For the final leg of our Scottish road-trip we spent two nights in Edinburgh! I stupidly left booking a hotel to the last minute and struggled to find somewhere central but not ridiculously priced. In the end I booked us a room at the Thistle King James, in the heart of the city centre.
I'll be totally honest... From the outside, the hotel is a monstrosity. Built in 1924, it really is the ugliest concrete building and needs a bit of a re-vamp. But I didn't fancy paying a ridiculous price for a room! In cities such as Edinburgh you can get ripped off so easily. As with most city-breaks, we knew that the majority of our time would be spent out of the hotel and so we chose to spend on what matters more to us instead - good food and nearby attractions. But, aside from the slightly dated exterior, the hotel was pretty satisfactory. The inside is also in need of a little updating but was perfectly clean and comfortable. Our room was huge! The reception staff were very accommodating, they let us check in three hours earlier than planned and we thought we would have to pay an extortionate fee to park the car for 48 hours, but they allowed us to park right outside the front of the hotel for just £12 for the whole stay, which was better than any car-park deals we had found!
The location of the hotel was the big winner for us - it's literally a 2 minute walk from the middle of the city and right in the midst of the main shopping area on Princes Street. If you're looking to pay a reasonable price for a room in the middle of Edinburgh but aren't looking for anything particularly extravagant, then I'd thoroughly recommend The King James.
Rob and I had both been to Edinburgh before but we were so excited to be back as it is such a beautiful, charming city. After our wonderful stay in Loch Lomond (which you can read about here!), we were ready to be in a bustling city for some culture! After checking in to the hotel, we headed straight back out, walking up towards the castle. We were welcomed with warm sunshine which was a nice surprise as we had been expecting rain! The long street leading up to the castle is called The Royal Mile and walking up it, you feel immediately immersed in all things stereotypically Scottish! There are bagpipe players on each street corner, countless shops selling tartan scarves and kilts, whiskey and shortbread and street entertainers dressed as various characters.
We chose against paying to visit the castle... but there are some great views across the city from the cobbled stoned entrance outside, and this area makes for a good photo spot! The atmosphere was buzzing, there were tourists everywhere. What I love most about this old part of the city are all the little medieval alleyways and steep steps leading off on either side of the Royal Mile, where you can catch brilliant views over the turreted city skyline.We spent our first couple of hours wandering up and down various alleyways, soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the incredible architecture. It is so picturesque...
We then headed through Princes Street Gardens which is a beautiful place to sit and relax on the grass if the weather permits, with the Scottish National Gallery at one end and the iconic gothic Scott Monument at the other. We enjoyed a coffee sat in the gardens before our shopping trip.
We then had a naughty shopping spree on Princes Street and George Street. Princes Street is home to the highstreet shops such as Topshop, Accessorize, H&M, Zara etc... whereas George Street is more upmarket with designer stores such as Jack Wills, Fatface, Gant, The White Company, Jo Malone... etc. We browsed both, stopping for Ben's Cookies when needed (had to be done!!).
Being October with the nights drawing in, it got dark pretty early. Edinburgh in the evening is pretty spectacular too, it was lovely to see the city all lit up.
The next morning we headed out for breakfast - we went to The Edinburgh Larder which had been recommended to me by one of my twitter/instagram friends, Ally (follow her @aaalexa)! It's such a cute little cafe/bistro just off The Royal Mile, serving homemade food using seasonal, locally produced ingredients. The menu is delicious! I had French Toast to die for... it was amaaaaazing. So good.
I think when you're travelling the best kind of days are when you're wandering around with no real plan, just discovering new places and enjoying the views. That's basically what we did that morning - we just wandered Edinburgh's beautiful streets, popping into little independent shops. We spent 45 minutes in a historic map shop talking to the most adorable old man who was as eccentric about maps as my Dad is, and we ended up buying a print of an 1800s map of Loch Lomond!
We then stumbled across the Love Crumbs Bakery - another total gem, serving freshly baked cakes and treats. They do the most incredible gooey caramel brownies... SO good!! Drop in if you're in the area!
It was then time to visit the well renowned Scotch Whiskey Experience which is very popular with tourists as you can imagine, as Scotland is the home of fine whiskey. It is, as you'd expect, a little pricey but I guess they can be... people will still pay up! There are several tours to choose from (see here)... We chose to do the 'Gold' tour which, in hindsight, was a bit of a mistake. It cost £23.50 per adult (£20 for me because I'm a student wooooo!) and you were given a total of 5 whiskeys to taste. The silver tour would have been more than adequate (with one whiskey to taste, costing £13.50 per adult) because we didn't realise quite how much we dislike the stuff! Trying to drink 5 whiskeys was a total mission (we failed)! We even tried to water the whiskey down with soda water but it didn't make much difference!
Nevertheless, whilst in Edinburgh the whiskey tour is just something you've got to do as a tourist! It was pretty fun - the tour guide was really friendly and informative, he knew his stuff. And it was amazing to see the world's largest collection of Scotch whiskeys... there were so many!!
We then headed to Rose Street in the new-town of the city, famous for its pubs, bars and restaurants. We had a couple of drinks in Element before meeting some of Rob's old childhood friends for dinner. It was lovely to meet some new friendly faces and even lovelier to be around some real Edinburghians(?)! They took us to the most amazing French restaurant for dinner, called L'escargot Blanc where they serve traditional French cuisine using fresh, Scottish ingredients. The restaurant was decorated with a rustic feel to it - almost like we were sat in a fourth floor restaurant in La Parisssss! The food was incredible...
Even on my second visit, Edinburgh did not disappoint. I can most definitely understand how it has earned the nickname "The Athens of the North" - the city is full of history, culture and character. I was sad to leave, but after a week away in Scotland I was definitely ready to be home.
Edinburgh... I'll be back!
Lydia xxx
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