LugaJetboyGirl Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 Hey guys. I don't know if this is an appropriate topic for Gen Chat, but I wanted to get your thoughts. I'm taking my mom to hike Hadrian's Wall for her 70th birthday and we'll be staying in Edinburgh for 5 nights in July as part of the trip. We were supposed to go last summer, but covid. We'd scheduled with a nice B&B near the Royal Mile recommended to us by some friends (Adria House), but this summer they've decided to close again for corona. So I need a nice B&B for my elder mom, one that has personality and isn't crammed with other Lonely Planet tourists. Any recs, @mormont or anyone else? Also, what should we do while we are in town, besides go to the Castle (closed) and the National Museum (closed)? My mom likes history and museums and cool stuff. No Harry Potter. Day trips to castles or whatever would also be cool. (Note: I do have a Lonely Planet for Scotland, but want to get your thoughts on what you really liked or have experienced in that part of Scotland.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljkeane Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 I'm not an expert on Edinburgh but I'd think there's probably a decent chance the castle will be back open by July. Most of the population should be vaccinated by then. It'd be a shame to miss it, it is very good. Walking up Arthur's Seat it also quite good and I'd assume that definitely won't be closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LugaJetboyGirl Posted March 11, 2021 Author Share Posted March 11, 2021 Oh, good call. Arthur's Seat will be nice, provided Hadrian's Wall hasn't killed us. And I really hope things open back up because I desperately want to see the National Museum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filippa Eilhart Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 Not a B&B but we stayed here one weekend: https://www.dalhousiecastle.co.uk They have a really nice restaurant, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iskaral Pust Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 Arthur’s Seat is a good shout by @ljkeane and the castle and palace are good for history buffs. Or even just the Regents Gardens. I quite liked the park at the bottom of the ravine below the castle. Edinburgh is nice to stroll around on a summer’s day and has some very good dining options. I don’t know about B&Bs though. We stayed at the Balmoral: very central and very nice, but pretty pricey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckwheat Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 One of the things that I found cool when I visited Edinburgh was this tour: https://www.realmarykingsclose.com/. They take you to visit the old foundations of the city under the current centre. One learns a bit about the history of the city, it is somewhat creepy, but very cool too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamjm Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 35 minutes ago, LugaJetboyGirl said: Hey guys. I don't know if this is an appropriate topic for Gen Chat, but I wanted to get your thoughts. I'm taking my mom to hike Hadrian's Wall for her 70th birthday and we'll be staying in Edinburgh for 5 nights in July as part of the trip. We were supposed to go last summer, but covid. We'd scheduled with a nice B&B near the Royal Mile recommended to us by some friends (Adria House), but this summer they've decided to close again for corona. So I need a nice B&B for my elder mom, one that has personality and isn't crammed with other Lonely Planet tourists. Any recs, @mormont or anyone else? Also, what should we do while we are in town, besides go to the Castle (closed) and the National Museum (closed)? My mom likes history and museums and cool stuff. No Harry Potter. Day trips to castles or whatever would also be cool. (Note: I do have a Lonely Planet for Scotland, but want to get your thoughts on what you really liked or have experienced in that part of Scotland.) I think the plan is for Scotland to return to the previous tier system from the end of April, under which visitor attractions should be open unless there's a big surge in cases locally. The Castle and the National Museum are both good. Are you going to have a car or will you be using public transport? That can make a difference to how accessible things are. Other historical things in the vicinity that might be of interest: Rosslyn Chapel is about 10 miles south of Edinburgh, I think you could probably get a bus to Rosslyn from the city centre. It's a 15th Century chapel with lots of elaborate carvings inside, it's not quite like anywhere else I've been. Tantallon Castle - a 14th Century castle about 30 miles east of Edinburgh, it's a lot more ruined than Edinburgh Castle but it's on a very dramatic location on the coast. Not sure if you can get there easily with public transport Inchcolm Abbey - a medieval abbey on a small island in the Firth of Forth, there is a boat from South Queensferry (about 5 miles outside Edinburgh). Also lots of seabirds and seals around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mlle. Zabzie Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 We were there in the summer of 2019. Depending on what's open, I recommend: 1. Castle 2. National Museum 3. Real Mary King's Close 4. The Mint 5. The Camera Obscura 6. The Scottish National Portrait Gallery 7. Holyrood Palace 8. Arthur's Seat 9. Day trip to North Berwick We did other stuff too, but was tailored towards kids...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 Sounds like a great trip. Enjoy yourselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thekingsguarddoesnotflee Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 I'm from Scotland and don't want to be a killjoy but we are moving very slowly out of lockdown. The rest of the UK is *scheduled* to remove all restrictions by the 21st of June, but that seems optimistic and in Scotland we have generally moved slower, so you probably will have to deal with at least some significant restrictions. I imagine you'll already know about the quarantine rules? It would be a shame if you didn't get to see Edinburgh Castle, hopefully that's open. As has been said Arthur's seat is worth a look, Stirling isn't too far from the city and it has a nice Castle, there's beaches on the East coast - think it's, Berwick, which are supposed to be beautiful. Less beautiful but worth seeing is the Scottish Parliament that sits just off the bottom of the Royal Mile - although that too may still be shut due to COVID regulations but it's worth a look if tours are on. If not, it's a pretty unique looking building from the outside so it's worth taking a short stroll down to. I've not been through to Edinburgh since the start of lockdown but there are normally a ton of street tours on - give that a google. Will you have a car or be reliant on public transport? Not sure how good the bus links are but if historic Roman architecture is your bag then you may want to go see the Antonine Wall. It's near Falkirk I think - again, not far from Edinburgh and it marks the frontier of the Roman Empire. If you don't have a car you can get a train through to Glasgow in about 45 minutes. Glasgow is Scotland's biggest city, it's completely different from Edinburgh - not nearly as popular with tourists but it has its sights - I'd recommend Celtic Park, home of the greatest football (soccer!) team in the world. The Highlands are stunning and if you do have a car, then you have to take a trip to see them. Link below is to the VisitScotland - public body who promote tourism in Scotland. Enjoy your trip! https://www.visitscotland.