Beginner’s Guide To Edinburgh Scotland

TMP 87 - Edinburgh
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Meggan: Hey everyone, welcome back to the Travel Mug Podcast. I'm Meggan, joined as always by Jenn. How are you today, Jenn?

Jenn: I am good. How are you?

Meggan: Excellent, thank you. And today we want to revisit Jenn's trip to Edinburgh, Scotland. And we are going to help first timers plan their visit. Again, with all of our beginners guides, we aren't experts, but instead providing you with some good bones to help you plan your own trip based on experience and of course some research as well. Jenn had an amazing trip in 2022 and wants to help others be able to have some ideas of things that could be of interest, including where to stay, eat and have fun.

So Jenn, let's kick it off with lodging, which is a great place to start. Where in sort of your experience would be a good location to stay.

Jenn: Yeah, I'm so excited because going through the research and going through my travel journals and looking through my photos for this trip made me really want to go back, so. In general, where to stay, I would recommend close ish to the Royal Mile. We'll talk about what that is in a second, but I...

You don't necessarily have to stay right on the Royal Mile. It would be very, very busy and touristy. But most of the things that you'll want to do are close by. So we stayed at the Ibis Edinburgh Center Southbridge Royal Mile. There is a different Ibis Edinburgh property. Also close by, so we got them confused when we first got there because I just saw Ibis and tried to walk in and they were like, you're not staying here.

So it was a really great location. It was like a block off of the Royal Mile and really close to the Edinburgh Waverley train station, which is how we got into Edinburgh. So it was a great location, but anywhere around there, probably pretty good.

Meggan: Excellent. Now, what about getting around? What did you sort of do in that regard?

Jenn: So we mostly walked. There are buses, there are taxis and Ubers. We used ScotRail to get from Glasgow to Edinburgh and then again from Edinburgh to Inverness. So if you're getting to Edinburgh, you might take the train or you could fly directly. Into their airport as well. It was just convenient for us because there was a direct flight from at the time It's now gone unfortunately, there was a direct flight from halifax to glasgow. So we booked that and then just took the train right over

Meggan: Oh, that makes sense. Now, obviously, what to do is going to be some meat and potatoes of the whole

Jenn: Yeah

Meggan: There's so many things to do in Edinburgh, and luckily, most of them, you know, that you're going to share, and myself as well, are pretty close together, so you can sort of easily walk between them.

So let's kick us off then. Excellent.

Jenn: Yes, alright, so let's talk about the Royal Mile, so it's kind of like a main street, it goes between Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace so the street was the traditional processional route of Monarchs, and is now lined with shops and restaurants and hotels and things to do. There's so much on there.

There's plenty of alleyways or closes to explore that also have things to do and shops and stuff down them. And note that it is It is an actual road, like, people are driving, there is traffic, and there's so many people thinking that it's like a pedestrian street, but it is not. It is a cobblestone street, but it is an actual road where people drive, so don't just like, wander out in the street.

Meggan: That's a good tip.

Jenn: Yeah.

Meggan: good tip. All right, excellent. So you've explored the Royal Mile. What else might you want to do?

Jenn: All right, so at the top of the Royal Mile is Edinburgh Castle. So it sits on Castle Rock, very aptly named which has apparently been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, which is like wild.

Meggan: Wow.

Jenn: So the Edinburgh Castle that you see today has been home to kings and queens. It has suffered many sieges during wars of independence over the years. The castle was also once a royal treasury where the nation's records and riches were kept. Jewels and treasures from around the world were also kept here, which was really interesting, including relics of Robert the Bruce. Lots of fine tapestries and magical amulets,

Meggan: magical amulet.

Jenn: Yes. So you can see the Honours of Scotland, aka the Crown Jewels of Scotland, on display in the Crown Room. So definitely, 100%, buy your tickets in advance. It does sell out, and so, tickets range from £15.50-£19.50, depending on the time of year that you're going, but 100 percent buy them in advance. I believe they're also timed tickets so you pick an entry time as well, not just a day, so.

Something to keep in mind, because you don't want to miss out on it if you really want to do it.

Meggan: No, definitely. If that's on your list, you have to plan for certain things for sure.

So what else?

Jenn: All right. So the Writers Museum, it's a small museum just off the Royal Mile in Lady Stairs Close, which is like a little alleyway. So it celebrates the lives of three giants of Scottish literature. So Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Lewis Stevenson. This museum is free, which... Donations are accepted, of course.

