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Day 7: June 7, 2024
The group travelled from the hotel at Glasgow Airport headed towards Edinburgh. The weather had turned soft, with conditions a bit windy and rainy as we drove eastbound to the capital. We met up with our local guide Sabela in Charlotte Square, home to the Edinburgh Literary Festival and the home of the the First Minister of Scotland. The coach drove through the Georgian New Town, first built in the 1760’s as a result of overcrowding in the Old Town, past Robert Louis Stevenson’s childhood home and onto Calton Hill. We stepped off at Calton Hill in order to walk up to the summit to see the fine views overlooking the Firth of Forth estuary, Arthur’s Seat and the Old Town. The group got dropped off at the Museum of Scotland, so we could walk past Greyfriars Bobby, a monument to a dog that stayed by his master’s grave for 14 years and then down to Grassmarket, which offered impressive views up to Edinburgh Castle. Along Victoria Street, which was supposedly an inspiration for JK Rowling’s Diagonal Alley in Harry Potter before finishing up at St Giles Cathedral and the Mercat Cross.
The group then had free time to explore and have lunch before meeting up to enter Edinburgh Castle. The castle sits atop a crag, sitting imperiously above modern Edinburgh. It is the historic home to the Scottish monarchs and houses the Scottish Crown Jewels. There was some more free time after the castle visit before meeting up once again to drive to the small village of Torphichen, to enjoy dinner and a Scottish cultural show involving a piper, addressing the haggis and some traditional songs performed by a local band. After the show the group headed by coach to their hotel ahead of travelling to the Highlands the next day!