sir Walter Scott monument. Sir Walter Scott is another favourite of my dads.  Who would have thought they would have had a great big memorial just near the train station for him.  He wrote a whole lot of novels and is obviously a revered person in Scotland.

The guy doing the commentary asked if anyone knew of him or had read any of his books, so I could put my hand up!

The Castle is an obvious landmark for Edinburgh, apparently it used to be part of an ancient volcano.  There wasn't much information provided, and we didn't buy a guide book.  Apparently the oldest building on the site is Sait Margaret's Chapel, which is a tiny little chapel at the top and was built in the 10th or 11th century.

There are royal apartments to see, the Scottish Crown Jewels (so a many people goong thru' here) and a war memorial for Scottish armed forces personnel in WW1.  It was scary to see the numbers of Scottish men who lost their lives.  We only really read two of the plaques and there were over 20,000 casualties.  

We went into look at the Great Hall which was built in the 1500s.  It was turned into barracks during Cromwell's time and then reconstructed in the 19th century.  As we walked in a fellow came out in costume and was playing a hurdygurdy.  It was very atmospheric until all these people started going up to him to have their photos taken with him!  The music was excellent.

We also went into the regimental museums which were excellent.  One of them had two hussifs made by soldiers in 1880s.

We left the Castle and decided we'd get back on the bus and do the whole tour and then maybe another tour after we had had some lunch.  Just down from the Castle we found a cafe attached to the ticket office for one of the theatres in Edinburgh and had lunch there, I had the roast beef and horseradish mayonnaise sanwich which was delicious and Peter had ham and mustard.

When we finished, we went out and the bus stop is just there, and so was the bus we wanted!  This time we had an older lady telling us about the parts we were driving thru.  Edinburgh is amazing as there are a number of bridges however the buildings are still a couple of stories below the level of the bridge road.  The train station is also below this level, so you have to walk down to it.

We went past Holyrood Castle, the National Gallery, the Museum and up the Golden Mile which is the road that leads from Ediburgh and Holyrood Castle.

We decided to try another trip, and this time went on the one that went down to the port where the ex Royal Yacht Britannia is berthed.  We also went past the Botanical Gardens, which we shall have to visit properly next time.  And the school's grounds where the Chariots of Fire was filmed.

It was so nice just to sit back and enjoy being driven around as we are both tired!!!

We had a little wander around including down a little bit of Queens Road, which our first guide told us was the most intact street in Edinburgh.

I was fascinated by the number of chimney pots at the top of the buildings!

We walked back to the station via the Scotsman's Steps, each step is a different coloured rock...

We had a quick trip back to our hotel, had dinner, did some packing and then off to bed.