Mini Travel Guides

Here are our best of Edinbugh tips, together with our recommendations for what to do in Edinburgh to help you plan your visit to the Scottish capital.

Walk Along Portobello Beach

On a sunny day head to the golden sands of Portbello Beach, three miles east of the city centre. It’s unlikely it’ll be warm enough to go for a swim, but you can stroll along the prom or the beach.

Portobello Beach

Climb the Scott Monument

Built in memory of the Scottish author and poet Sir Walter Scott, the imposing 200 foot high Scott Monument can be scaled for a fee of £3. The Monument is just off Princes Street.

The Scott Monument, Edinburgh

Follow the Water of Leith Walkway

The Water of Leith Walkway winds it way through the city centre into the Forth Estuary at Leith. One of my favourite sections of the walk is between Belford Bridge (close to the Gallery of Modern Art) through Dean Village to Stockbridge (close to the Botanic Garden).

The Water of Leith at Stockbridge

Cross Over to Cramond Island

There is a tidal causeway for pedestrians over to Cramond Island in the Forth Estuary, but do check the tide timetables before attempting this. If it’s high tide you can still walk along the prom toward Silverknowes, or take the path up the River Almond.

Walkway over to Cramond Island

Visit the Scottish Parliament

You can walk around parts of the Scottish Parliament building and take a guided tour on certain days of the week. Even if you can’t get access, it’s still worth combining seeing the exterior of the building with a walk up to the Royal Mile or on your way to ascending Arthur’s Seat.

The Scottish Parliament

 Admire the Landfrom Sculpture

The Landform sculpture is in front of the National Gallery of Modern Art One. Most days when I’ve been there, the gate into the sculpure has been locked due to adverse weather conditions, but sometimes it’s possible to walk around it.

Landform on a wintry day

Learn About the Environment at the Royal Botanic Garden

There are interactive activities about biodiversity at the John Hope Gateway at the Edinburgh Botanic Garden. There’s free WiFi in the building. It’s free to get into the Botanic Gardens except for the Glass Houses. There are usually art exhibitions at Inverleith House in the Garden.

The John Hope Gateway at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh

Admire the Works at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery re-opened to the public in December 2011 after a major renovation. When I visited there was a photo exhibition on the theme of Romantic Scotland. You can learn a lot about Scottish history here from the many portraits of the rich and powerful.

The entrance to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery

Walk Up Arthur’s Seat

Walking up Arthur’s Seat, an extinct volcano, will give you some of the best views of Edinburgh.

View to Duddingston Loch and village from Arthur’s Seat

Have Fun at the Camera Obscura

I visited the Camera Obscura in Edinburgh with our son Gary. We really enjoyed the interactive hands on exhibits, such as heat-cam featured in my video below.

Look Out for Edinburgh Deals

Keep a look out for cut-price deals from Groupon to save you money when visiting Edinburgh; recently I’ve seen offers such as £19 for a day golf pass and lunch, £3.25 for a Ghost Tour and £17.50 for tapas for two including a bottle of wine.

Best of Edinburgh Tips

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I stayed for one night a the Hotel Missoni Edinburgh in December 2011 on a complimentary basis.  The hotel is located just off the Royal Mile, a five minute walk from Edinburgh Castle. I was looking forward to my stay. I’d been in the hotel twice previously, once for lunch and in April 2011 the hotel hosted an Edinburgh Travel Tweetup. So had anticipated that the rooms at the Missoni would be pretty funky.

Bar at Hotel Missoni Edinburgh

I loved my room, the mix of colours and patterns worked well and created a relaxed feel. I was relieved that the safe was at shoulder height so I didn’t have to grovel around on the floor to get my laptop in and out of the safe, as is the case at many hotels. I was also glad that the TV remote control was user friendly.

The bathroom had a large walk in shower, so no fiddling around with curtains, or leaks from cubicle doors. No boring white bathrobes here, they had the same design as some of the fabrics used in the room.

There were views over to Arthur’s Seat and St Giles Cathedral spire from my fourth floor room.

