Scotland Part 6: Edinburgh

The final leg of our journey brought us to Edinburgh for two nights, where Caylin, Matt, and Ricci immersed themselves in the Scottish Whisky Experience and I walked through the Princes Street Gardens to enjoy the morning. Afterward, we explored the vibrant New Town and enjoyed lunch at a little pub.

Inside the Scottish Whiskey Experience vault. The Diageo Claive Vidiz collection featuring 3,384 botttles.

The presentation was interactive and had some interesting sets and digital magic. This bottle had holograms dancing around it during the presentation.

Our dear friend, Sam, took the train from London to see us for the night. It’s been years since we had seen him and it was so special to catch up. We met for drinks at Frankenstein’s. The bar put on a silly show with some interesting effects. For the best view, sit upstairs. It’s cheesy, but that’s part of the fun.

Nelson monument commemorating Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson's victory over the French and Spanish fleets during the battle of Trafalgar. — Nelson monument commemorating Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson’s victory over the French and Spanish fleets during the battle of Trafalgar.

We made dinner reservations at Vittoria on the Bridge, a classic Italian restaurant with a relaxed vibe. The staff were inviting and attentive. We ordered pizza, beef bolognese, minestrone soup, and mushroom risotto. The food was delicious and the service was wonderful.

Nduja and parm pizza. 'Nduja (Calabrian: [nˈduːja]) is a spicy, spreadable pork sausage from the Calabria region of Italy. — Nduja and parm pizza. ‘*Nduja* (Calabrian: [*nˈduːja*]) is a spicy, spreadable pork sausage from the Calabria region of Italy.

From left to right: Caylin, Candace, Sam, Ricci, and Matt.

After dinner and drinks, we walked to the meeting point in front of St Giles Cathedral for the Haunted Graveyard tour with City of the Dead tours.

St. Giles Cathedral lit up at nigh with the Memorial Duke of Buccleuch in front.

It took us through Old Town and Greyfriars Cemetery, into a locked section of the cemetery that only that tour company has access to. It was a spine-chilling, fun adventure. The tour guide was animated, funny and really knowledgeable (forgot to jot down his name). Highly recommend booking a tour with that company.

Beginning of our scary City of Dead Tours.

(Add link to the tour from viator)

The following day Caylin and I visited the National Museum of Scotland and spent a few hours exploring the artifacts and interactive exhibits. Its free to get in and one of the most interesting museums to explore.

Dolly the first mammal cloned from and adult cell. Displayed in the National Museum of Scotland.

The museum houses the famous Millennium Clock, which stands over 10 meters tall and built from wood, metal, and glass. Built in 2000, it was created to reflect on the previous 1,000 years with scenes representing tragedies, disasters, and achievements.

We wandered down the famous Victoria Street, snapped photos in Dean Village, and savored a delicious meal at Makars Mash Bar, known for its hearty fare.

Matt, Ricci, and Candace on Victoria Street.

Idyllic Dean Village, worth a 15 minute walk from the old town.

This restaurant is considered one of the best in the UK and is popular for their savory mashes, delicious meat, and Lion’s Mane mushrooms (grown by them) as selections to pair with the tasty taters. I had to stalk their calendar to make a reservation. If you can’t get a reservation though, they have a walk in entrance. You may have to wait to get in, but we guarantee it’s worth it.

For our final meal, we treated ourselves and made reservations at Kyloes, an upscale steakhouse located in the Rutland Hotel. The high quality meat is sourced from specially selected farms throughout Scotland and dry aged for a minimum of 28 days on the bone. Caylin loved the West Coast Langoustine and Seared Scallops. Ricci and I were in heaven with fillet mignon and savored every juicy bite.

West Coast Langoustine and Seared Scallops @ Kyloes.

Matt had the ribeye with fries and we shared a few sides: Beef Dripping Chips (YES please!), Blooming Onion, Creamed Spinach, and Garlic & Chive Mash. Can never get enough mash!!!

Kyloe is upstairs, downstairs is a nice bar for drinks while you wait for your reservation.

We thoroughly enjoyed dinner and the great service. Make a reservation so you don’t miss out. If you arrive early, you can grab a drink in the beautiful bar downstairs and people watch from the comfy couches and chairs. It has a relaxed, bougie vibe.

Matt and Ricci thought the Islander Workshop off of Victoria Street was a great experience and worth the time and money. You get to select an item made from Harris Tweed to customize and create yourself. The staff were very helpful in the process. Ricci made a really cute backpack and Matt made a dopp kit. The backpack is probably not something to use as a daily laptop bag, but is a beautiful souvenir to be used on occasion.

Travel Tips: If your accommodation doesn’t include parking and you’re staying in Old Town, consider the car park at NCP, specifically the Castle Terrace location. It’s really close to Edinburgh Castle, Grassmarket and Victoria Streets. It’s about 45 GBP per day, but worth the price because you can reserve your spot online.

Matt and Ricci being silly in old town Edinburgh.

Caylin spacing out in the National Scottish Museum.

We drove around Old Town for 30 minutes trying to find parking when we first got into the city but every parking garage was full so we had to park in New Town and feed the meter while we ate lunch. Luckily our accommodation had parking available for free so we parked the car and walked or took Uber’s for the rest of our stay.

Left to right: The Dugald Stewart Monument, Balmoral's Clock Tower, and the Scott Monument as seen from Calton Hill. This is a great spot to see Edinburgh in the morning or sunset, and a short 15 minute walk back to old town. — Left to right: The Dugald Stewart Monument, Balmoral’s Clock Tower, and the Scott Monument as seen from Calton Hill. This is a great spot to see Edinburgh in the morning or sunset, and a short 15 minute walk back to old town.

On our last day, we drove back to Glasgow in the morning, dropped off the rental car at Arnold Clark, and bid farewell to Scotland with full hearts and unforgettable memories.

Another view atop Edinburgh Castle. This was a fantastic guided tour to learn all the history.

From haunted castles to beautiful landscapes, our road trip had been the perfect blend of history, natural beauty, and pure adventure. Until next time, Scotland—Sláinte!

Victoria Street is full of interesting shops and a great place for a wizard in need of a wand.

Travel Tips: We used Splitwise to track our spending and split costs. The app is simple to use, allowing users to enter different currencies and it calculates what each member of the group owes. This made it simple to settle up costs at the end of the trip.

Wanderlog made this trip easy to plan. We used this app to create our itinerary, add notes, get trip ideas, etc. Everyone had access to the itinerary at their fingertips.