2nd May, 2023
After Pip spent 3 months in Tanzania, I was keen to get a holiday booked in for us, once she was home – as part of her Birthday present, I booked a surprise mid-week trip to Edinburgh in early May. She’d never been to Edinburgh, which decided where to go an easy choice. I had hotels, trains and a couple of restaurants booked in advance. Sadly, Pip wasn’t feeling her best for the whole trip, suffering from a sore neck and resulting migraines. She was managing well with regular doses of Cocodamol, which we’d picked up on our way to the train station, but it’s still not ideal for her.
Our first day was filled with exploration. We wandered through Princess Gardens, Princes Street, the Royal Mile, and all the other quintessentially touristy spots. The weather was perfect which is a relief for Scotland, and I couldn’t help but relax after seeing that the apartment I’d booked without Pip’s input turned out to be a cosy haven – It can be nervous booking without any input, but it was great – spacious, modern, with a nice view of the Castle (If you crane your neck) as well as Princess Street below.
Scran & Scallie
After a brief respite at our apartment, we headed out for dinner at Scran & Scallie. However, we made an unintentional detour to the wrong cocktail bar on the way – Originally in search of Panda & Sons but ending up at Badger & Co. An easy mistake to make after a long day! The bartender expressed surprise that we were heading to Scran & Scallie, a fine dining establishment, instead of Choaprah (or something like that), a more boogie upscale Thai restaurant with a very Instagrammable terrace, across the road. It seems that most of their clientele come in to kill time before their booking.
We strolled down to Stockbridge, passing a dedicated runner doing hill repeats at 7 p.m. in the dark. Scran & Scallie lived up to its great reputation, although the wine prices ranged from £40 to £80 per bottle. We opted for two of the cheapest glasses of red wine, which still set us back £8 for a large pour. A sign for a 2019 Michelin star gave us a moment of concern about our wallets, but we think the restaurant had moved past its Michelin status as the prices were relatively reasonable. We dined on Wagyu burgers, fish and chips, a sweet dessert to top it off and capped the night with Caramilk and Daime bar Dairy Milk back at the apartment.
3rd May, 2023
Our plan for the day was to conquer Arthur’s Seat, followed by lunch at Howie’s. However, we found ourselves with a busier-than-planned agenda. We started the day early, with breakfast in bed. Then donned our hiking gear and embarked on the more challenging than we thought ascent of Arthur’s Seat. The climb was steeper, windier, and more rocky than anticipated, but the stunning views made it worthwhile. On the way down, we diverted through Holyrood Park, stopping off at a delightful coffee shop called Format Coffee. This hole-in-the-wall establishment boasted an array of coffee equipment, including Chemex, scales, tampers, and a unique coffee machine, all squashed into a tiny authentic shop. You could tell the guy was in his element.
Tills
We ventured back, passing by Golden Retrievers, A cute bookshop called Tills, and charming streets before changing for lunch. We were booked into Howies on Victoria Street (A recommendation from Mum!), where we opted for a three-course meal. Haggis and salmon, casserole and chicken, banoffee and sticky toffee desserts, all complemented by the classic Irn Bru. After lunch, we headed towards Leith and the waterway walk, which eventually led us to Stockbridge and the Botanical Gardens. Despite clocking over a half marathon, we decided to loop past Calton Hill to take in the views, totalling an impressive 17 miles of exploration by the time we put our feet up back at the apartment!
4th May, 2023
Our final day in Edinburgh was dedicated to those “maybe” options we had kept in reserve. I was unsure of how long to go for when I was booking this surprise for Pip – too long and you end up not only spending a tonne of money, but also risk running out of things to do and playing a dangerous dance with the weather – too short, and you leave feeling a little unaccomplished and unrested. I feel like we played it just right over the 3 days. We began the final day by trying Bubble Tea for the first time and visiting a Christmas shop to procure a bauble for this year’s Christmas tree. However, our initial quest for a bauble in the dedicated Christmas shop on the Royal Mile proved unsuccessful – something that always confuses me about those dedicated year-round Christmas shops is that none of the items are specific to the location – they’re just generic. Thankfully, we remembered spotting a somewhat classy Scottish bauble in a whimsical Christmas-themed shop on Cockburn Street, so all’s well that ends.
Royal Yacht
Our next stop was the Royal Yacht Britannia in Leith, which proved to be an interesting day out. As we walked back towards central Edinburgh, we decided to book a visit to Camera Obscura – I’d seen it and always wanted to go but never really got around to it. It turned out to be better than expected, with the highlight being the private show at the top in the Camera Obscura – it must’ve been a quiet day!
We wrapped up our Edinburgh adventure by collecting our bags and enjoying a relaxed pizza and beer at Amarone, a delightful Italian restaurant. We couldn’t help but be amused by a slumbering American at a neighbouring table – watching the world go by as we waited for our train.