Looking toward Arthur’s Seat from my room at the Hotel Missoni Edinburgh

The all inclusive rate includes breakfast, WiFi, mini bar (with wine, beer, soft drinks, crisps, some fruit  and chocolate), movies and two items of laundry. I reckon you could pay well over £100 for these extras at some other four and five star hotels. There’s a coffee making machine and a kettle and even a small bottle of fresh milk in the fridge; much better than these long life milk tubes/pots that are virtually impossible to open.

My room at the Hotel Missioni Edinburgh

The bed was super comfortable with lovely pillows.

I did have some difficulty with the initial connection to the WiFi. You have to go onto the Missoni website and enter your surname and room number. I only suceeded in connecting my netbook using the Google Chrome browser after several attempts on my default Firefox browser. I prefer it when you don’t need to log in, you just connect and can start browsing immediately.

Breakfast is served between 6.30 and 10.00 on weekdays (7.00 to 11.00 at weekends). Personally I’d prefer to see breakfast extended to 11am on weekdays, to give me the option of a leisurely morning.

Cucina Restaurant at Hotel Missoni Edinburgh

Breakfast consists of a cold buffet, with far too many tempting cakes, but also some healthier options including fresh fruit salad, yoghurt and cereals. You can also order a hot dish from the menu; I had scrambled egg and smoked salmon which was very good.

All the staff are really friendly, helpful and proactive. I recognised quite a few members of the bar staff from my previous visits to the Missoni.

I enjoyed my stay at the Hotel Missoni Edinburgh so much I didn’t want to leave; I was in my room until a few minutes before the latest check-out at noon. Between the central location, the beautiful room, great ambience and staff and the excellent breakfast, it’s the best five star hotel in which I’ve stayed.

Tips for Things to Do in Edinburgh

We’ve lots of Edinburgh tips on Europe a la Carte.

Review of Hotel Missoni Edinburgh

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I stayed for one night at the Travelodge Edinburgh Learmonth in early December 2011 on a complimentary basis. I’ve stayed at this hotel in the past and reviewed the hotel in June 2009. The Travelodge UK budget hotel chain have improved their service to guests by offering free WiFi in their Bar Cafes.  This is great news if, like me, you need to stay connected when you’re on the move.

The Bar Cafe at Travelodge Edinburgh Learmonth

I stayed in a family room at the back of the hotel on the second floor. It was a large room with a bed settee. The bathroom was a good size with a shower over the bath; some of the newer Travelodges have tiny bathrooms which only have showers. It was cold outside but the room was a very pleasant temperature, although the radiator wasn’t on.

Unfortunately there were a couple of very noticeable stains on the bed settee. I’ve observed this in a few Travelodges and it’s all the more obvious on the self coloured red fabric. I think it’s something that Travelodge should get on top of by regular checking and cleaning of the bed settees, as this can let down an otherwise good room.

Travelodges offer excellent value for money, especially if you book for off-peak stays during their £10 and £12 room promotions. However I have found Travelodge rooms in Edinburgh from around £30 a few days before my stay.

I’d stay at the Travelodge Edinburgh Learmonth again, due to the quiet yet fairly central location plus the free WiFi.

Travelodge Edinburgh Learmonth Offers Free Wifi in Bar Cafe

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We had a stop at the town of Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders on a day out in November 2011. I was happy to see signs saying that there was free WiFi in the town centre and that the car park was also free. I connected to the free WiFi, I didn’t need to give any details, only click that I agreed to the terms and conditions. The connection was pretty good and I was able to upload a photo in a few seconds.  The next good thing was that the very clean public toilets were also free.

Free WiFi – music to a blogger’s ear

We had a walk along the tarmaced Borders Abbeys Way path and had a coffee from our flask at the picnic bench on the banks of Jed Water.

View from our coffee spot toward Jed Water

Jedburgh Abbey is very impressive.

Jedburgh Abbey

Just along from the Abbey is the Clock Tower.

Jedburgh Clock Tower

There’s a great kids play area adjacent to the car park.

Play area in Jedburgh

I think it’s very welcoming to arrive in Jedburgh, where you don’t have to think about parking charges and whether the public toilets will be fit for use and/or charge 40 pence admission per person. The free WiFi is a great bonus too.

