3×5 Adventures

After a couple days touring the Scottish Highlands and Shetlands Islands, day three brought us to Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital since the 15th century. Our plan for today was to take the hop-on, hop-off bus around town before making our way to Edinburgh Castle for a tour and then wrap up the day with a stop at Islander UK to make a purse and wash bag.

This was our first tender port so instead of docking right at the pier we had to anchor about 15 minutes from shore and take the tender boats in. We were able to catch the first tender off the ship which got us to the pier around 9:05. The hop-on hop-off had a stop right at the pier so we figured we could catch the bus and would drop off us close to where we were supposed to meet our tour at 10 a.m. We sat there for a good 20 minutes before the first bus arrived. That still gave us 35 minutes to get to where we needed to be. After the first four stops we knew we had zero chance of making the tour on time so we called the tour operator and told them we would be late. Fortunately they said we could meet them at the castle if we could be there by 10:15. We jumped off the bus at 10:08 and made a mad dash up the Magnificent Mile. We found our guide and were able to join the group just before entering the castle. Needless to say if you plan on getting anywhere in Edinburgh in a timely fashion don’t rely on the hop-on hop-off bus.

Once inside Edinburgh Castle our day got much better. The tour we signed up for was through Viator and included a 1.5 hour walk and talk tour of the castle grounds and also included skip the line passes so we didn’t have to wait in the queues to enter. Our guide was a bit of character but she was very informative and made the tour entertaining. After she showed us around the castle grounds we had the rest of the day to explore the various exhibits and tour some of the interior rooms of the castle.

Edinburgh castle is located at the top of the Royal Mile and sits on Castle Rock. The castle has been inhabited since the Iron Age and currently serves as a military garrison. The castle has played a vital role in Scottish history. It has served a variety of roles: royal residence, arsenal, treasury, national archives, a prison, mint, military fortress, and home of the Honors of Scotland – the Scottish regalia. Cobblestones line the middle of the roads so horses have traction as they walk up and down the steep streets. Flat stones line the outside so cars don’t bounce so much. The castle is spectacular! Our favorite exhibits were the Scottish National War Museum and the Great Hall. The War Museum memorial is for all Scots who died in conflict since 1914. They are memorialized in books and plaques along the walls. Flags from different battles line the solemn halls. As you walk into The Great Hall you are in awe of the 500-year old roof timbers made from Norwegian oak. The hammerbeam has no nails. Carved stones adorn the walls – specifically a lion’s head (Scottish royalty and Christ), James IV initials, a female’s bust (love), rose (James’ wife Margaret) wedding cup with rose and thistles (James’ marriage Margaret Tutor), and a green man (symbol of fertility). This hall is home to the Scottish regalia – armor, swords, shields, and axes. Lastly we went inside the oldest building (1130) in Edinburgh Castle, Margaret’s Chapel.

We spent about 3.5 hours in total at the castle and saw everything we wanted to see outside of the Scottish crown jewels. Since we are going to view the crown jewels in London we were okay skipping these.

Our walk to Islander UK led us down the Royal Mile and Victoria street where we made a couple stops to enjoy some coffee and local treats. We took a little detour to the Vennel viewpoint for some amazing views of Edinburgh Castle from below.

While doing research for our trip I stumbled upon an advertisement for Islander UK on Instagram. Knowing Denise loves herself purses and unique souvenirs from the places we visit, I thought this would be something she would enjoy. They offer classes that allow you to make one of their purses (or for the boys a wash bag) using Harris Tweed which is made on Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It is the only fabric in the world that is protected by its own Act of Parliament. The whole experience was a lot of fun and we both left Edinburgh with a truly one of a kind bag unique to us.

The last tender to the ship was 4 p.m. so we took a brisk walk through the city to the shuttle pick up spot, but not before stumbling upon a young bagpiper entertaining onlookers and one more amazing view of Edinburgh Castle from below.

Despite our little hiccup to start the day we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Edinburgh and left feeling we would need another day or two to really see everything the city has to offer.