We are going up to Edinburgh at half term for a little break and I was hoping to tap into the LCB local knowledge.
My son is 9 (going on 13!), and daughter is just 1. So we plan to do the Zoo, the Castle, the Holyrood thing and the National Gallery.
I'd quite like to take Ben on a ghost walk, which I did about 10 years back, but can't remember if there are different levels of scare? I
think he'd love the Camera Obscurer too.
Are there any other hidden gems that they'd love? We had considered the Falkirk Wheel.
Grateful for any hints and tips / advice!
Cheers
Mike
Hi Mike,
Do a search for my posts, I just asked a similar question and received some great responses...
My only suggestion to your ghost walk is: Mary King's Close. It's not a ghost walk but it was very entertaining and worth the entry
fee!
[Edited on 16/10/10 by Steve Hignett]
Hi Mike... another thumbs up from me on The Real Mary Kings Close.
It's actually very interesting and has just about the right level of 'spookiness' to give a 9 year old something to tell his friends
about!
Meant to add that I was a little underwhelmed by the Falkirk Wheel - fine to swing in past if you're passing it on-route to somewhere else, but I (personally) wouldn't plan a day around it.
... and also meant to say to Steve that I've not forgotten about my parking homework!
If he's an outdoor sort of lad and likes climbing up things take him to Ratho. Its the largest indoor climbing area in Europe and can get him
worn out on that!
http://www.eica-ratho.com/
Our Dynamic Earth is another interesting attraction.
It's ideally placed for also taking in The Royal Mile, Holyroodhouse, the Castle, the National Museum and the Real Mary Kings Close.
I used to love the museum as a boy and still enjoy the odd visit - takes a couple of hours... and it's FREE! I think they still have the virtual
F1 racing machine which takes you around Loch Ness and over The Bridge... great fun (and I will want to know your time!).
PS - this was Steve's thread from the other week... LINKY
id maybe avoid the black mausoleum...
Can't believe I missed that previous thread!
Cheers everyone!
Mike
Dynamic earth is also a great place to visit if you are down at Hollyrood anyway, its both child and adult friendly 
The Forth rail bridge at South Queensferry is an awesome sight in the flesh, or you can go on Concorde at the museum of flight at East Fortune.
It's well worth being up at the castle just before 1:00pm - that's when they fire the gun.
It's loud, so maybe worth taking the 1-year-old around the corner until it's over. The 9-year-old will love it, though!
Place to have dinner in South Queensferry link
quote:
Originally posted by mangogrooveworkshop
Place to have dinner in South Queensferry link
quote:
Originally posted by athoirs
If he's an outdoor sort of lad and likes climbing up things take him to Ratho. Its the largest indoor climbing area in Europe and can get him worn out on that!
http://www.eica-ratho.com/
Go for Ratho it's just the right ammount of scared sh!tless for a boy/man/old git
Nice people too
Sightseeing in Edinburgh
Author: Susan Ashby - 18 December 2008 - Reprint this article
Whilst my all time favourite European city is Venice, my second favourite one is undoubtedly Edinburgh. When visiting Edinburgh I have found it to be
one of the architecturally most interesting, well planned, cleanest and historically engaging cities to be in. The city centre, split in two between
the Old Town to the east of the Castle and the New Town its north, is a delight to walk through; needing several days to be able to take in all that
there is to see. The following are some of the sights to be seen in Edinburgh from the two main routes and excludes many of the city’s museums and
galleries. However, please remember that this is a city with so much to offer it is virtually impossible to do it justice.