If Only All Towns Offered Such Good, Free Amenities as Jedburgh

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A visiting friend and I took a walk from Coldingham Sands to St Abb’s Head in the Scottish Borders in November 2011. We started at the free car park opposite the St Vedas surf shop/hotel.

St Abbs harbour from above

We walked to St Abbs following the high path with Coldingham Beach and the North Sea to our right. St Abbs is a popular diving spot as it’s bang on the Marine Park. The Eyemouth Fishing Disaster Memorial is just up from St Abbs.

St Abbs fishing disaster memorial viewing point

There’s a map and guide to the Berwickshire Coastal Path there.

Coastal path info at St Abbs

We then walked outside the town and followed the path to the start of the walk towards the Nature Reserve and Lighthouse.

Nature Reserve start

The walk continued along the coast to Horsecasle Rocks (where we walked down to a small rocky beach for coffee), Kirk Hill and Black Gable.

The view to Starney Bay, Wuddy Rocks and back towards St Abbs

We then made our way to the Lighthouse.

Lighthouse and fog horn

The views from above to both the right (south) and left (north) of the lighthouse were pretty amazing.

Lighthouse view south

Lighthouse view north

On the way down from the lighthouse we noticed some curious sheep amongst the unseasonably early-flowering gorse. We then had lunch at a small beach facing North just below the lighthouse, where a recently born seal pup was blissfully asleep while its parents fished.

On the way back, we first walked along Mire Loch, which runs parallel to the coast behind a hill and has paths on both sides, then got onto the seaside path again at Kirk Hill and retraced our steps to Coldingham.

The walk took about three hours at a relatively gentle pace and although there were threatening skies, it was dry throughout.

Walking from Coldingham to St Abb’s Head in the Scottish Borders

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We stayed for one night at the Apex Waterloo Place Hotel in Edinburgh in September 2011, on a complimentary basis. The building dates from 1819 and was refurbished in 2009. It’s located very close to Waverley rail station and Princes Street.

Exterior of Apex Waterloo Place Hotel

The lobby/bar area is stylish, light and airy.

Lounge area at Apex Waterloo Place Hotel

We were allocated room 827, a superior room at the front of the hotel. Now it was a beautiful sunny afternoon, but the first thing that struck when I entered the room was the sun streaming in through the three large windows. It was the 29th of September (in Scotland), but I had to put on the air conditioning to cool down the room. Although the hotel is very centrally located it’s in a relatively quiet street. As the windows weren’t double glazed there was some traffic noise  but not enough to disturb our sleep.

Our room at Apex Waterloo Place Hotel

The Apex Waterloo Place hotel offers free wifi to guests but you need to get a password at reception when you check in. I found the signal to be excellent. I’ve previously had a lot of problems with hotel wifi (free and paid for) quality and when I went to reception they invariably (and erroneously) attributed the blame to my laptop. So it was such a relief to be able to get online at the first attempt and get straight down to some work.

The king size bed was so comfortable with divine pillows and had a sheet which was large enough to stay firmly tucked in and a huge duvet cover. The large walk-in shower was fantastic. I enjoyed my bath in the company of the Apex duck. I couldn’t find a bar of soap in our room, I’m not sure if this was an omission by housekeeping or the norm. I could have phoned reception to ask but as I had some soap in my toiletries bag, I didn’t bother. There was a small container of bath/shower gel but it was awkward to dispense for washing my hands.

I had a quick look at the gym, spa and pool area but didn’t have time (or in the case of the gym, the inclination) to use the facilities.

The pool at Apex Waterloo Place Hotel

In summary, I really enjoyed my stay at the Apex Waterloo Place Hotel in Edinburgh. It’s in a central location close to lots of shops, restaurants, pubs, cafes and transport links. Our room was a perfect mix of modernity and comfort with a great bed, lovely bathroom (apart from the lack of soap) and had excellent free wifi.

Click here to see all my Apex Waterloo Place Hotel photos on Flickr.

