Hi everyone! This is the first time I've posted but I've been lurking and reading for a while.
I recently attended a conference in Edinburgh and my husband and daughter (25 yr old) tagged along. We stayed in an apartment so we could cook some of our meals and have an extra bit of space. (http://www.10clarendoncrescent.co.uk/) The owner was very nice and helpful and even let us check in early so we didn't have to carry around our luggage the first day. I found that I really liked an extended stay in one area (10 days) so that we really got to know the neighborhood and city. While I want to go back and see more of Scotland, namely the Highlands and islands, I'm happy that we had a home base on this trip.
- Edinburgh Castle in the rain, which only added to the atmosphere. There was a lot to read and see--a must do.
- National Museum of Scotland was amazing! A huge number of exhibits, ranging from modern science to ancient peoples. We spent a full day there and my husband and daughter went back for a second day while I was conferencing.
- Rabbie's tours: Hadrian's Wall (husband and daughter), Highlands and Loch Ness (husband and daughter), Stirling Castle and Loch Lomond (all of us.) I got good reports on the first two and saw beautiful pictures. They especially liked the driver on the Hadrian's Wall tour. The buses are very small (16 people) and they can navigate the smaller roads so we saw more of the countryside. But bus tours are somewhat limited; we chose them because parking a rental in Edinburgh was all but impossible.
- Stirling Castle was as fabulous as Edinburgh Castle. It was a bit more like a museum and looked like the rooms had been updated in modern times, but the exhibits and views were fabulous. I was looking forward to the castles most of all and they didn't disappoint me.
- Old Town, Edinburgh was mostly just shopping and many of the shops had the same trinkets. Whisky was more expensive there and we found better prices in the neighborhood. However, I would recommend going into some of the closes (little side paths) to see some little green spaces and older buildings.
- Lock Lomond was meh, but I think we didn't park in the best location for viewing. Mostly we just saw a harbor with boats.
- Luss Highland Games was very small-town and fun. My daughter especially wanted to see this--men in kilts throwing heavy things. It rained off and on all day, again adding to the atmosphere.
- Arthur's Seat was definitely worth the climb. It was crowded and I wouldn't do it in the rain; it seems like the rocks at the top would be very slick. We went the "short cut," which was straight up if you ask me, but took less than 30 minutes.
- Various parks--Edinburgh was filled with beautiful green spaces everywhere. Calton Hill had great monuments and views of the city and Arthur's Seat.
- Dean Village. There was a park along the Water of Leith that was the most beautiful, peaceful place. It wasn't crowded at all. We walked this the last afternoon of our trip and it was a wonderful way to close out our visit.
I enjoyed the food much more than I expected. The beef was fabulous and the vegetables were very fresh. I liked the pies--they had puff pastry instead of piecrust like we have in the US. I was so excited I had to share my experiences! Thanks for reading.