Edinburgh 1 1/2 days

We will be staying the night near Alnwick the day before we drive into Edinburgh. I think it is a 2 hr drive. Also, I think we will pass near Bamburgh on the way. I will check into this. What is Bedlam? The Palace of Holyroodhouse closes at 6 with last admission at 5pm. Grub excursion???

Bedlam is the shortened form of the Bethlem Royal Hospital in London, one of the first loony bins. Bad joke, I'll keep my day job. I'd actually put it in when I thought you were coming off an international flight and would be wobbly-legged. I forgot to take it out when I remembered your Wall post. Grub: Way back when, the Brits of every denomination had the worst food in the world (brussel sprouts, boiled spuds, and over-cooked tough beef were about the mainstays in restaurants) which is how I got started on pub food. Almost way back when, the Edinburgh waterfront was unsavory at best which suited me just fine (Nyhavn used to be the same way and three guys - - names deleted, but pretty capable of swimming in troubled waters - - once got in an argument about who could swim it the most times underwater nekkid. The resultant ruckus attracted the fuzz and the only woman, one guy's wife and fully clothed, announced that the 'one in the middle' of the three bobbing heads had groped her. She then wandered off. The story goes on . . .) Anyway, it was that kind of place. Now the area has become all spiffed up and has some really great, fresh-off-the-docks seafood places. The place has been a North Sea fishing port since about the time fish were invented. HMY Britannia is parked right there, you might want to take a look at it if you think it's worth switching out something else on your list - - maybe one of the damn hills.

What do you think? How does Bedlam grab you? (Picked for its British origin, not for your own exquisite judgment.) You're driving up from York or something with a couple of stops, right? That first afternoon might have too much. Craigmillar's a ruin. Substitute Bamburgh on the way up. Arthur's Seat and Calton Hill are redundant, neither are great, do one. Probably Calton since it's closer in. If you choose Arthur's do it before you park the car. I think you're pushing last admission time at Holyrood. It's been years and I can't remember how long it takes, but you might want to think about booking tickets in the summer. Where's the grub excursion down around the boat basin fit itself in?

My wife and I ended up spending more than 3 hours at the Edinburgh castle. Neither of us had expected to enjoy it that much or have that much there to see. Although your experience may be different, I'm guessing that you'll go straight from "castle" to "lunch" on Sunday. If climbing Scott's monument is important to you, be sure to at least consider that you may run long on Sunday morning and have a contingency plan to see the monument later.

Matt, I have spent hours at Edinburgh Castle. The views, the history, the stories...it's a wonderful place. I would say, better to spend another hour at Edinburgh Castle than climb the Scott Monument. The monument looks interesting, but I'm not sure you're getting the great a view!

Do you recommend the Real Mary's King Close tour or one of the Mercat tours? If Mercat, which tour? I think we will see Arthur's seat on our drive into town. I believe there is a car park in which we would only climb 20 mins to the top of Arthur's seat.

I've only done one of the Mercat tours and it was the one of the Vaults. I liked it.

I would also recommend afternoon tea at the Queen Anne's room at Edinburgh Castle...lovely way to revive yourself for a walk down the Royal Mile!

With all the climbing and walking around you might get a little tired. If so, I would recommend the City Bus Tours. There is more information about it in the RS books. We were there last week and used it to see the city real quickly. The live guides were good and we found it a good use of our time.

Edinburgh castle is worth at least three or four hours. Consider the National Museum of Scotland, we were there for a couple of hours on our brief visit in 2002, and it was fantastic. Artifacts from the days of Braveheart, etc. We only ended up covering a couple of floors, but it was a very nicely presented collection. Next time we will spend three or four hours there, I am sure.

I would pick Arthur's Seat over Calton Hill, but definitely not both. Skip climbing Scott's Monument. There are usually free walking tours which meet in front of Starbuck's on the Royal Mile lead by enthusiastic student-types. Tip at the end. I have taken several over the years and I think they are great fun and informative. Visit the Thistle Chapel inside St. Giles Cathedral (a couple pounds admission to the Chapel); the volunteer guides have lots of interesting things to point out about the Chapel. Skip Camera Obscura. Be sure to wonder around on your own taking all the various closes off the Royal Mile. Rick's Scotland Guide is great for a short stay in Edinburgh.