Review of Apex Waterloo Place Hotel, Edinburgh

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We stayed for two nights at the Ardanaiseig Hotel near Oban in the north west of Scotland in mid September 2011, on a complimentary basis. The hotel is reached by a ten mile drive down a single track road from the village of Taynault. I was excited about staying at the Ardanaiseig Hotel after seeing photos of our accommodation in the Boat Shed.

Exterior of main building at the Ardanaiseig Hotel

The Boat Shed is a few hundred metres from the main hotel with a parking area outside. This accommodation really does have the wow factor. As soon as you walk in you are transfixed by the views over Loch Awe.

The living/dining area at the Boat Shed

The furniture is modern with several glass tables and ornamental pieces.  It’s very cosy in the Boat Shed as there are two huge radiators in the living area.

There’s a small kitchen area with 2 electric rings, a fridge and a combination oven. It’s adequate to prepare simple meals.

The Boat Shed kitchen area

The bedroom is reached by stairs and has a glass panel with a space above meaning you see the wonderful view when you sit up in bed.  The bed is large and really comfortable. There’s a white curtain you can pull along but it isn’t adequate to keep the light out in the morning. I’d prefer a shutter or black out curtains, as it was quite light in the bedroom by 7.30am, even on a dull September morning.

Looking down from the bedroom

Once you’re in the Boat Shed you don’t want to move from there. From first thing in the morning until dark the views are amazing.

Dusk from the Boat Shed Balcony

There’s free wifi in the public areas of the hotel which has a good signal. I’d have liked to have wifi in the Boat Shed, so I didn’t have to go to the main building to get online. The hotel lounge is furnished in a very grand style.

The restaurant looks out over the garden and Loch Awe.

View from the Ardanaiseig Hotel restaurant

Breakfast is a mixture of a buffet with cereals, fruit juices, fresh fruit, yoghurts, Scottish bakery products such as butteries and scones and an order for a cooked breakfast which includes smoked salmon, smoked haddock and a full Scottish breakfast.

Bacon & egg breakfast at the Ardanaiseig Hotel

We were delighted that our accommodation was cleaned when we were at breakfast. Often in hotels you can’t completely relax if you know that that housekeeping staff could arrive at any moment.

I absolutely loved staying at the Boat Shed and I didn’t want to leave. It’s a perfect place for a getaway and/or to celebrate a special occasion.

Click here to see all my Ardanaiseig Hotel photos on Flickr.

The Boat Shed at the Ardanaiseig Hotel, Scotland

Tips on what to see in Europe. Copyrighted content published on Europe a la Carte.

The United Kingdom (UK) comprises of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  If you’re looking for ideas for what to do in the UK, here are some great tips from the Europe a la Carte team.

ENGLAND

Cool Off at the Diana Memorial Fountain, Hyde Park

You may dangle your feet in the refreshing stream at the Diana Memorial Fountain in London’s Hyde Park after a hard days sightseeing but you’re not allowed to walk through the structure.

Diana Memorial Fountain, Hyde Park

Walk Along the Meridian Line in Greenwich, London

You can walk on Longtitude Zero line at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. This is the home of time dividing the globe into the eastern and western hemispheres.

Greenwich Meridian Line by markhealey

Be Dazzled By the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London

Although you might expect to see the British Crown Jewels at Buckingham Palace, they are in fact on display at the Tower of London in the Jewel House.

Guarding the Crown Jewels by Randy son of Robert

More London Tips

We’ve plenty more tips for the best things to do in London.

Click here for the lowest prices on London hotels

Enjoy Art at the Tate Liverpool

There’s more to Liverpool than the Beatles; I enjoyed visiting the Tate Liverpool and the Museum of Slavery at the Albert Dock.

Tate Liverpool at Albert Dock

Click here for the lowest prices on Liverpool hotels

Retrace a Roman Soldier’s Footsteps Along the Route of Hadrian’s Wall

Hadrian’s Wall was built by the Romans in the 2nd century AD to keep out the  Scots. You can now follow the route along the 84 mile  Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail.

Hadrian’s Wall by Bod

Marvel at the Stained Glass Windows in York Minster

York Minster is one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the UK. It’s rather expensive to get in at £9 per adult (correct August 2011) but if you’re planning to visit several attractions in the city, a York Pass can be good value.

