4.10: Edinburgh

I’d organised to go on a three day tour into the Scottish countryside that was due to depart the following day, meaning I had a day to begin exploring the city. My mum, with an excellent knowledge of Edinburgh (despite some 40 years elapsing from when she was last there), had composed a set of itineraries with places I might like to check out. Indeed, these were extremely good and those, combined with geocaching, meant I saw quite a bit while I was there. After breakfast at the hostel I set off to explore. The most prominent feature on the city skyline is the Edinburgh Castle, which can be viewed from most locations. A very impressive sight indeed.

View to castle from Grassmarket

Castle

I set off towards the castle, ending up at the cemetery of St Cuthbert’s church. Apart from being a really interesting graveyard, mum had led me here to check out one grave in particular – that of Alexander Scott. My mum is a bit of a genealogy junkie and Alexander Scott has proven to be a bit of a roadblock in the Scott line of our ancestry. We know that he existed and emigrated to Australia back in the 1800’s, but there is no information (available in Australia) to enable his identity to be confirmed. This Scott is one of several likely candidates. Upon entering the cemetery I was quickly able to find his grave, being located right next to the church door. After taking some photos I wandered inside to be greeted by a most pleasant chap, to whom I enquired if there was any further information available about the grave. He informed me that mass was about to end and invited me to join the congregation for morning tea, while he dug up the cemetery listings, apparently kept under lock and key. So, I had a coffee and biscuit and, with the help of several kind folk, I found the listing for the grave. While it didn’t really provide any further insight, the experience certainly set the tone for my stay in Edinburgh – a city full of warm, kind-hearted people.

Alexander Scott's grave

View from grave

Inside St Cuthbert's

St Cuthbert's

I wandered on, ducking into the Caledonian Hotel, where my mother worked in 1973. Still a grand hotel. 

Caledonian Hotel

It was then down to the Waters of Leith, the river which runs beside the old and new cities. The river lies in a deep valley, and once inside, all the noises of the city drop away creating a very peaceful atmosphere. Walking west along the river took me to the world heritage listed Dean’s Village, full of quaint dwellings on the river banks. For afternoon tea I dropped into the café at the museum of modern art for some delicious scones with cream and jam. I then meandered home via the Scott Memorial (this one probably not a relation) and various geocaches.

Heading down to river

Waters of Leith

Dean's village cemetery

After having dinner, I decided to go for a wander along the Royal Mile at night. Väga ilus, very beautiful. 

The castle at night

Wandering down Royal Mile

Shortly after I did an about turn and, close to the eastern end of the street, I decided a Guinness was in order. I popped into a rather pleasant looking pub, the Tollbooth Tavern. A quiz was underway and I was promptly given the question and answer sheets to join in. Having sat for all of about five seconds, Shala and her mates Miles and Ross invited me to join their team. We had a most excellent evening together. Shala worked at Budget Backpackers, where I was staying and for Haggis Tours, whose tour I would be going on the following day. So, I got all the hot goss about those two organisations, along with all the best places to visit in Edinburgh when I returned.