The Royal Mile does not exist as one single road; it begins at the Castle Esplanade running into Castle Hill, Lawnmarket, High Street and Canongate on
its way down to the Holyrood Palace. Edinburgh Castle dominates the city, being visible from just about everywhere. Before entering the Castle, spend
some time in the Old Town area of Grassmarket below and look up in awe at the prospect of being expected to scale the basalt cliff face and invade the
castle. Building of the present castle structure began in 1371, today it houses several museum and exhibitions including; St Margaret’s Chapel - the
oldest building in Scotland, The National War Museum of Scotland and the historic Stone of Destiny - or Scone Stone. The One O’clock gun announces the
time daily from the Castle battlements, yes 1pm not am, and it is on the Esplanade that the famous Edinburgh Military Tattoo is held. At the other end
of the Royal Mile is the equally historic Holyrood Palace. Formerly a Guest-House attached to the medieval abbey of Holyrood, the Palace is now the
official residence of the UK monarch when in Scotland. One gruesome exhibition here is the Picture Gallery; not because there is a famous painting
hanging here - but because it is the room where Mary Queen of Scots witnessed the murder of Riccio by her husband Darnley.
There’s much more to see on the Royal Mile as you walk the length of it. Starting at the Esplanade there is a Camera Obscura and Gladstone’s Land - a
merchants house which dates back nearly 400 years; whilst a walk down one of the narrow alleys on the north side of the Lawnmarket takes you into a
labyrinth of tenements, some of which date back over 500 years. These show the layout of Old Edinburgh - as a series of squares off the main roads.
Moving on to the High Street area is Parliament Square - which is actually nothing to do with modern government. Here there are three things to see.
The Mercat Cross, which marks the ancient trading centre of the city The Heart of Midlothian, the centre of Edinburgh up to the 1700s - apparently
it’s good luck to spit on it! Then finally there’s St Giles Cathedral, with some magnificent stained glass windows that flood light into the building
- including at the west end of the church one by the Pre-Raphaelite Edward Burne-Jones. Also inside is a statue of the Calvinist Minister John Knox
and further down the High Street is John Knox House.
At the bottom of Canongate not far from the Holyrood Palace is the Scottish Parliament Buildings, designed by Enric Mirallesthey and RMJM they were
opened after several delays in 2004. Having done so much sight-seeing indoors you might now fancy doing something outdoors. From Holyrood Palace, you
could go to Arthur’s Seat, in Holyrood Park. On a clear day you can see beyond the nearby Calton Hill out to the Firth of Forth bridges at
Queensferry.
Complementing the Old town is the New Town, which is really the area between Princes Street, George Street and Queen Street. The three parallel roads
are connected by streets and squares with Georgian neo-classical architecture by Robert Adam. When visiting Edinburgh most people will at some point
shop along Princes Street, the sight of the Princes Street Gardens on the other side of the road is, to me, a masterpiece of town planning. The
gardens were originally constructed to drain an area of bog-land, largely accepted as a health hazard to the locals. The gardens now include the Scott
Monument, a 61m tall tower to the memory of Sir Walter Scott - it opened in 1846 and has 287 steps to the top of it. Beyond Princes Street is Calton
Hill. On top of it are monuments to Admiral Nelson, a distinctive memorial to the mathematician and astronomer - John Playfair and an Athenian style
structure that was intended to be ‘The National Monument’; in which to lay the bodies of eminent Scots. Begun in 1822, within two years the funds had
dried up and the project was abandoned. The City Observatory is also located on Calton Hill.
A quick mention of some things, away from those two main tourist areas, that you really ought not to forget whilst sight seeing in Edinburgh. When you
are in the Old Town take a walk down George IV Bridge and see the Greyfriars Bobby statue. It’s easy to walk past it - so be aware - it’s on the right
hand side of the road walking away from the Royal Mile and it is quite small.
Out of the city two newer attractions are proving very popular. At the docks in Leith the Royal Yacht Britannia is moored and open to viewing. So if
you’re interested in 1950s royal tastes in décor - you’ll love this. Rosslyn Chapel, south of Edinburgh at Roslin, has sprung to fame as the setting
for the dénouement of the ‘Da Vinci Code’ novel. However, built in 1446 it has a genuine and exciting history all of its own and is well worth
exploring.