York Minster

Click here for the lowest prices on York hotels

Admire the Fish Sculptures at Cragside House

I loved the glass fish sculptures in the pond at the Formal Garden at Cragside House. If you visit in Spring you’ll also be able to see the wonderful tulip displays.

Fish sculptures in the Formal Garden pond at Cragside House

Relax at Leeds Waterfront

I was impressed by Leeds in Yorkshire, as I didn’t even realise it had a waterfront before my visit. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants with lovely views.  The Armouries Museum is located here and it’s free to enter.

Centenary Bridge at Leeds Waterfront

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See the Murals at Chain Bridge Honey Farm

There are several fantastic murals on the walls of the Chain Bridge Honey Farm. My favourite depicts the course of the River Tweed from its source to the estuary where it flows into the sea at Berwick upon Tweed.

Click here for the lowest prices on Berwick hotels

Surf at Newquay, Cornwall

Newquay in Cornwall, in the south west of England, has some beautiful beaches, ideal for surfing.

Great Western Beach Newquay

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Cross the Causeway to Holy Island

Make sure you check the tide times before you attempt the reach to and return from the Holy Island of Lindisfarne.

Ride on a Steam Train in Cumbria

Take a ride in a steam train in the South Tynedale Valley through some beautiful countryside.

Click here for the lowest prices on Alston hotels

Meet Up with Robin Hood in Nottingham

I was lucky enough to meet up with Robin Hood when I attended a themed weekend at Nottingham Castle.

Robin Hood and me at Nottingham Castle

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More Tips for Things to Do in England (outside London)

We’ve 25 more ideas for what to do in England.

SCOTLAND

Go Back to Your Youth at the Museum of Childhood in Edinburgh

The Museum of Childhood in Edinburgh’s Royal Mile is quite enchanting.

The Search for the Loch Ness Monster at the Museum of Childhood

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See the Work of the Architect Zaha Hadid

In Glasgow, the Riverside Museum, the new home of the Scottish Museum of Transport was designed the  architect Zaha Hadid.

Glasgow’s Riverside Museum

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Go For a Boat Trip on Loch Lomond

The best way to see bonnie banks of  Loch Lomond is by taking a boat trip, you may even spot an osprey.

Click here for the lowest prices on Balloch hotels

Take the Train over the Forth Rail Bridge

The Forth Rail Bridge is one of Scotland’s iconic sights, so why not take the train across the Estuary for views toward Cramond Island and Edinburgh.

The Forth Rail Bridge

Have a Famous Grouse Experience in Crieff

The Famous Grouse Experience Visitor’s Centre lies just outside the town of Crieff in Perthshire. You can take a tour of the distillery from around £8 per adult, which includes some sampling.  I loved the grouse sculpture adorned with kisses.

The Famous Grouse sculpture

Click here for the lowest prices on Crieff hotels

Climb Falkland Hill

Even if you’re not superfit you can still make it up Falkland Hill, as there’s a car park half way up.

View from ascent of Falkland Hill

Click here for the lowest prices on Falkland hotels

More Scotland Tips

If you’ve more time to explore Scotland, I’ve written about “25 Unusual & Fun Things to Do in Scotland“.

WALES

Spot Wild Ponies at Brecon Beacons National Park

Heather has some tips for exploring the Brecon Beacons National Park, where you may even spot some of wild ponies.

Wild ponies in Brecon Beacons National Park

Click here for the lowest prices on Brecon hotels

Tuck into Delicious Scones at Tu Hwnt i’r Bont Teahouse

Neha had some scrumptious scones, reputed to be the best in Wales, at the Tu Hwnt i’r Bont Teahouse near Llanrwst.

Welsh scones by Girl Interrupted Eating

Click here for the lowest prices on Llanrwst hotels

Go Underground at the Big Pit National Coal Museum

You can get a feel for what it was like being a miner by going down the pit at the National Coal Museum.

