Extended walking tour of Edinbourgh

Chasing Sunshine and History: Our 5-Mile Edinburgh Walking Tour

After a good night’s sleep, we set out to explore Edinburgh in more detail. Joe, our resident techie, had planned an ambitious 5-mile walking tour of the city. We left our hotel dressed for the predicted cooler weather and were initially greeted with warm sunshine. However, in true Scottish fashion, it didn’t take long for the sun to disappear as the wind picked up.

Ideally, this narrative would tie directly to our pictures, but between the limitations of Blogger and our dwindling energy levels by the end of the day, we're going with the flow! Here is a look at what we discovered on our urban hike.

Part 1: The Historic Grassmarket & Atmospheric Old Town

Our journey truly began as we stepped into the historic depths of the city. We first passed the White Hart Inn, Edinburgh's most ancient tavern. Founded in 1516, it is famous for centuries of literary patrons—including Robert Burns and William Wordsworth—and its eerie reputation for ghost stories.

From there, we immersed ourselves in the dark, fascinating history of the Grassmarket and Cowgate areas:

• Maggie Dickson’s Pub: We learned the incredible story of Maggie, a 18th-century fish hawker who was publicly hanged in the Grassmarket in 1724 for concealing a pregnancy after a tragic premature birth. Pronounced dead, her coffin was being transported to Musselburgh when the journey was interrupted by a distinct knocking and banging from inside the wood. "Half-Hangit Maggie" survived and lived for many years after!

• The Magdalen Chapel & The Cowgate: We walked through the Cowgate, one of Edinburgh’s oldest, lowest-lying, and most atmospheric streets. Tucked just off it sits the Magdalen Chapel, bequeathed around 480 years ago by Michael MacQueen and his wife, Janet Rynd, who is buried within.

• Candlemaker Row: This historic street takes its name from the 18th-century candle-making workshops and the historic Candlemakers' Hall, built in 1722.

• Greyfriars Kirkyard: This famous graveyard pulled us in for three reasons: the heartwarming 19th-century story of Greyfriars Bobby (the loyal Skye Terrier who guarded his master's grave for 14 years), its reputation as one of the world's most haunted cemeteries, and its profound, name-inspiring connections to the Harry Potter series.

• The Flodden Wall & Covenanters' Memorial: We spotted unassuming remnants of this 16th-century defensive wall, completed in 1560 to protect the city from an English invasion that never actually came. Nearby, the Covenanters' Memorial solemnly commemorates the 17th-century Protestant reformers who fought to maintain a distinct Scottish church identity.

Part 2: Climbing to the Royal Mile

Leaving the lower streets behind, it was time to climb—and Edinburgh certainly has the steps for it.

• Miss Jean Brodie Steps: It took nearly 150 steps to carry us from the bustling square of bars and restaurants up to an idyllic vista with an unobstructed view of Edinburgh Castle. The steps nod to Muriel Spark's famous novel, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, where the unconventional teacher is ultimately betrayed by a favorite student.

• Tolbooth Kirk & The Witches' Well: Reaching the ridge, we admired the spectacular Tolbooth Kirk, a landmark dating from 1845 that once served as the General Assembly Hall for the church. Nearby sits the Witches' Well, a poignant monument and the only one of its kind in the city, dedicated to the accused women burned at the stake here.

• Camera Obscura: This museum of photography provided us and a crowd of fellow tourists with plenty of laughs as its outdoor mirrors distorted our reflections into hilarious shapes.

• St Giles’ Cathedral: This magnificent structure spans 900 years of history, from its Romanesque beginnings in 1124 to its pivotal role in the Scottish Reformation as John Knox’s parish church.

• Old Stamp Office Close: We ducked down this historic alleyway off the Royal Mile at 221 High Street. The actual government Stamp Office that gave the close its name was permanently relocated way back in 1821.

Part 3: Calton Hill & The Final Stretch

Crossing the grand Regent Bridge—a historic stone arch bridge featuring tall, ornamental colonnades on its deck—we made our way toward Calton Hill to take in some of the city's grandest monuments.

• Old Calton Burial Ground: Opened in 1718, this cemetery is the final resting place of several notable Scots, including philosopher David Hume and rival publishers William Blackwood and Archibald Constable. It also features the striking Political Martyrs' Monument obelisk and Scotland's American Civil War Memorial.

• Nelson Monument: Built between 1807 and 1815 to mark Admiral Nelson's victory at Trafalgar, this tower looks remarkably like an upturned telescope. In 1853, a large time ball was added to the top; it still drops every day precisely at 1:00 PM, synchronized with the firing of the gun at Edinburgh Castle.

• The National Monument of Scotland: Designed to look like the Parthenon, this is Scotland's national memorial to the soldiers and sailors who died in the Napoleonic Wars—built as a memorial to past heroism and an incentive for the future.

• The Collective: We made one final climb to this contemporary art centre, situated on the summit of Calton Hill within the former City Observatory and City Dome. Thankfully, this was our last ascent of the day, and it was entirely downhill from here back to our hotel!

Soundtracking the Streets

No trip to Edinburgh is complete without its soundtrack. On almost every street corner, we were entertained by bagpipers wearing traditional kilts playing for coins and applause. While most were grown men, near the end of our walk we encountered two young teenage boys performing together flawlessly.

It was a beautiful, exhausting, history-drenched 5 miles. Joe's techie routing got us to the hotel intact, and we definitely earned our dinner tonight!

Todays pictures