Edinburgh Overview 2011

Eating Out (6/10) – As you would expect from a main city, a large choice of options from your normal chains, to independent pubs and restaurants, the Witchery is meant to be a highlight for dinning

Nightlife (4/10) – We were around on week days and so the nightlife was rather quiet, most places closing around 11 pm, some night club options for the weekend, but not a place for 24 hour party person

Outdoors (8/10) – lots to see walking about the city, with many nice parks, and of course for those more adventurous there is always Authors seat to walk up

Romance (3/10) – some nice setting, with nice sunset on the coast line and over the castle, but the city itself did not inspire romance

Shopping (5/10) – very standard shopping for a capital, a main high street with the normal shops, and plenty of tourist shops along the royal mile. Two malls seemed to be rather small in comparison to other shopping places we have been too

Sight- seeing (5/10) – plenty to see outdoor, with some very nice parks, and so nice buildings, the Place would have been good to go in, as for the castle, well it’s worth it for the views but the contents itself were a little on the modest side

Hotel (5/10) – the hotels in Edinburgh seem to be very overpriced generally due to the fact it is a capital, however we managed to get a cheap and cheerful apartment for £60 per night a few minutes away from central prince street.

Communication/attitude (5/10) – seemed to vary from the very friendly and chatty, to those a bit gruff and standoffish

Transport (9/10) – very good easy to get bus from the airport to the city, multiple bus tour rides available; City not to big so you could manage to get to most places on foot thou

Value for money (5/10) – good value for the bus tours and for the apartment we stayed in, but the tourist traps were overpriced due to the fact that it’s a capital city.

Overall 55/100 = 55 %

Sunset over Scotland: 

Edinburgh Day 3 – 1st July 2011

Forth Bridge Cruise – Bus and Boat Tour

With our final day we took a tour out of the city, first with a 40 minute bus ride to the Forth Bridge, stopping at Hawes Pier in order to get onboard the Forth Belle Boat.  The boat took us under both the Forth railway and forth road bridge, then back around and over to Incholm Island for views of the wildlife.

View from the port:

The Forth Belle boat: 

Forth Bridge: is a cantilever railway bridge over the Firth of Forth Firth in the east of Scotland, to the east of the Forth Road Bridge, and 14 kilometres (9 mi) west of central Edinburgh.

It was opened on 4 March 1890. It is often called the Forth Rail Bridge or Forth Railway Bridge to distinguish it from the Forth Road Bridge although it has been called the "Forth Bridge" since its construction and had for over seventy years the sole claim to this name.

The Forth road bridge:

The bridge connects Scotland's capital city, Edinburgh, with Fife, leaving the Lothian’s at Dalmeny and arriving in Fife at Noth Queensferry; it acts as a major artery connecting the north-east and south-east of the country.

Described in the Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland as "the one immediately and internationally recognised Scottish landmark", it may be nominated by the British government to be added to the UNESCO world heritage sites.

Until 1917, when the Quebec Bridge Quebec was completed, it had the longest single cantilever bridge span in the world. The Forth Bridge has the second longest single span.

All on board: 

  

The capital in the distance:

 Lichcolm Island: contains a abbey – one of the best persevered in Scotland, and is a haven for wildlife due to the lack of permanent residence by humans

Puffins having a fish around:

Sunbathing seals: 

Biggest Ice-cream Dan could find :)

Edinburgh Day 2 – 30th June 2011

Majestic Bus tour

In the afternoon we popped on another bus tour, this one taken us further afield from the main city attractions. The journey from the city centre, through New town travels to the coast at new haven and Leith, before returning via Edinburgh Old town. Highlights include the following:

The Royal Botanic Garden: set in 70 acres of land, the Garden includes Britain’s tallest Palm house and a world famous rock garden, plus entrance is free 

View from Ferry Road: the city landscape from Author’s Seat to the Castle  

  

Newhaven: fishing village

The Royal Yacht Britannia: See what life for Royalty was like aboard the ship

Royal Guard returning from marching practice:

End of Day: The royal car fleeing the scene, carrying the Queen (notice there no number plate)

 

Edinburgh Day 2 – 30th June 2011

Edinburgh Castle 

Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock.

Entrance gate:

City overviews:

 

Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear. There has been a royal castle here since at least the reign of David I in the 12th century, and the site continued to be a royal residence until the Union of the Crowns in 1603. From the 15th century the castle's residential role declined, and by the 17th century its principal role was as a military base with a large garrison. 

Looking at the views:

 Few of the present buildings pre-date the Lang Siege of the 16th century, when the medieval fortifications were largely destroyed by artillery bombardment. The notable exception is St Margaret’s Chapel, the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh, which dates from the early 12th century. Among other significant buildings of the castle are the Royal Palace, and the early-16th-century Great Hall. The castle also houses the Scottish National War Memorial. 

National War Museum:

The great hall:

Royal Place building holding the Scottish crown Jewels: Photo: 400; 412 

Although formally owned by the Ministry of Defence, most of the castle is now in the care of Historic Scotland. The garrison left in the 1920s, but there is still a military presence at the castle, largely ceremonial and administrative, and including a number of regimental museums. It is the backdrop to the annual Edinburgh Military Tattoo and has become a recognisable symbol of Edinburgh and of Scotland.

Castle Prison: Photo: 418; 

The One O’clock Gun: is a time signal time, and is fired every day at precisely 13:00, excepting Sunday, Good Friday and Christmas Day. The gun was established in 1861 as a time signal for ships in the Firth of Forth, and complemented the time ball, which was installed on the Nelson Monument in 1852, but which was useless during foggy weather. The gun could easily be heard by ships in Leith Harbour, 2 miles (3.2 km) away.