And the collections include books and manuscripts, portraits, and fascinating personal items relating to Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson, including Stevenson's wardrobe made by the infamous Deacon Brody, whose double life may have inspired the novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Meggan: Interesting.

Jenn: Yeah, it's a very small museum. It doesn't take too long to go through, but it is, it is pretty cool. It's an old house, so it's got some winding staircases and hallways and stuff, too. So, Meggan, I'm gonna get you to talk about the next thing because I actually didn't do it. We walked by it numerous times.

It looked very popular, but we didn't do it.

Meggan: Alright, well, I had really fun researching. So, Camera Obscura and World of Illusion. So, essentially, it is the oldest, purposed built attraction in the city. You can explore six floors of interactive exhibits. What does that mean, exactly? Well, Located in the Outlook Tower, so the top, originally founded in 1835, here you can do a virtual tour of the city.

There's also great views of the city itself from the rooftop terrace. And then each floor of the six floors includes puzzles, mirror mazes, and a vortex tunnel, all demonstrating aspects of optical illusions, color, and light. And I have to say I'm very sad you missed It

Jenn: I know.

Meggan: sounds fun.

Jenn: It does sound fun. They had fun mirrors outside of the, of the museum, but there's only so much time.

Meggan: You cannot do everything,

Jenn: You can't do everything. So, the next spot we did go to is the Museum of Edinburgh. So it's another smaller museum. It's also free. It's located inside Huntly House, one of the iconic and historic buildings on the Royal Mile.

It also features in season three of Outlander, so there you go. Has some interesting items relating to the city, and we enjoyed wandering through. Again, really small, free, but donations are accepted, and a nice way to kind of get a little bit more about the history of Edinburgh and Scotland.

Meggan: Definitely. All right, cool. So it's got to be a palace or two thrown in here. So what's next?

Jenn: Obviously, so the Palace of Holyroodhouse is the king's official residence in Edinburgh, so it's at the other end of the Royal Mile, and it is associated with some of Scotland's most well known historic figures, such as Mary Queen of Scots. Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie, and you can learn how it's used today by the king when carrying out his official engagements in Scotland.

It has a palace. It has an Abbey that is like kind of like the ruins of an Abbey and some really nice gardens. So that one is £18 per adult, but that also comes with a headset and tour which was really nice to not just look in and see the pretty rooms, but actually hear what they are

Meggan: what are. you seeing?

Jenn: Yeah. I always appreciate those things.

Meggan: Definitely. All right. Cool. What's up next?

Jenn: Next is Arthur's Seat. So it's very close to the Palace of Holyrood House and it's an ancient volcano. It's not going to erupt anymore, but it rises 822 feet above the city, meaning, of course, you get some great views. So, there are multiple paths to walk up. However getting all the way to the top is a bit of a challenging climb.

When I was, like, Googling it, it was like, It's easy, like And, I mean, there were a lot of families, including children, growing up there like, going up, but I, I would not call it easy. It is steep in parts, and parts of some of the path is paved, but part of it is just going up dirt. And so, I wouldn't call it an easy, it's not a walk in the park.

Meggan: Right. So be properly prepared

Jenn: yes, but, I mean, you know, we, we were, not in full on hiking gear with poles or anything, but

Meggan: I don't

Jenn: keep in mind. I think it took us about 30 to 40 minutes to get to the top but again, really great views. Worth doing if that is in your ability to do.

Meggan: Yeah. That makes sense.

Jenn: All right, tell us about something that I did not have time to do.

Meggan: Yes. I would love to. I would love to. So Royal Yacht Britannia or Britannia as you were it's a very popular attraction. And right off the top, it is recommended to book tickets in advance to ensure you get to visit. So plan ahead with this one if it's of interest. It does include a hotel, a gift shop and Royal Deck Tea Room. And really kind of a must see, except for Jenn, of course. But it seems like a must see anyway. So it launched on April 16th 1953. By John Brown and company shipyard and it's served the royal family if we've seen the Netflix show It's actually in there's played a big part in one season And for 44 years and it's traveled more than a million nautical miles with a crew of 220 people So used of course in the past for holidays and honeymoons of the royal family including of course Queen Elizabeth And it is now a five star attraction So what a spot this would be to have Tea time. I think that would be magical. So likely something, like I said, please book in advance so that you aren't disappointed.

