I had heard fantastic things from people who have visited Edinburgh and Scotland. I had never been to either and I knew that I had to include them in my trip. I had planned for four nights in Edinburgh without a concrete itinerary, other than exploring the city and hopefully seeing some castles. Hostels usually have organized trips, or recommendations for excursions, so I knew I could rely on those. Besides one building I had marked on Google Maps, my plan was to simply wander around the city, take a walking tour, and explore.
Edinburgh is an amazing city. I’m not sure I fully appreciated it while I was there, partly because I had just come from Madrid, one of my favorite cities. Coming from Madrid, Edinburgh was also cold and it rained every day. I had anticipated this and bought two sweatshirts from Primark in Madrid the day before I left. However, I did really enjoy my time in Edinburgh. The hostel was one of the best I’ve stayed at, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover the city’s influence on Harry Potter during my visit. I wouldn’t call myself a huge Harry Potter fan, but I did grow up reading the books.
The City
I stayed in the old town of Edinburgh in a hostel that was probably one of the best-located I’ve ever experienced. As you stepped out of the front door you were greeted with a full view of Edinburgh castle. It was also conveniently located just minutes away from the Royal Mile, Victoria street and Grassmarket square. On the day I did the highland tour, I only had to walk two and a half minutes to get to the meeting point. The hostel also had multiple large lounge spaces which provided ample opportunities to meet and talk to people and the largest hostel kitchen I’ve ever seen.
The old town of Edinburgh is a medieval playground of narrow streets, hidden courtyards and eclectic mix of architectural styles. Towering Craigleith Sandstone buildings in tones of grey,brown and beige dominate the city. Exploring the city was like exploring a labyrinth, with little discoveries awaiting around every corner. For example, a friend from the hostel took us to a live music venue called Stromash, in what used to be a 18th century Church. All over Edinburgh there are buildings with storied pasts given new life and used for something else. It adds to the city’s charm and makes it an exciting place to explore.
Blackfriar’s Charteris Center
Greyfriar’s Charteris Center was the only building I had stared on Google maps and it was the first place I went to when I arrived after having lunch and checking-in to the hostel. I had come across it when I was researching examples of old and new for my architectural thesis. Wedged between a historic church on its left and an existing building on its right, the addition connects these spaces providing a visual and physical link. Made almost entirely of a light wood and white walls, the material palette distinctly contrasts the existing church buildings and compliments it in a subtle and restrained elegance.
National Museum of Scotland
On my way to the Blackfriar’s Charteris Center, I passed by the National Museum of Scotland. The extension, a series of intersecting geometric forms filled with voids and additions, caught my eye. Against the tapestry of medieval and gothic architecture, the Extension of the National Museum of Scotland distinctly stood out. I had the opportunity to visit it the following day after lunch, in an effort to get out of the rain. I didn’t spend much time in the older part, as I spent most of time in the extension which mainly houses Scottish history, however the light-filled grand gallery with its wrought-iron balconies and soaring roof is a sight to behold and worth it to check out. Plus, they have a giant skull of a sperm whale, which was exciting for me because I’m currently reading Moby Dick and read The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, which is what Herman Melville based Moby Dick on.
The Scottish Highlands
When I checked into the hostel, I had hoped they would have some type of excursion or day trip to see castles, but they only had a 3 or 5-day excursion in the highlands. When I was at lunch, it got me thinking and I started researching day trips. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any that specifically went to castles, but instead I, found a full-day highland tour. As I was eating, I realized that I should experience the highlands, even if it was just a day because I don’t know when or if I’ll be back to Scotland and whether I would have another opportunity.
On GetYourGuide I found a highly reviewed, full-day highland tour for $90.34 that I booked. The tour started at 8am and I arrived back to the hostel at 8:30pm. The first stop was the small town of Callandor. On the way we caught glimpses of Stirling Castle. Callandor is a small charming little town. In the short time that we had there, I attempted to make my way to the Roman Ruins because I saw a sign as we drove into the town. From the bus stop to the ruins were about 15 minutes and I only had 45, 5-10 of those were used at the beginning for the bathroom. As I made my way there, I kept a careful eye on the time, the closer I got the less time I had to return. I made it to the end of the little road off the main road, but all I found was a hotel, I couldn’t find the ruins. Maybe the ruins were behind the hotel? I was so close, I could feel it, but I ran out of time and had to turn back.
The next stop was a few minutes later at a little farm to see two highland cows. It was worth it. The couple behind me had tried to find highland cows the day before and got dropped off in a random field by their taxi driver, never to find them, so for them it was the perfect opportunity. As we made our way deeper into the highlands and through the Trossachs National Park, the landscape slowly changed into mountains and lochs. Here movies such as Skyfall and Harry Potter were filmed. It was stunning, and the weather held out enough for us to be able to see the beautiful landscape. We actually had better weather than Edinburgh, which experienced heavy rain the whole day. Eventually, we arrived to Loch Ness, the final destination on the outward journey. It was underwhelming and I opted not to do the 20£ boat ride. Instead, I walked around the small town and watched as boats made their way through the seven-layer lock system. It was quite fascinating and time consuming. It takes around an hour and for four boats it required around ten people.
On the way back, we went a different way. We went through the Cairngorms National Park, the highest point on our journey through roads not fit for a giant coach bus and a driver who believed he was driving an F1 car. Throughout the entire trip, the driver acted as the tour guide, providing us with history, lore and jokes.
As we got closer to Edinburgh, we made our way across one of Scotland’s three bridges spanning three centuries. To the left was the majestic Fourth bridge, a beautiful cantilevered steel structure from the 19th Century and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I had learned about it in my structures class and I had no idea I was going to be seeing it, it felt like catching glimpses of a giant elusive animal. To the right was the Queensferry Crossing Bridge from the 21st century, the newest of the trio and we were on the middle, the Fourth bridge from the 20th century. It was a perfect and unexpected ending to a long day of sightseeing.
There is a lot to explore in Scotland, from its cities to its landscapes and its history. I only saw a glimpse of it and would welcome the opportunity to return.
Very nice!