Spring Break in Scotland: First Stop, Edinburgh

Scotland had been at the top of our list for a visit, and over the Easter spring break, we went for it. Our criteria for this trip: see a few key things in Edinburgh but not run ourselves ragged, see something outside of Edinburgh, me: chill in hot tub. We managed to kind of do all of these things. Edinburgh is a fantastic city – so much to see and do, so I’m going to do one post just about our time there. Buckle up for lots of photos. (I always wonder if there is too much text or photos for one post…does it take too long to get through or to load, and I should break it up into a few smaller posts? Let me know.)

We drove up after Tim got home from work on a Tuesday evening. I think we’re lucky in our location because we’re a few hours from London (shorter by train), and just 1-2 hours or less to Wales, the Lake District, and the Peak District, and a four-hour drive to Edinburgh. I packed dinner for the boys in the form of sandwiches and snacks, which were all gone before we had passed Manchester.

The mid-week, post-rush hour the traffic wasn’t bad, and we enjoyed the scenery as we drove up through the Lake District and the hills rose around us and we crossed the border into Scotland. The sky had darkened but we could see the lights of the city ahead. I asked Tim what I should say about driving in and he said, “How it was dark and we couldn’t figure out where we were going or find the hotel and we were really frustrated.” I said, “No, that was Whitby.” And he pointed out it was actually both. Eventually after much loving discussion and cheerful navigating, we found our hotel.

After breakfast the next morning, we set out for the Edinburgh Castle. It was a short walk from our hotel, but one that involved a lot of stairs. It was a chilly and wet morning, so we put the boys in sweatshirts and rain coats, with hats and gloves. We figured that would be enough. Spoiler: it wasn’t.

There wasn’t a line at the castle, but large touring groups were starting to file in. We stopped for the audio tour because I usually find them helpful for navigation and learning some interesting tidbits to pass along to the boys. To our surprise, the boys wanted their own audio tour. There was a children’s version of this tour, and for an extra pound fifty, it was worth it.

The boys ran from sign to sign, playing the corresponding number on the audio tour. Of course, it meant they weren’t paying a lot of attention to the sites in front of them vs. the headset, but it was fun to watch them engage and honestly, the quiet was nice too. We started near the cannons, which the boys loved, and our spirits were high. Mons Megs is a huge cannon from the 1400s, and Bennett declared it his favorite.

As the rain started to pour down, our spirits started to dampen as well. We ducked into the National War Museum, which details Scotland’s war history with artifacts and stories (and provided a roof over our head). We then moved to the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Museum, where the boys enjoyed looking at the armor for knights and horses. By the time we came out, it was actually blowing snow around. Spring break – we do it right!

We moved on to looking at the Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny. The stone was used for centuries at the inauguration of Scotland’s kings. In 1296, King Edward I of England seized the stone and had it built into a new throne at Westminster Abbey. It was returned in 1996 officially, not without a heist to capture it for Scotland in 1950. It is a symbol of Scotland pride, and a fascinating piece of history. Unfortunately, no photos are allowed in this room, so you’ll just have to trust me that it’s a large, engraved rock.

We wandered in and out of the castle rooms, and took a moment to pause in St. Margaret’s Chapel. Build in 1130, it’s Edinburgh’s oldest building and was used for both royal family services and for storing gunpowder. It’s a small room, serene and simple in its beauty, a stark contrast to the large, majestic cathedrals we’ve also toured. And it provided refuge from the weather.

Edinburgh Castle is a fantastic site, with so much history and things to see. But this is where our tour stops. Between the rain/snow/sleet, boys who were in rain coats but needed winter coats, and Tim and I who were tired of coaxing them around and hearing them whine, we were done. Even a quick warm-up of hot chocolate and coffee in the gift shop hadn’t worked, so it was time to call it.

We left the castle and made our way down what is called the Royal Mile, a street that begins at Edinburgh Castle and ends at Holyrood Palace. There, a bagpiper greeted us with tunes, and Nate tapped his foot along diligently.

One thing I decided to research this time? FOOD. We had the best burgers for lunch at Byron Burgers. Refreshed, we walked to the National Museum of Scotland. Bennett and I learned about Egyptian life while Tim and Nate explored the wildlife area. They saw the special exhibit about robots, leaving me to wander the home interior and fashion exhibits. Finally, we ended in the astrology section.

It’s a beautiful museum. The interior atrium is several stories high, and flooded with white and natural light. There was even more to see, but we were trying to use the same logic that took us from the castle – quit while you’re ahead.