Jenn: Yeah, we, we wanted to do it. It was kind of on our list, but it got cut. It's not right in the city. It that you would have to travel a little bit outside the city to get to. And we, we really had two and a half days in Edinburgh, and it was just not enough to do everything we wanted to do So obviously we just have to go back

Meggan: Well, I mean, well, that's exactly it. And still being able to share the info, I think if someone wants to put that ahead, you know, of something else that maybe doesn't interest them as much, definitely include it.

Jenn: Yeah, for sure. All right, so back in the city the next stop that I recommend is the Scott Monument And Prince's Street. I really have a hard time saying Prince's Street and not Prince Street. So it's the main shopping street in Edinburgh. So if you need to do any shopping you know, if you need to go to like Boots or Primark or like those kind of things that's where you can find that.

And on the other side of Prince's Street is the Prince's Street Gardens and the Scott Monument. So the Scott Monument is a Victorian Gothic monument to Scottish author, of course, Sir Walter Scott. He was a big deal.

Um,

We didn't do it, but you can get a tour and climb up it for £8 per adult. But it's, it's a beautiful little area.

There's lots of like families and people hanging out in the gardens when we were there. It was a nice day. So yeah.

Meggan: Excellent. Now Talk to Us, I think, is a great spot. Scottish National Gallery, tell

Jenn: Yeah, another free museum. I love this about the UK is there a lot of free museums by donation, of course, you know, if you can throw in a couple of pounds to help keep them going and free, but we just kind of wandered through and enjoyed the art. You can find pieces from like a lot of famous artists, Titan, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Monet, Van Gogh, and Picasso, and some Scottish as well.

We, we did that almost first, so we were extremely jet lagged, but we did we did have a good time wandering through. I'm just not sure how much of it I actually took in,

squadcaster-cf64_1_09-24-2023_180100: Your brain was sleepy.

Jenn: you know, yeah.

Meggan: Excellent.

Jenn: So the next stop. I love. So, Greyfriars Kirkyard. So, I know I'm not alone in this, but it also seems kind of weird, but I love wandering through historic cemeteries when we travel. So, Greyfriars Kirkyard is one of the most famous. And partly because of many of the names from Harry Potter, the Harry Potter series were taken from names on headstones.

So, the cafe where the books kind of started to come together for the author is right around the corner. So she would wander through the the kirkyard and she took some names. So Riddle, Moody, Scrimgeour, Crookshanks, Potter, and McGonagall can all be found in the kirkyard. It was almost like a scavenger hunt going through

Meggan: fun.

Jenn: find them.

I used a website and I'll try to find it and put it in the show notes for anybody, but it basically Described where you can find each of those just because it is quite big and if you are

Meggan: just wandering your own.

Jenn: Yeah, it could take you quite a while so Also, there's a statue for the Greyfriars Bobby. So it's a monument for a Skye Terrier named Bobby, who was looked after by a local policeman, John Grey, for the last two years of his life.

And after John Grey's death, Bobby reportedly guarded his grave in the Kirkyard for 14 years. I know and there's a grave with a monument and people leave sticks at the little gravestone and it's just It's so sweet. And there's there's actually like walt disney made a movie about this dog and local people apparently really took care of this dog and fed it while it was guarding the, the grave.

So, it's a, such a sweet story. My husband actually bought a poster with the, the dog on it in his office at, I think he bought it at the Edinburgh Museum, if I remember correctly. But it's a cool piece of art.

Meggan: Oh, definitely. What a good story.

Jenn: Yeah. All right. Tell us about something that we've kind of talked about in the last couple of episodes as well.

Meggan: I know, I know. Well, it sounds, it sounds like a lot. And that's the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. So, established in 1947, the Fringe Festival is a celebration of arts culture. And if you are in town in August when the event happens, I don't think you can avoid it, honestly, from

Jenn: Probably not.

Meggan: You should just give in and go.

The event does last like three weeks. And if you don't have any interest in this, it's also something to consider if you do plan to visit Edinburgh in August.

Jenn: Yeah, big time.

Meggan: So it's really something to keep in mind. So the festival includes everything from opera, comedy shows, dance, circus, physical theater, spoken word, exhibitions, and events.

