Edinburgh – Day 2 – Free Tours, Walking & Beer

After our fun packed first day in Edinburgh we had another 24 hours filled with more tourist attractions, walking and of cause our favourite, beer! Just like before we had signed up for some free tip based tours. This time we wanted to discover more about the history and top sights of the city and signed up for a tour of the city with little fish tours.

The meeting point was just outside Cafe Nero on the Royal Mile beside the Adam Smith statue. So we arrived early (we like being punctual!) grabbed a coffee and were ready for some Scottish education!

Location:

Edinburgh City Tour

Unlike yesterday I won’t run through the entire tour step by step. The main reason being that we did go over some of the same places as yesterday (more graveyard time!) and also a big focus on the tour was not just visiting the locations but hearing about the history. While I do have a good memory, I am not able to re-tell all the interesting points he pointed out about each location.

That being said the key places we visited were The Mercat Cross, St Giles Cathedral, Greyfriars Bobby, Some Harry Potter inspirations, The Grassmarket and Edinburgh Castle (from the outside)

Greyfriars Bobby

Personally I found the story of Greyfriars Bobby very interesting. A loyal dog who belonged to John Gray, who worked for the Edinburgh City Police as a night watchman, and the two were inseparable for approximately two years. John On 15 February 1858 Gray died of tuberculosis. He was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard, and Bobby waited at the graveyard for his master for 14 years until he died. There is a state just outside the graveyard and people rub his noes for good luck.

For anyone that has been to Japan and Shibuya, then this story is shockingly similar to…..HACHIKO! Hachiko was brought to Tokyo by his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo. The professor suffered a stroke at the university that day on May 1925. Hachiko went for 10 years to the train station the professor used waiting for his master to come home.

WOW dogs are loyal!

Location

David Hume

Another famous rubbing statue in Edinburgh is that of David Hume on the Royal Mile. Local tradition dictates that a touch of David Hume’s toe will bring good luck, though the practice ironically defies the philosopher’s vehement rejection of superstition. Oh the irony. But we made sure that we could get all the luck we could rub!

Location:

Grassmarket

We also enjoyed the The Grassmarket. The Grassmarket is a historic market place and an event space in the Old Town of Edinburgh. Back in the day it was a traditional place of public executions as well as a market square. There are now a few pubs and restaurants around the square. We got a lovely burger from a French Food Truck which was there too. One place we wanted to visit was the WHITE HART which claims the title of “Edinburgh’s oldest pub”, is The White Hart which is said to date back to 1516. Also thought to be one of the most haunted pubs in the city.

Location:

Edinburgh castle

The Grassmarket also offers great views of Edinburgh castle. Which was purely stunning. Definitely one of the most memorable locations of Edinburgh for us was the castle. Not matter from what angle it was magnificent to look at.

While you do have to pay to go in, it is possible to go up and right outside the castle. As it is stunning to look at, we were more than happy to just admire the views from outside.

Location:

After picking up my friend Mike we headed to a great Mexican place for lunch. Some beer and burritos were need to help us keep going through the day. Especially as our next stop was Arthur’s Seat.

Arthur’s Seat

Arthur’s Seat is an extinct volcano which is considered the main peak of the group of hills in Edinburgh. It is easy to get to from the city centre too. Just follow the Royal Mile past the new parliament. The hill rises above the city to a height of 250.5 m (822 ft), provides excellent panoramic views of the city and beyond. Apparently it is a relatively easy climb.

With a belly full of food and beer as well as some shocking summer Scottish heat, easy wouldn’t be my first word. It took us about an hour to go up and down, the views were fantastic as it was a clear sunny day. While it might not be on everyones to-do list when they visit the city, if the weather is fine, we strongly recommend you make time to head to Arthur’s Seat.

Location:

Beer Market

After saying goodbye to Mike, Jinny and I found found a great beer garden. They served lots of local craft beers, food and some live music. We had booked into an evening ghost tour, so spent an hour here before heading to our final tour of the day!

Ghost Tour

Our last free tour, was the Ghost Tour organized by The Orange Free Tour this was the same group that did our free Harry Potter tour the day before too.

A summary from their website is below:

“Edinburgh had one of the highest population densities in the world in Medieval times, and suffered terribly during one of humanity’s worst epidemics: the plague. This disease, along with inhumane living conditions, public executions, physical punishments, witch trials, and murders, were just part of daily life in Medieval Edinburgh.“

We heard many tails from the ghostly past of Edinburgh city. It was interesting and we even went to a couple of new places we hadn’t visited up this point. As it was summer, it was still bright when we did the walk which took a bit of the atmosphere away.

Also something to note (and the tour guide pointed this out too) is you don’t go into the vaults, which were a place that witnessed the deeds of mischief-makers and murderers, vagrants, and torturers. So for some people who want to really experience a Ghost Walk, we imagine that they may want to choose a tour which includes this option but these are only operated by paid tour groups.

Edinburgh Summary

Edinburgh went beyond our expectations. It is a beautiful city rich in history, culture and old architecture. Especially as we had binge watched the Harry Potter films just before heading up, the Harry Potter tour was our favourite. The guide was excellent and overall was very fun.

As we had 2 full days in Edinburgh, the city tour was also good for us to learn more about the history of the city and many of its buildings. For other people who don’t have much time though, it is slow paced and you can see much more of the city on our own. We would also say the same about the Ghost Tour too, if you have the free time then why not. But don’t think it is essential.

We were blessed in the weather, and that gave us a great experience. It allowed us to enjoy the castle, Arthur’s Seat and the Royal Mile to the fullest. So just make sure to plan with the weather, even if it raining there are lots of museums through out the city and you can spend more time enjoying the great food and drink too!

After Edinburgh we were heading out to Loch Ness, Glencoe & The Highlands for an intense 13 hour bus tour!