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 4 hours ago, Buckwheat said: One of the things that I found cool when I visited Edinburgh was this tour: https://www.realmarykingsclose.com/. They take you to visit the old foundations of the city under the current centre. One learns a bit about the history of the city, it is somewhat creepy, but very cool too. Came here to say this. Well worth the guided tour - it's like something out of Neil Gaiman. Also, if the weather is clear, Camera Obscura is worth a visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 Also, deep-fried pizza. From the chippy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamjm Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 35 minutes ago, thekingsguarddoesnotflee said: Will you have a car or be reliant on public transport? Not sure how good the bus links are but if historic Roman architecture is your bag then you may want to go see the Antonine Wall. It's near Falkirk I think - again, not far from Edinburgh and it marks the frontier of the Roman Empire. I did think about mentioning this, but it might be a bit anticlimactic if they've been visiting Hadrian's Wall shortly before. If they do end up in the Falkirk areas The Kelpies are worth seeing. 21 minutes ago, Spockydog said: Also, if the weather is clear, Camera Obscura is worth a visit. I remember going through the rotating tunnel they show in the top picture and my brain being very insistent that the world was spinning around and I wasn't on a flat walkway. It is a fun visit. 21 minutes ago, Spockydog said: Also, deep-fried pizza. From the chippy. But no deep-fried Mars bars, you don't want to look like a tourist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 23 minutes ago, williamjm said: But no deep-fried Mars bars, you don't want to look like a tourist. Oooh, I bet it's tasty though. Anybody tried one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckwheat Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 10 hours ago, Mlle. Zabzie said: We were there in the summer of 2019. Me too. I like this thread, it reminds me of many interesting things I saw. Someone up there mentioned the Parliament and I thought it was a good idea, too - it is both a very beautiful building to see from both the inside and outside, and it is interesting to learn about the political system there. Though, for me, it was the only time I had a problem understanding somebody because of the Scottish accent - the guide in the Parliament had a much thicker accent than anybody else I talked to in Edinburgh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljkeane Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 8 hours ago, thekingsguarddoesnotflee said: I'm from Scotland and don't want to be a killjoy but we are moving very slowly out of lockdown. The rest of the UK is *scheduled* to remove all restrictions by the 21st of June, but that seems optimistic and in Scotland we have generally moved slower, so you probably will have to deal with at least some significant restrictions. I imagine you'll already know about the quarantine rules? Scotland's moving a bit slower than the rest of the UK but only something like a week or two. Apparently Scotland is targeting moving back to Level 3 by the 26th of April which means hospitality venues and visitor attractions can open. It'd probably take a bit of a disaster for it to be worse than that by July. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derfel Cadarn Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 13 hours ago, Buckwheat said: One of the things that I found cool when I visited Edinburgh was this tour: https://www.realmarykingsclose.com/. They take you to visit the old foundations of the city under the current centre. One learns a bit about the history of the city, it is somewhat creepy, but very cool too. I’ve been there too. also recommend the Underground vaults nearby - quite creepy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luzifer's right hand Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 13 hours ago, williamjm said: I think the plan is for Scotland to return to the previous tier system from the end of April, under which visitor attractions should be open unless there's a big surge in cases locally. The Castle and the National Museum are both good. Are you going to have a car or will you be using public transport? That can make a difference to how accessible things are. Other historical things in the vicinity that might be of interest: Rosslyn Chapel is about 10 miles south of Edinburgh, I think you could probably get a bus to Rosslyn from the city centre. It's a 15th Century chapel with lots of elaborate carvings inside, it's not quite like anywhere else I've been. Tantallon Castle - a 14th Century castle about 30 miles east of Edinburgh, it's a lot more ruined than Edinburgh Castle but it's on a very dramatic location on the coast. Not sure if you can get there easily with public transport Inchcolm Abbey - a medieval abbey on a small island in the Firth of Forth, there is a boat from South Queensferry (about 5 miles outside Edinburgh). Also lots of seabirds and seals around. I took the bus to Rosslyn Chapel when I visited it. Worked pretty well. I only stayed in pretty shitty hostels that I would not recommend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prue Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 With a "Royal Edinburgh Ticket" you could visit Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood House, the Royal Yacht Britannia and do a Hop-on hop-off bus tour within 48 hours. Could be worth the money if your mother is fit enough. Individual entrance fees are quite expensive in Britain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mormont Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 @LugaJetboyGirl Lots of good advice already I see! I'm going to hook you up with a friend of mine over on Facebook, she does walking tours down there and is really good - well informed on the history and really friendly. Personally, I endorse the recs for the Camera Obscura, and it it's open it could weirdly be a good time to go - normally the viewing area is quite cramped but they'll presumably have to limit numbers inside even in July. For outdoorsy stuff Princes Street Gardens and Arthur's Seat are both good but there's also the Royal Botanic Gardens and Calton Hill, both worth a look. If the shops are open, going down Victoria Street to the Grassmarket is nice, some quaint little shops and then some places where you can sit outside and get lunch. If you're up for a trip out of town, I'm happy to also do the walking tour of St Andrews... if not, I'll be sure to nip down to Edinburgh to say hi! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.