There are hundreds of stages set up all over the city and no matter what you enjoy in regards to live arts, you can likely find it here, honestly, from the sounds. It is free. Incredibly, but the charity that supports these events is the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society and a donation to them, of course, helps support the cause, as you can imagine. It does sound absolutely incredible, but also really busy. So much like we've preached in the past plan ahead. Do your research, I'm sure it's a very, very busy time for the city and in 2024, just as an FYI, the events will take place August 2nd to the 26th.

Jenn: Yeah. Yes, our friend of the podcast Shana was there this past August with her show Broken Wide Open and I am, I kind of wish that we could have just jetted over there to kind of check it out, but maybe someday.

Meggan: Maybe someday indeed. All right, favorite topic of the podcast is where are we eating? So let's talk some restaurants.

Jenn: We love to eat. So the first place I'm going to mention I'm still dreaming about this meal and the place is called Solti. So it was our first night in Edinburgh, we ate there. We were, we were jet lagged and we were tired, but we were powering through to get to bedtime and So we found this small restaurant.

It's Nepalese and South Asian food. It was so Good like so good. I had a chicken tikka tandoori and like the most delicious homemade naan I want to go back so bad. Every time I look at the picture from this restaurant. I want to like drool

Meggan: I can imagine, and just so the listeners know, it's S O L T I, because it sounds a lot like salty. But just in case you want to look it up, that's the spelling for you. That sounds, if you got me at naan bread. Like, you know, what

Jenn: know, like, it was so good, and I, I looked at the, the menu while we were researching this putting this episode together, and I'm like, oh god, I just want to go back.

Meggan: Well, there you go, even more reason.

Jenn: Even more reason. So the next place that we went that I really enjoyed was called Clarinda's Tea Room. It was on the Royal Mile. Clarinda, her name was actually Agnes McGalehouse. She lived from 1759 to 1841. She was a friend and mentor to Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns, and the inspiration for his popular love song, Ae Fond Kiss.

We had tea and sandwiches and pastries, and it was just really funny because of course it's all served in little China. And they must have figured we were Canadian because I got a little teacup that had a Canadian flag on it.

Meggan: Oh.

Jenn: I know it was actually an Alberta teacup, but you know, like the wild rose, but it had a Canadian flag on it. And I just thought that was so funny.

Meggan: That was. Maybe Clarinda was like a nickname of her from him or something

Jenn: Maybe, like a little Sorry. Yeah.

Meggan: far from Agnes, you

Jenn: Yeah, it is quite fair. So Meggan, tell us about the next spot. It was in all of the Scotland travel Facebook groups, but we we didn't even try to get a reservation, but tell us about it in case the people do want to go.

Meggan: I would love to. It is called The Witchery, so billed as Scotland's most famous restaurant. So as we know, that sounds like a reservation well in advance.

Jenn: Yeah.

Meggan: It is located at the gates of Edinburgh Castle, and you can dine daily from noon until 10:30pm. I would be very hungry by then, very, very cranky. They provide the option to dine in their candlelit original dining room, or their secret garden dining room. And according to the website itself, it says, "Reflecting our historic setting, our restaurant menus pays homage to dishes that have stood the test of time." Enjoy classics such as Scotch Beef Ribeye Steak with Bearnaise Sauce, Arnold Bennett, okay,

Lobster Thermidor, and Pink Lady Apple Tart Tatin, just to name a few. So if that tempts your palate...

This might be the place for you. However, I do want to mention an interesting note is that they don't allow children under 10 years old or parties of more than six.

So use that information as you will.

Jenn: Interesting.

Meggan: I know. I mean, it sounds like my kind of place,

Jenn: Yeah. Actually, that sounds pretty good.

Meggan: That's all good to me, but that's just me. Now, of course, we've talked about a couple of restaurants, but food to try is a whole different story, and of course there are some different food options that are unique to Scotland.

So, Jenn, talk about

Jenn: So, let's talk about Irn-Bru. It's I R N dash B R U. It used to be spelled iron, but because it contains no iron, they had to change the name.

Meggan: It's

Jenn: So that people didn't think it was a source of iron.

Meggan: a good distinction.

Jenn: Yes, so it is a, like, fluorescent orange colored, like, soft drink pop soda. But don't let the color fool you too much, because it does not taste like orange the fruit. Some people describe it as tasting like orange the color.

Um,

Yeah. To me, it tasted bubblegum ish, but also citrusy. I didn't hate it, but I didn't really enjoy it.

Meggan: Right.

