We had our first trip without Freddie for Amy’s 30th birthday when we ventured to Edinburgh. It was my first time in Edinburgh, and second in Scotland – and Edinburgh was in festive mode.
Prince’s Street Gardens had been taken over by Edinburgh’s Christmas market, but the castle overlooking the city remained as dominant on its perch above the city as ever.
As we got to grips with the city, we thought we’d visit one of its more famous residents, a Peruvian named Paddington.
We passed some time in the nearby Tiles Bar, an ornate former headquarters for an insurance firm, which has kept the old tiling from the 1890s.
After this, and exploring the Christmas market, we got a bit peckish. And one spot I was intrigued to try was Bread Meats Bread, supposedly Scotland’s best burger.
I was eager to see if it would make my best burgers I’ve tried whilst travelling list, but it missed out. The burger was tasty, but not up to the level required to make the blog post.
After refuelling in BMB, we headed to the Royal Mile and walked up to the castle with no real itinerary.
The Royal Mile, stretching from the Castle to Holyrood (the Scottish Parliament) is so photogenic, the architecture is phenomenal – packed with so much history.
I thought the Castle was far more photographic from the Vennel viewpoint opposed to the Princes Street side (I think, to be fair, it’s the widely accepted general consensus, not just my opinion)
After the early start, and long day, we decided to head back to the area around our hotel, Haymarket and grab food before calling it a night. We ate in a Vietnamese restaurant, called Pho Viet, and the food was phenomenal, before settling into the local bar, Ryrie’s for a night cap. Ryrie’s was bustling, and a lot more affordable than the city centre.
The next morning we stayed around Haymarket for breakfast, which we had in Troy Cafe – I opted for a traditional Scottish breakfast as soon as I saw it had haggis as an ingredient as I was intrigued to try it. It’s very similar to black pudding.
We decided to head back to the Royal Mile for further exploration as we only got a sample of it the day before.
We stopped en route to the Royal Mile at the White Hart Inn, supposedly the oldest pub in Edinburgh, and supposedly haunted too. I didn’t think a whole lot of the pub, but this may have been inspired by me trying Belhaven Black there (a Scottish take on stout).
When we reached the Royal Mile; we diverted straight off it to its’ quirky side streets.
I was eager to see Cockburn street due to the iconic chase scene in Trainspotting 2. But so many of the sidestreets and nooks from the Royal Mile were very photogenic.
We decided to venture away from the castle on the Royal Mile, and called into the Jinglin’ Geordie pub, down Fleshmarket Close, off of Cockburn Street.
It was a very cosy pub, with friendly staff and locals, however, I wouldn’t want to attempt to climb the stairs up/down from it after too many beers.
So we went back to the Royal Mile, and walked to the end of what was the old Edinburgh city limits. The aptly named “The World’s End” pub stands at the edge of the old city limits, and it would have been rude not to visit such an historic establishment.
We were peckish after all the walking, and wanted something light to keep us going, The Piemaker just off Royal Mile was the perfect answer for our desires. I’ve been recommending it to everyone who says they’re visiting Edinburgh.
As we navigated back to Haymarket, we kept remarking how scenic the city was, and I managed to snap a photo of the Scott Monument with the moon (almost) perfectly positioned above the statue. It was cold so I didn’t attempt it again from another angle.
Edinburgh was a delight. The Christmas market was okay, I’d travel to continental Europe if markets are the sole purpose of your trip – and save Edinburgh for all it offers in itself.