We ended the night with another surprise food win – authentic Mexican cuisine at a place called Miros Cantina. We had been craving delicious Mexican food, and it did not disappoint, and neither did the margarita. I do think the boys were confused there weren’t hot dogs on the menu, which is their favorite “Mexican food” at La Fuente in Tosa. Go figure. We walked back to the hotel as the sky dimmed, full and exhausted and ready to sleep in our tiny room and do it all again.

Day 2

Day two started back on the Royal Mile, at Camera Obscura and World of Illusions. This seems to make every list for top things to do with kids in Edinburgh, and we could see why. It’s a narrow building that is several stories high, each level dedicated to different exhibits that are meant to trick the eye or offer a different perspective. Optical illusions, hidden eye and holographic art, mirror mazes, lighting tricks and tunnels. So fun and great for the kids. So many headaches for me. (Walking through a tunnel of spinning lights was about enough to make me lie down on the floor for several hours.)

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The top floor is the roof, with a beautiful view of the buildings of Edinburgh, the castle, the cathedral and beyond. There is also the actual camera obscura. We entered a dark room with a large circle/disk in the middle. Once it was completely dark, they projected a live view of the city onto the disk. It’s possible using a tube from the roof of the tower, with a tiny window that lets daylight in. The light rays hit a mirror, then pass through three lenses to project image downward onto the table.

On the table, we could see everything happening outside – the buildings, cars, people walking on the sidewalks nearby. The boys loved getting to “pick people up and squash them” using a piece of paper. It’s a worthwhile experience even though it was a slightly blurry image on the day we were there.

After that, weary-eyed and a bit wobbly, we grabbed some lunch and headed to the Palace of the Holyrood House. The palace is the official residence of the British Royal Family when they are in Edinburgh. It also was the residence of the Kings and Queens of Scots long before that.

The exterior of Holyrood Palace

An illegal, rogue photo inside before I learned we weren’t supposed to take pictures.

Holyrood Abbey

Based on the success of the audio tour at the castle, we let the boys do it again here, and it provided some entertainment as we walked room to room in the palace. We weren’t allowed to take photos inside (except for my rogue entryway photo I took before I saw the signs or was scolded), but toured several large rooms, including the reception hall, formal dining room, and the private apartments used by the royals long ago. This includes the scene of a murder – the private secretary of Mary Queen of Scots was murdered in 1566 after being accused of having an affair with the Queen by her husband a group of men. Not sure how much the children’s audio tour covered that one.

Outside, we walked around the ruins of the abbey, imagining what it must have been like centuries ago. Beyond the abbey we could see our next conquest, Holyrood Park and Arthur’s Seat. We had been watching the sky all day, waiting for a break in the rain in hopes that we would have the time to climb to the top of Arthur’s Seat. As we finished our tour at Holyrood Palace, Tim and I grabbed a coffee at the café and the boys scarfed down scones. I’m sure that’s what elite mountain climbers eat for energy.

Arthur’s Seat is an extinct volcano that may or may not get its name from King Arthur, though there are other theories as well. It sits about 250 meters above sea level, which at the time, looked very high. We’ve found ourselves climbing a lot of hills/semi-mountains/peaks/fells during our time here. Often, the beginning of the hikes are the hardest – the boys aren’t totally sure they want to or can do it, and we feel like we can barely go 10 feet forward, let alone hundreds of feet up.

This was how this hike started. But slowly, we worked our way up the paths, and Bennett became our cheerleader, talking about how far we were getting and how close we were. I followed diligently and Tim took turns carrying Nate on his shoulders (I really don’t know how, but bless him). Eventually, we climbed carefully over the remaining rocks and came to the top.

The views were stunning: The palace and abbey where we had just been, the cathedral, the castle, the National Monument of Scotland and the Firth of Forth, the estuary that connects to the North Sea. Bennett was so excited to be at the top – he posed for our pictures and looked at the view with us. Nathaniel seemed happy but a little hesitant to go very far, which was fine by us. We spent some time basking in our achievement, and then headed back down.

We got to the bottom, stopping at a grassy expanse by the palace where Bennett played football with Tim and Nate sat in my lap. We eventually started to walk back into the city, planning how long it would take us to walk to the hotel. Suddenly, the passing taxi seemed like a great idea. Normally we like to walk everywhere, or take public transportation, but it was a relief to pile into that taxi and get back to the hotel vs. the possibility of a breakdown from the boys (or me).

After another dip in the pool, we headed out for one last dinner – at Bennett’s request, one that had mussels. We had a great dinner, the kind that makes me appreciate the age the boys are getting to, where they’re still crazy but can occasionally hold it together and have a wonderful meal with us.

It was a wrap on Edinburgh as we headed out the next morning…more to come. It is a beautiful city, with so much to see and do. We can’t wait to go there again in August when our friends come to visit. Fingers crossed that it doesn’t snow.