Jenn: but apparently it is made with an original secret recipe from 1901 and contains 32 different flavors.

So,

Meggan: that's a lot of flavours.

Jenn: no wonder nobody can agree on what it actually tastes like.

Meggan: Makes sense to me now.

Jenn: Yeah, it actually was at one time also made in Cape Breton.

There's a pop company that used to make it in Cape Breton as well, which is now defunct. But yeah, they brought it over. To,

Meggan: With Nova

Jenn: New Scotland.

Meggan: And New Scotland gave it a try and then we didn't.

Jenn: Yeah. Alright, tell us about probably the most famous Scottish food, Meggan.

Meggan: Well, exactly. And that is haggis. It is billed as a savory pudding, which might be true, but the pudding part in my brain, and of course it isn't, but it seems misleading, but I guess that's just because pudding in my mind doesn't usually consist of sheep or calf entrails or organs and other spices plus oatmeal boiled in a bag made of stomach lining. Now, It is out of my comfort zone, which I think is fair, but lots of people love it, which is also fair. So, if you want to take part in a really popular Scottish dish, I mean, this is probably the one that has, you know, the biggest popularity, I would say. So, do let us know out there if you have tried it or if you want to, but Jenn, did you try this on your visit?

Jenn: No,

Meggan: I didn't. Thank you

Jenn: No, I didn't. My husband, Ryan, did. He said it was good. Like, he enjoyed it. He said it was very heavily seasoned. And but it's not for me. But yeah.

Meggan: okay. It's okay if it is for you, and it's okay if it isn't, you know? There is another one, though, that I think could definitely be for me, would be my wheelhouse, and it is called Cullen Skink. And in doing a bit of research, this was the first I have heard of this dish, but it is one that I think I would really love to try. So the dish is a Scottish soup, sounds kind of like what we would call a chowder to me here, probably, but a Scottish soup. And it consists of smoked haddock, potatoes, and onions. I personally love smoky flavour, so I think this sounds really delicious. It originated from the town of Cullen, hence the name on the northeast coast of the country.

And as you can imagine, it is a local specialty, and it sounds really yummy. So what about this one, did you try that?

Jenn: I didn't, I don't personally eat fish but my husband Really really liked this one. It was definitely a chowder vibe. So if you're used to eating seafood chowder I think and if you like smoky flavor, then you'll probably like this. Ryan had it at this little kind of shack place We were not in Edinburgh at that time, but he did really enjoy it.

So there you

Meggan: Cool. All right. Well, I think we're going to finish things off today with some fun facts, which we love a fun fact around here. So first one, the only knighted penguin in the world lives in Edinburgh and his name is Sir Nils Olav.

Jenn: I would love to know why this penguin was knighted, so I guess I'll have to look that up.

Meggan: I invite you to do the research on that. Next up, the Royal Mile is actually one mile and 107 yards long. So we've been told a tale. It is not even true. All right. Number three. Edinburgh Castle is built on an extinct volcano, as I think we've mentioned.

Jenn: Castle Rock.

Meggan: All right. There are more statues. This one's kind of sad. There are more statues of animals than women in Edinburgh with, of course, statues of men dominating all categories, blah, blah, blah. And then finally, Edinburgh is the greenest city in the UK with 112 parks and 750, 000 trees. We thank you for your service. It is also listed as a UNESCO heritage site and 75 percent of its buildings are also listed, which is incredible.

Jenn: It is, and honestly, that makes sense to me because it is probably one of the most beautiful cities that I have ever been to. And I loved it so much. We actually, went back there for an extra day. We were only supposed to be in Edinburgh a day and a half and we Later in our trip decided to go back for an extra day because we wanted to see it again before we went home.

So yeah, I I really really loved it So I hope that if you are out there planning your first trip to Edinburgh that you love it, too

Meggan: Definitely. And thank you so much for breaking down all the things that you saw and even including, of course, some stuff that you didn't, that you still think could be of interest. I'm sure this is going to be super helpful for people. And that is it for this week's episode. So we hope you've given, you know, the listeners some great ideas to help kickstart their planning.

If you have ever been to Edinburgh or live there and you think there's something that a first timer should see that maybe we've missed, Please let us know. We'd love to hear from you on social media at TravelMug Podcast. You can also find us on our website, TravelMugPodcast. com. And if you feel so inclined, which we think you should leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

We'd love to hear from you. And until next time, bye!

Jenn: Bye!