I'm doing some initial planning for a four-day getaway to Edinburgh (mid/late Feb) and want to reach out to those around here for suggestions -in particular those places/activities off the beaten path that might be hidden from interweb searches..

Calling @Alpha - your thoughts?

 

Please hit a distillery bud

 

or two

 

As someone who visits different places for holidays quite often, 99% of the time Trip Advisor and Google pretty much cover all the bases. The review section gives you an idea of a cross section of opinions about an attraction and how good or bad a restarunt might be.

 

Go for a (gentrified / easy) trail run up & around Arthur's Seat and then an isotonic pint at The Sheep Heid. I really don't remember much else from living there 10 year's back.

 

yeah, yeah, yeah... I'm a Trip Advisor junkie and my profile is packed with all sort of Badges too!

 

A few links,

https://www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/edinburgh/
https://www.visitscotland.com/see-do/tours/railway/borders-railway/route-itinerary/
https://www.getyourguide.com/s/?q=e...DS5pH83wIVBrTtCh06GQRiEAAYAiAAEgIc8PD_BwE&p=1
https://www.getyourguide.com/s/?q=e...DS5pH83wIVBrTtCh06GQRiEAAYAiAAEgIc8PD_BwE&p=1

Edinburgh is pretty busy all year round but as has been said Arthurs Seat is a good walk on a nice day with great views.
The railway down to Melrose is a lovely trip and Melrose itself with the Abbey is well worth a visit and with a couple of nice coffee shops and lovely food in the hotels well worth the visit.
The distillery in Crieff may be a bit further out than you want to travel but again worth a visit.

 

Stop and have a beer with Sandy and Buzz is on the list I hope.

 

Sounds good

 

https://www.visitscotland.com/blog/scotland/forth-bridge-unesco-heritage-site/

It's a wonderful city, but if you can, try and make a bit of time in your journey to take in this amazing bridge. (It's now a UNESCO World Heritage Site) I first saw it as a 7 year old kid in 1964 and it triggered a fascination for civil engineering which has remained to this day.

Quote from the web site linked above: "For the last 125 years the Forth Bridge has spanned the Firth of Forth, connecting Fife with Edinburgh. Comprised of 53,000 tonnes of mild steel – ten times the amount used to build the Eiffel Tower – this immense red structure with its triple diamond-shaped cantilevers is a indelible part of the east coast skyline."

 

I visit a fair bit on business and stay at the Apex Hotel in Grassmarket which is a lively part of town with lots of pubs/restaurants and has superb views of the Castle.I know its not a top end restaurant but you have to have a steak pie at Auld Jocks Pie Shoppe and if you want a bit more refined Petit Paris is good

 

My wife and I spent a week there in June. Our favorite “off the beaten path” excursion was Craigmillar Castle, a few miles outside the city center:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craigmillar_Castle

It’s easy to get to by bus — I suggest you download the Bus & Tram app for your phone before you go. It’s very useful.

The great thing about the castle ruins are that no one goes there, so you get to climb around the ruins all by yourself and avoid the crowds at the “big” castle. There’s a great view of Arthur’s Seat from the tower, and lots of nice trails in a forest around it.

Arthur’s Seat is a nice hike as well, but I’d hardly call it “off the beaten path” — when we went there were probably two hundred people at the summit.

If you don’t mind heights and enclosed spaces, climbing the Walter Scott monument will give you some great views of the city. Just be warned, it’s also generally packed with tourists, which makes the narrow spiraling staircases tricky, and the last climb is very, very narrow. I have a little bit of claustrophobia, so bailed on it and just hung out on the second to last platform while my wife went on.

 

My grandfather spent his entire working life as a painter on that bridge.

 

A few more recommendations,

For a lovely meal by the castle - https://www.contini.com/cannonball
Nearby - https://www.camera-obscura.co.uk/
Enjoy Gin ? - https://www.edinburghgin.com/distil...stilleries-and-tours&p=distilleries-and-tours
If you would like to see the bridges up close or even Inchcolm Island - https://www.forthtours.com/

 

Off topic I know but as a youngster we had a school trip that took us over the bridge and as many did back then we all threw pennies out of the windows for good luck ???
Just hope we never hit any of the painters https://www.edinburghcollected.org/memories/187

 

Are you sure you're Scottish? Never heard of one throwing money away before

 

Just to prove we're not as tight as our Yorkshire brothers

 

Edinburgh is where I live and there are lots of good things to explore. The Castle and some hidden gems down the royal mile are a must, but for something different you could try the the Rosslyn Chapel as featured in the Da vinci Code.


https://www.rosslynchapel.com/

 

I haven't been for a few years, but Deep Sea World is not too far away.