My Scottish dream in Edinburgh

For my second solo trip, I opted for somewhere a little closer and chose Scotland. Arrived in Edinburgh from London after a near 6 hour train journey which wasn’t bad apart from the fact that I had been suffering from a migraine a few days before this trip so I slept for most of it. I stayed at the Code POD- The court ( a hostel mere metres away from the Royal Mile). It used to be an old court house so the vibe was right up my alley! I would absolutely recommend going as it’s cheap but in a very central place. There are female only rooms, mixed rooms and family rooms. You get a code to enter the hostel and to your room (so no annoying cards or keys). There is opportunity to have whiskey tasting in the Hostels vault.

I dumped my stuff at the hostel and immediately started exploring. I went to a pub on the Royal Mile and had a drink whilst I figured out what to do. I spent a lot of time wondering along the Royal Mile and having a look in all the shops and looking at the copious amounts of whiskey on sale. I got to see where JK Rowling got her inspiration for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter (see if you can guess the pictures) and found this amazing little pub called The Last drop in Grassmarket.

I had a reservation at Bertie’s Proper Fish & Chips shop. The food was so yummy and fresh. I had macaroni cheese croquettes for starter and the Haddock and chips for my main meal washed down with a glass of wine. Very affordable and nice

Loved this little pub just on the Royal Mile and went in there most nights because it was so close to the hostel. They had over 300 types of whiskeys in their collection so obviously I had to have a dram ( I chose the Balvenie 14 Caribbean cask). It was ok but tbh, I’m not a fan of whiskey, it’s far too peaty.

Lovely little restaurant that made the most amazing breakfasts I had on this day a Scottish breakfast and braved trying the haggis (it was ok but the texture was not vibing with me). The potato scone and lorne sausage was yummy though. I went on another day but can’t remember the exact date and decided to have an eggs Benedict and omg it was one of the best eggs Benedict I’ve ever had… the hollandaise sauce was to die for! I would not say it’s cheap ( I mean it’s on The Royal Mile) and the quality is top so deffo worth it.

This was an amazing tiny museum full of anything witchcraft, magic and fortune telling. To telling you the history of the Scottish Witch trials to modern day covens in Edinburgh to even a mummified cat found behind a fire place, it’s seriously interesting. Its quite hidden away and doesn’t look like a museum from the outside but for the price it was, it’s deffo worth going in (around £7).

Edinburgh is somewhere that you can easily walk to so I meandered my way through the Royal Mile and ended up at the Mound where I went into the National Galleries of Scotland (for free). It was interesting seeing all the painting and art from Scottish Artists and for anyone that loved this sort of thing, it’s nothing something to miss out on plus the land around it is so beautiful, especially in Autumn with the leaves changing colours.

Visited the Edinburgh Vaults (the children’s vault) and Grayfriars Kirkyard for an evening of being seriously spooked. Both locations were creepy but hearing the stories of murder, torture, body snatchers and spirits that attack people quickly masked my fear. To get into the vaults, it looked like you had to go into a drugs den and down some seriously questionable stairs into a little room where the tour guide told us the story of how the vaults were rediscovered. The Kirkyard is seriously creepy x1000, the Victorians knew how to bury their dead and with style. It’s Gothic feel just makes it even better. Make sure to go into the Grayfriars Bobby pub next door for a pint to settle your nerves.

Day trip through the Highlands to see Glencoe, Highland cows and to search for the Fabled Nessie in the Loch Ness. The views were spectacular, the pictures don’t do it enough justice. I would deffo recommend going to Edinburgh and to the Highlands in Autumn, just to experience the colour changes. The highland cows were my favourite though, proper cute! The tour guide and coach driver were fab as well and I had such a laugh with them which made the trip even better. I added on the extra of getting a boat onto Loch Ness, proper interesting hearing what they have found down there (or not as the case may be). The loch is surprisingly deep!

On the way back from Glencoe and Loch Ness, we went to a sweet little town called Pitlochry because it had the most gorgeous ice cream for sale in Scotch Corner- creamy single scotch whiskey ice cream, it was delicious! The town was so pretty too and already had Christmas decs up!

If you love sweet treats then this is the place for you. A Scottish cream tea with raspberry jam and clotted cream- to die for! I was feeling a bit hungover on this day because after I got back from Glencoe, I went out to my local pub and started talking to a couple of lads… well before I know it, I’m out partying with them until 3AM in the morning 🤣 but that’s what I love about solo travelling, how impromptu everything is and suddenly you are dancing in a random club in some faraway city with people you have just met.

I have now been to two out of the six dungeons in the UK (this one and London) and 1 out of three in Europe ( Amsterdam) and I plan to visit all of them. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been to the London Dungeons (it’s deffo in the double figures) and I never get bored of it so obviously I had to visit the one in Edinburgh and it did not disappoint. I love history, I love listening to stories and being interactive with people. Go along for a couple of hours of hearing the history of Edinburgh in a fun interactive way that even the kids will love.

Went up to the Vennel Steps to get some good photos of Edinburgh Castle (in which I didn’t go too this time round). I actually loved how these images came out

Decided to have a look at the Grayfriars Kirkyard during the day so that I could study the graves more… as suspected, these graves are not messing around. I also hated walking past the vaults, they gave me the creeps because I honestly felt like I was being watched from within. Ended the day having dinner at a local Pub and having an early night after the other nights antics!

Last full day in Edinburgh and decided to kick start the day making a trip to Scott Monument and laid a poppy for Scotland’s war dead.

This was mostly to take photos but it is a really pretty party of Edinburgh

This was me just meandering around Edinburgh just taking loads of photos: As I was walking round, I thought, I could actually live here..it’s such a beautiful city with so much history, depth and character!

If you love nature and wandering around aimlessly then this is the place for you. It’s so beautiful and peaceful!

Yes, another Kirkyard, I couldn’t get enough of them… this was one just as creepy!

If there is one thing that I would 100% recommend it’s this! The necrobus comedy ghost tour. This isn’t your usual ghost tour. It’s a rickety old London Routemaster transformed into a ghost bus (and driven by one to), your tour guide is something well dead and he tells you ghost stories as you drive around taking in all of the sites of Edinburgh. You make a couple of stops (funnily enough at St Cuthberts Kirkyard to tell you that a vengeful ghostly little girl is coming to get you). You get to see Arthur’s Seat ghostly form loom out of the mist for good measure.

Last day in Edinburgh and I went for a another walk up the Royal Mile trying to find my dad some Scotch whiskey. I then went to hunt down some potato scones and lorne sausages before finally hitting the National Museum of Scotland which showcases the history, culture and art of Scotland… a must see! All in a FANTASTIC city, one I instantly fell in love with! I did end up going back in December 2024 ( I will do a separate post as I did completely different things).