Historical adventures to Edinburgh
Sometimes I forget how beautiful my country can be. Having been lucky enough to travel a lot of the world. I'm always amazed at how much natural beauty the United Kingdom has to offer.
After walking up the hill for 15-20 minutes, we passed an amazing a la carte restaurant called The Witchery, which looks incredible. Next to this you can also go on a whiskey distillery lesson or a tartan weaving lesson - classic Scotland, I know.
Making our way back down the hill and royal mile, we stopped off to grab a drink and continue to walk back through the princess street gardens to take a look at the giant Scott Monument.
Little fact for you - this this monument is the largest monument to a writer in the world and was actually used in one of my favourite films, Cloud Atlas.
Which is why, rather than book a city break in Europe, we decided to take a drive to a picturesque Scotland. From Nottingham, the drive took us around 5h 20m to make, but there are always options to take a flight or train.
Setting off at 8:30am we made our way out of Nottingham and onto the A1. Passing through motorways and countryside, when we reached Gateshead, we even got to see the iconic Angel of the North.
Arriving into Edinburgh at 1:30pm (and getting a little lost on the one way system) we finally parked up and made it to our Travel Lodge hotel. This cost us £34 for the night and is locate just off the main high street (Princess Street) in Edinburgh.
After dumping our bags, we made it way over the bridge and began to walk through the royal mile towards the famous castle.
I have never seen a city as beautifully historic as Edinburgh. The buildings are stunning - consisting of old brown stone, white windows and cobbled streets. I was constantly in awe at the aritechture here.
After walking up the hill for 15-20 minutes, we passed an amazing a la carte restaurant called The Witchery, which looks incredible. Next to this you can also go on a whiskey distillery lesson or a tartan weaving lesson - classic Scotland, I know.
Reaching the castle, we were greeted by a range of beautiful British and Scottish flags. Walking up to the draw bridge stood two statues of guards and a beautiful crest above the bridge.
To get into the castle grounds, there is a fee of £16 per adult - which we decided not to pay as we had actually see a lot of it before reaching the ticket booth.
To get into the castle grounds, there is a fee of £16 per adult - which we decided not to pay as we had actually see a lot of it before reaching the ticket booth.
Making our way back down the hill and royal mile, we stopped off to grab a drink and continue to walk back through the princess street gardens to take a look at the giant Scott Monument.
Little fact for you - this this monument is the largest monument to a writer in the world and was actually used in one of my favourite films, Cloud Atlas.
Walking down Princess Street, there is also an array of designer and high street shops to choose from. But rather than shop we decided to head back to our hotel and get ready for dinner and drinks.
Starting off at the beautiful Balmoral hotel, we paid a trip to the Scotch Whiskey Bar to sample some of their iconic whiskeys from their floor to wall case. (Blog post coming soon)
With a little fire in our bellies, we made our way to Rose Street - a popular place for bars and restaurants. Visiting a few of the local pubs, we decided to go to Jamie's Italian for dinner and indulge in a big bowl of pasta and home made larger.
The next morning we woke up and decided to go out for breakfast across Rose Street. There are so many great places to go for brunch in Edinburgh, but one I wanted to make you aware of is Social Bite. This amazing food establishment donates 100% of their profits to charity and 1 in 4 of their team are homeless people who they are helping out with food and a job.
After grabbing a quick bite, we made our way back on the road, across the stunning coastal roads.
All in all, an amazing weekend with my favourite traveller.
The next morning we woke up and decided to go out for breakfast across Rose Street. There are so many great places to go for brunch in Edinburgh, but one I wanted to make you aware of is Social Bite. This amazing food establishment donates 100% of their profits to charity and 1 in 4 of their team are homeless people who they are helping out with food and a job.
After grabbing a quick bite, we made our way back on the road, across the stunning coastal roads.
All in all, an amazing weekend with my favourite traveller.