Me equipped to go underground

NORTHERN IRELAND

Go Back in Time at the Ulster Folk Museum

The best part of my visit to Ulster Folk Museum was sampling some soda bread, cooked over an open fire and then listening to the traditional Irish tale “The Changeling”.

Cooking soda bread at the Ulster Fols Museum

Walk Around Derry’s City Wall

The 17th century walls of Derry (aka LondonDerry) remain intact and you can learn a lot about the city’s history on a walking around them. The city will be the UK Capital of Culture in 2013.

Derry’s Walls by horslip5

Click here for the lowest prices on Derry hotels

Dodge the Jets at the Custom House Water Feature in Belfast

I didn’t fancy a soaking, so I was happy to watch some other people trying to judge if the variable flow jets on the water feature at Custom House would woosh up as they ran along the paving stones.

Click here for the lowest prices on Belfast hotels

25 Fun Things to Do in the UK

European travel guides & tips. Copyrighted content published on Europe a la Carte.

We’re stayed in Helensburgh on the west coast of Scotland on a three night budget Summer UK staycation at the end of July 2011. I managed to book a Travelodge room for £19 a night in early March 2011 by following one of my money saving travel tips of signing up to receive travel companies’ email alerts about promotions.  This allowed me to quickly bag the bargain Travelodge rate.  In this case, you could also follow another one of my tips and use a UK cashback site. If you book Travelodge UK rooms through TopCashBack you can receive a 1% cashback.

Helensburgh poster at Riverside Museum, Glasgow

On the drive over to Helensburgh, we stopped for lunch in Stirling, a delicious Italian buffet at La Cicciara. I was amazed that the buffet still only costs £5.95 per person. We had another stop at Duck’s Bay on the south-western shore of Loch Lomond for a hot drink from our flask.

Pier at Duck’s Bay, Loch Lomond

Our room at the Travelodge Helensburgh Seafront was a steal at £19 a night. Yes it was basic but it had a great shower which would put many fancy hotels to shame. It was in a central location on the prom and there was a free car park.

As we’d never been to the Rosneath peninsula, we decided to drive around it the following day. We found a lovely picnic spot on the east of the peninsula facing Loch Long.

Me by Loch Long

A few miles down the road was Kilcreggan, where you can catch a pedestrian ferry to either Greenock or Helensburgh. However the ferries to Helensburgh are infrequent.

Kilcreggan ferry pier

The next day we visited the Rennie Mackintosh designed Hill House in Helensburgh, designed by the Scottish architect Rennie Mackintosh. Unfortunately you’re not allowed to take any photos of the interior.

Hill House, Helensburgh

Then we drove a few miles east to Geilston Gardens in Cardross. As the Hill House and Geilston Gardens are National Trust of Scotland properties and as we’re member we didn’t have to pay admission charges.

Geilston Gardens

We had a tasty, cheap dinner from the two main courses for £10 at the Ardencaple Hotel in Rhu, a couple of miles west of Helensburgh.

New York Chicken at the Ardencpale Hotel in Rhu

On the drive back to Berwick upon Tweed the next day, we stopped in Stirling for lunch at Jimmy Chung’s Chinese buffet restaurant.

Total Spend

Travelodge 3 nights at £19                                        £57

Food breakfast/picnics                                              £20

Lunch at La Ciciara                                                     £14

Dinner at Ardencaple                                                 £12

Lunch at Jimmy Chung’s                                           £13

Fuel for 367 miles                                                        £44

Grand Total for Two                                         £160

Budget UK Summer Break: Helensburgh, Scotland for £80 per person for 3 nights

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I’m really looking forward to our two night stay at Ardanaiseig Hotel on the banks of Loch Awe near Oban in Scotland in September. We’ll be staying in the boat shed.

The Boat Shed at Ardanaiseig

I don’t think I’ll want to go anywhere, as the boat shed looks so lovely inside, not exactly shed like?

Living area of the boat shed at Ardanaiseig

In fact, I won’t even have to get out of bed to enjoy the views.

Bedroom with a view at Ardanaiseig

You can find Ardanaiseig on Facebook and Twitter.

We’ll be Staying at the Ardanaiseig Hotel near Oban in September

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