Oh Scotland, land of the thistle, the Loch Ness (monster optional), kilts, and a rich history that spans hundreds of years – what a magical place you are! I’ve always wanted to visit. My first impression of the country was through the movie, Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster, when the Scooby gang travels to Scotland and solves the mystery of the Loch Ness monster. While there’s much, much more to the country than just Nessie and tartan kilts, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit its capital, Edinburgh, during my study abroad program in the UK this summer.
My friends and I took a train from Cambridge one cold Saturday at 6 am – it takes about five hours. We transferred trains once and passed out several times on the way there, but the excitement and giddiness couldn’t be contained when we approached Edinburgh. We saw the coastline, the yellow brush and white windmills and red houses blurring into streaks of color, and we knew we were close.
This is Victoria Street, which is said to have inspired Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter series!
Our first stop in Edinburgh was to climb Arthur’s Seat and the Crags. While we didn’t have enough time to visit the Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness – we were only there for one weekend – we made do with this hike! It took the bulk of the Saturday afternoon, mostly because we accidentally chose to climb up the hill instead of taking the easy way around. My iPhone health tracker said we climbed up 60 flights of stairs when we got to the top of Arthur’s Seat – it sounds like an exaggeration, yes, but it sounds about right to me.
Our view of Arthur’s Seat before we started climbing it
When we got to the top of Arthur’s Seat, I was blown away by both the wind and the view. The ground underfoot was spongy and the grass soft. I stopped for a bit to take pictures and I felt like someone had muffled the sounds of civilization – all I could hear was my heart pounding and the wind rushing past. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that moment, standing on a hill overlooking the city, the coast, and the dappled rocks covered in moss and grass.
My view from the top of Arthur’s Seat – I love this picture!
After Arthur’s Seat, we took a quick little detour to Dean Village – it’s a quaint part of Edinburgh, and it reminded me of a quintessential scene from a fairy tale! We were all exhausted after climbing Arthur’s Seat, though, so we were quick to run into a café and recuperate.
Dean Village, how picturesque – there were little people there, so this picture was so easy to take!
The final stop on our itinerary for Saturday was the Underground Ghost Tour of Edinburgh. It was a great experience for anyone interested in the paranormal! I’m an avid fan of Buzzfeed Unsolved, so I knew I had to do this tour when I saw it mentioned online. We walked through the Royal Mile and were led underneath one of the old bridges of the city, where criminals and homeless people were forced to live back in the day. We also visited the Greyfriars Kirkyard, an active cemetery that is said to have inspired some of the names of famous Harry Potter characters like Tom Riddle (Voldemort) and Professor McGonagall. We learned about the ghostly history of Edinburgh, and more than once was I jump-scared by our tour guide!
We wrapped our Saturday off with dinner at a charming Italian place and a visit to a Scottish pub/bar. We stopped by The Last Drop, a traditional Scottish pub, where we wanted to eat dinner, but it was full; we opted instead to grab dinner at a charming Italian place and had some drinks at a different pub called Biddy Mulligans. We wandered around the Royal Mile, the old town section of Edinburgh, as a pleasant end to the night.
Edinburgh at night, right outside the Italian restaurant we ate at. I love the color of the sky!
Sunday morning was rainy and wet, but we started bright and early – we grabbed brunch at the Elephant House Café, where J. K. Rowling wrote much of the Harry Potter series. It was amazing to visit the space and see her inspiration, and perhaps sit where she had sat! We went early enough that there was no line, but when we left, the line was out the door and around the block.
The outside of the Elephant House Café gorgeous on this rainy morning.
Our next stop was Edinburgh Castle, a historic fortress located close to the Royal Mile with an amazing bird’s-eye view of the city. I would recommend buying your tickets online to skip the ticket line.
Edinburgh Castle is imposing.
Afterward, we stopped by St. Giles Cathedral – I’m a huge fan of Gothic architecture, and I loved seeing the inside. My favorite part of the cathedral was the Thistle Chapel, where I spent a solid ten minutes gaping at the architecture and design. I’m sure I could spend much more time doing just that, too.
This is Thistle Chapel inside the St. Giles Cathedral. I love the architecture and couldn’t stop taking photos of the place!
When you’re in Edinburgh, it’s a necessity to visit many, if not all, of the places that supposedly inspired different scenes in Harry Potter! Diagon Alley is said to have been inspired by Victoria Street and Candlemaker Row. There’s another bookstore that reminds me of Flourish and Blotts too, called John Kay’s Shop.
In order to get back to Cambridge in time for Monday classes, we had to catch the 4 o’clock train to get back. We ran into some delays and got back to Cambridge at 11 pm. We were all extremely tired, but it was a wonderful experience! I would love to go back again – I want to visit the Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness Lake.