Warning – Photo Happy Post!
This was our last full day in Scotland before heading home. We were going to go to Edinburgh Zoo, but really wanted to check out the castle and have a proper mooch around Edinburgh a little more. Liam felt a little unwell, so we took it pretty easy the entire day, which was nice after a hectic few days. We got the train into Edinburgh and went straight to the castle. As anticipated, there were a lot of tourists at Edinburgh Castle. Standing on the Castle Rock, it offered us unrivaled panoramic views over the city. They were incredible!
Once we had arrived at the castle it was lunch time, so we decided to go to the cafe there and have something to eat. Food was reasonably priced and they offered hot and cold options as well as a kids packed lunch. The cafe was quite busy but we manged to find a spot near one of the windows. The view from the cafe was stunning and we couldn’t help but take this photo of Molly looking out the window. She was chatting away to herself, eating her Pombears and pointing at everything.
One o’clock Gun
After lunch as we were leaving the cafe, the One o’clock Gun firing happened. This firing of the gun happens every day except Sundays, Good Friday and Christmas Day. A gun has been fired here since 1861. You can then have a photo taken with one of the guards. We then went and had a look around the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Museum. It’s about the history of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and the senior Scottish regiment in the British Army.
After that we went to the Courtyard surrounded by Scottish National War Memorial, Prisons of War, Great Hall, and the Royal Palace. The Scottish National War Memorial was converted from an abandoned barrack in 1923. We didn’t go in there because we couldn’t see a pram friendly access anywhere. We then decided to go in the Great Hall and the Royal Palace.
Then, we walked up hill, popped in Argyle Tower, and stood at Mons Meg. There is a big gun which was known as ‘Mons Meg.’ We overlooked the Edinburgh city and the below buildings in the castle.
Exploring
Once we were finished at the Castle, we decided to walk around and explore. We ended up stumbling across The Elephant House. The Elephant House is one of the most famous of the Harry Potter related attractions in Edinburgh.. A sign on the outside proclaims it to be the “Birthplace of Harry Potter” and it attracts loads of visitors. The café also says that other famous writers once wrote here, including Ian Rankin and Alexander McCall-Smith.
Although The Elephant House is now a popular tourist attraction and is almost always busy, we were surprised to find that the prices were not super high given its popularity and the coffee was good. As long as you order something, you can also spend as much time as you like here and you can even sit and write if you wish.
We walked through the streets back down to the Market to go on The big wheel. We were supposed to go on it on Wednesday but due to bad weather it wasn’t open. By timing it just right, we rode at sunset. The views from the top of the wheel were stunning. Molly sat with Liam, and was pointing at everything the whole time, and waving as we went past the people operating it at the bottom. We went round at least 4-5 times, so it lasted a good 2-3 mins at least.
After our ride on the wheel, it was time for one last look around the market. Today was a little dryer than last time, so Molly got to spend more time out of her pram. She loved looking at all the lights and being able to see everything a little better. She was given a little Christmas tree decoration by a lovely stall owner. Then we spent ages smelling all the incense from another. We had a slow walk to the train station where we grabbed a coffee for the hour long trip back to Glasgow.
.We had the most magical and amazing time up in Scotland. So many memories and adventures. We are sure as hell going to be returning in the Summer, but stay in Edinburgh. This city is beautiful and there is so much more exploring that needs to be done!
Have you ever been to Scotland over the Christmas period?
Day 1+2 | Day 3+4 | Day 5+6
