23 September 2010
It started pouring even before dawn without showing any sign of stopping. Due to the bad weather, we changed our plans. We had intended to go for the Maid of the Forth cruise in the afternoon but decided to visit the National Galleries instead. We had also wanted to visit Dynamic Earth but we were a couple of minutes late for the last tour and they turned us away. It was rated as a 5-star attraction but it has a large proportion of very bad reviews on tripadvisor. Too bad we didn’t get to experience it for ourselves. For the most part of the day we spent it indoors. Towards the evening, the rain was reduced to an occasional drizzle and decided to go for 1 last night tour from Mercat. After that, we return to our hotel and started to pack up for our next destination, Ben Nevis.
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1. Gladstone’s Land
Gladstone’s Land is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Edinburgh. Through the friendly room guides, we got a glimpse of how life was back in the 17th Century. Sadly photography is not allowed here or else the photos will give you a pretty good idea. We spend more time here than expected with most of it listening to the guides which is probably better than reading information sheets.
Globe Nomads review ratings: 4
Expect to spend more time here, probably an hour or more. The room guides are friendly and are ready to assist you with any queries.
(please refer to ratings explanation)
See http://www.nts.org.uk/Home/ for latest information.
Included in Edinburgh Pass.
2. Georgian House
Located in Edinburgh New Town, it serves as a good contrast against Gladstone’s Land in the Old Town. Situated at Charlotte Square just off Princes Street, it is just a short walk from the Royal Mile and almost all visitors to Edinburgh will visit Princes Street at least once. Being the main street of Edinburgh, you can find all your modern chain stores here. This attraction too does not allow photography which is a pity.
Globe Nomads review ratings: 3.5
The short introductory video gave us a good idea on the how the affluent lived in the 18th century. I would encourage all visitors to catch that. Similar to Gladstone’s Land, this attraction is definitely worth a visit.
(please refer to ratings explanation)
See http://www.nts.org.uk/Home/ for latest information.
Included in Edinburgh Pass.
3. Nelson’s Monument
Calton Hill, which is right at the eastern end of Princes Street, is about 10 walk from Waverly station. Nelson’s Monument is just one of the monuments that can be found on Calton Hill and visitors will have to climb a total of 143 steps in order to reach the viewing platform. The top of the monument is closed for visitors and is used for another purpose. Feeling energetic, we shrugged off the rain and headed towards the monument in anticipation of a minor workout. The narrow spiraling staircase is a tight squeeze for 2 people but should not pose a problem if climbing in a single file. You will also receive a certificate for climbing the 143 steps. Enjoy the photos below which are taken from the viewing platform.
Nelson's Monument
The straight road on the right is Princes Street
Observatory on Calton Hill
The National Monument, partly completed.
Dugald Stewart Monument
Dynamic Earth, an attraction we missed by 5 minutes.
Edinburgh Castle
St. Andrew's House, headquarters of the Scottish Government
Globe Nomads review ratings: 3
In clear fine weather, you should not miss this attraction with the outstanding views it can offer.
(please refer to ratings explanation)
Included in Edinburgh Pass.
4. National Galleries of Scotland
If the weather got the better of you, why not step into this place located right in the middle of Princes Street? That’s what we did. The main galleries are free, but sometimes there are special exhibitions that you need to pay. At this time, there are two special exhibitions and we checked both out since they are included in the Edinburgh Pass. One is Christen Købke: Danish Master of Light and the other is Impressionist Gardens. I did enjoy the paintings from Købke tremendously.
Globe Nomads review ratings: 4
A lot of masterpieces here but I feel some of the galleries need a bit reorganization as the management tend to cramp a lot of pieces into a single room. On Thursday evenings, the galleries close at 7pm instead of the usual 5pm so you may want to plan your itinerary accordingly since most other attractions closes at 5.
(please refer to ratings explanation)
See http://www.nationalgalleries.org/ for latest information.
Included in Edinburgh Pass.
5. Mercat Tours – Gallows to Graveyard
Some of the material was repeated but if it’s your first time I believe you will find it exciting. To be honest, I can’t remember much of the tour by now but we did end the tour at the Cannongate cemetery. One thing I remembered was grave robbing was so prevalent that the rich had to build a small special structure to protect the graves of their loved ones. These structures are not crypts but similarly have walls made of stone. However they do not have ceilings but instead have iron bars across the top to prevent people from entering.
All Mercat Tours start here at Mercat Cross
Cloaked guide from Mercat Tours
Globe Nomads review ratings: 3
This tour involves walking quite a long route and taking into account you end at Cannongate, you still have to walk a fair distance back to the main transport links such as Princes Street. However, if you still have some time for a night tour, this one is not too bad as it actually goes to a graveyard at night. Much scarier than going to a vault in my opinion.
(please refer to ratings explanation)
See http://www.mercattours.com/home.asp for latest prices.
Included in Edinburgh Pass.
2 Comments
It’s always really interesting to see what other travellers make of my current place of residence. I confess some of these I’ve yet to do after living here for 9 years! Often the way I guess. The museum is pretty good, they’re still midway through a big expansion project though so if you came in a few years you might be more impressed. Do they still have the big animated clock in the foyer? It’s truly captivating.
I recommend a long walk along the Water of Leith (river) through the Dean village and Stockbridge – one of the city’s nicest suburbs with lots of lovely boutiques, pubs and cafes – and into the elegant New Town. Lovely pictures by the way and I hope the weather improves for you up north! You can go by train from Glasgow right up to Mallaig in the Highlands, the world’s most scenic journey according to Wanderlust, well worth doing, stunning scenery all the way more or less! Cheers, Jools
Hi Jools,
Thanks for visiting. Sadly we didn’t go to Leith as there wasn’t enough time. I will be sure to do the walk that you recommend next time. Hopefully we will get to visit Edinburgh again in a few years!
After Edinburgh we drove to Fort William but didn’t do the famous steam train ride to Mallaig. Firstly if I may say, its bloody expensive and secondly it was fully booked! The scenery must be stunning. I hiked up Ben Nevis instead and I will be writing about that soon.
Cheers