Can you believe I’d lived in the UK my whole life, but never been to Scotland until last year?
I know, crazy. Scotland has several places on my to-visit list, but I’d never gone above Gretna Green until last year. But last year, due to unavoidable bookings, weddings, and friend’s birthdays, I ended up visiting Scotland, England, and Ireland all in one week. It was a busy week, but bearing in mind each flight was no more than an hour it wasn’t too stressful.
If you’re looking for somewhere within the UK to have a holiday, Edinburgh would be near the top of my recommendation list. If not at the top. I booked a long weekend in August last year, for a friend’s birthday trip, and our trip just happened to clash with Edinburgh Fringe. But there’s more about that later in the post.
Edinburgh has it all – history, food, drink, unique attractions, outdoor activities. And it’s got to be one of the most photogenic places you can visit. It’s stunning. If you’re planning a budget trip there’s plenty to do without buying tickets. To be honest, just walking around the city is entertaining enough (especially if you are there during Fringe). But there’s also a lot that’s not to be missed out.
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Take a ghost tour of the vaults
As you’d expect, Edinburgh has a lot of ghostly history. The best way to learn about it is by booking a tour. Get Your Guide has quite a few, like this Old Town and Underground Ghost Tour. It goes into the underground of Edinburgh, which is really interesting if you’re a history fan. Even if you’re not so into the ghost side of things, the history itself is still interesting.
Get a view of Edinburgh from Calton Hill
It’s an iconic view of Edinburgh. If you’ve ever watched the film ‘One Day’ then you’ve probably seen it before. There’s a few monuments here, but the most famous one is the National Monument. This is definitely worth adding to your list while in Edinburgh, but make sure you check your timings – it isn’t open all the time.
Visit Greyfriar Bobby and leave a stick for him
This was number one on my list of things to do. If you haven’t heard the story of Greyfriar’s Bobby, it’s a sad story, but the people of Edinburgh have honoured him long afterwards. If you head to Greyfriars Kirkyard you’ll find a grave with a pile of sticks on it. This is Bobby’s burial place. People place sticks on top of it for the pooch, so make sure while you’re on your way you keep an eye out for a good stick to take with you.
Just down the road as well there’s a pub named after the dog, and opposite that is a statue on top of a drinking fountain. This is a second memorial for Greyfriars Bobby. If you visit it, you’ll see how the colour on his nose has changed where everyone has stroked him when they visit – this isn’t recommended because it is slowly damaging the statue, so try to restrain if you can.
The Story of Greyfriars Bobby
Greyfriars Bobby was a little Terrier who lived in Edinburgh with his owner in the 1850s. When his owner died, Bobby sat and guarded his grave, and wouldn’t leave. Although he should’ve been picked up by the dog wardens at the time, a local director of the SSPCA paid for his dog license and bought him a collar, meaning he wasn’t technically a street dog.
Bobby guarded the grave for fourteen years, being fed and looked after by locals, until he also passed away. He was buried in his own grave at the entrance to Greyfriars Kirkyard, not too far away from his owner, and later another memorial was put up down the street for him – a drinking fountain with a beautiful statue of the pooch on top.
Hike up King Arthur’s Seat
If you’re on a more adventurous weekend, you can follow one of the hikes in the city. But be warned, they’re not for the faint-hearted. They’re very steep, very uneven paths, and when you get to the top they’ll be very, very windy. We chose King Arthur’s Seat for our walk, and although it was beautiful views and worth it when you reach the top, it was also hard work.
Walk the Royal Mile
You probably won’t be able to avoid this one anyway. It’s one of the main streets running through Edinburgh city centre and it links most of the main landmarks. If you’re in Edinburgh during the Fringe Festival, this street will be bustling and hard to get through, and packed with street performers. If you’re thinking of walking the whole thing you’ll want to start at the modern Scottish Parliament, and walk until you reach the castle.
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Visit Edinburgh Castle
You’ll see the castle from a lot of places in the city – if you arrive on the train from the airport you’ll have an amazing view of it as you first arrive in Edinburgh city centre. So it’s worth seeing it from the inside as well. Unfortunately, we didn’t get time to go inside, however, you can book tickets here if you manage to fit it into your itinerary.
You can also get pretty close to the entrance just walking towards it, so if you can’t squeeze a full visit into your holiday, I’d recommend at least walking up the small street to the gates.
Play games at NQ64
These are popping up in multiple cities, but there is one in Edinburgh that’s worth a stop. NQ64 is a bar with a gaming theme. It’s got retro games, including old-school Playstation consoles, arcade games – and usually a dance machine somewhere in the building. They have game themed cocktails too, which are delicious. If you’ve got a quiet section in your weekend away, and fancy a few drinks, this is definitely something different to give a try.
Bonus: Book shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
We accidentally booked our trip while the Edinburgh Fringe Festival was on. It meant the streets were far busier than usual, but we decided to make the most of it and book in for some shows. We went to a comedic history of bagpipes talk, an improv duo show, and a spontaneous single improv show on our last night. You can easily design a while weekend out of Fringe Festival if you want. There’s so much going on.
Edinburgh Fringe happens every August, so if you’re going near this time double check the dates.
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Do you know why it’s called the ‘Fringe’ Festival? When the original event was happening (Edinburgh International Festival), eight artists arrived uninvited. Even though they weren’t in the official programme, they performed anyway – on the ‘fringe’ of the festial. Hence, the name Edinburgh Fringe Festival was taken over.
