Let’s talk the great city of Edinburgh. It’s one of Scotland’s finest… and it may come as a surprise to you but I once lived there for an entire year. It feels like it was so long ago and just yesterday all at the same time.
Edinburgh was my first home when I moved to the UK many moons ago. Joe was offered a contract to play football professionally near there and I decided it was the perfect opportunity to continue my studies after graduating from university. It was however, a much different time in our lives. Life as a student isn’t particularly lush and Joe was in training 24/7. We didn’t go out much because well, we couldn’t.
Times are slightly different now. Or maybe it’s that I have access to a credit card. Either way, I hadn’t set foot in Scotland since my graduation day years ago in October.
It was time for another visit. Only this time, it was going to be different. In fact, Edinburgh has in some ways changed so little, but in some ways, it feels like a completely different city. The buildings remain the same… but maybe, well maybe it’s me who’s different now.
After all, the girls I travelled with are friends I’ve made in the past year. Who would have guessed that in my late twenties I could find room for new, amazing friendships to come into my life? I think it’s something that always feels surprising as you get older. Making friends can feel hard, but this is a group where it’s always felt effortless.
I know, I’m digressing, let’s talk about Edinburgh.
FRIDAY
Start as you mean to go on
We caught the train up from King’s Cross, which takes roughly four and a bit hours – this is not an easy trek. I’d recommend plenty of G&Ts, cheese, crackers and snacks a plenty.
We arrived late on Friday night to our lovely Airbnb. Honestly, it was such a brilliant find by my friend Katy (who blogs over at Little Winter). Beautiful windows overlooking the Old Town, a variety of house plants, and gorgeous wooden floors. We couldn’t have found a better home for two days. (Here’s the link to the cutest place if you’re looking for a group stay).
Pizza and wine was immediately on the agenda because a proper day of exploring was on for the next day.
SATURDAY
Order the Shakshuka (or anything really!) at Checkpoint’s brunch
There’s no better place to find a group of five millennials than brunch on a Saturday morning. We were surprisingly early given that most brunching in London (or anywhere really) takes place post-noon. We were recommended to try out a place called Checkpoint, also located in the Old Town.
(Beret is from Reserved / Jumper from Urban Outfitters)
They have a massive selection, which makes it hard to pick. Everything sounded delicious. So we sensibly ordered a good mixture of it all. It had been ages since I’d tried Shakshuka, so that was a must. Kim ordered the same and we were super happy with our picks – but seriously, we should have shared it. The portion sizing was huge.
After feasting and downing our coffees we decided to walk up towards the castle and around Edinburgh for an exploration.
Wander down Victoria Street
This street screams Edinburgh to me, the stones, the colour, the atmosphere… I love it and wish that when I lived in Edinburgh I visited this area more often.
I think the next time I’m back I’d love to go for dinner and drinks around this area – maybe it’s a little touristy, but it’s fun being touristy sometimes don’t you think?
Get your views in at Edinburgh Castle
It’s up to you on whether you want to go exploring IN Edinburgh’s castle. I’ve been a few times before when we lived in the city and had family come to visit, so it wasn’t a “must” on my agenda this time. For a quick trip, it made more sense to walk up, see the views and head onto the next places. If you’ve never seen a castle before though – go in!
So I’d really recommend at least walking up to the Castle as you can get great views of Arthur’s Seat and the city itself too. Definitely worthwhile!
Take a stroll through Circus Lane
It’s another one of those little corners of Edinburgh that’s popping up everywhere on social media. Circus Lane is the place to get a shot for the gram. It’s a beautiful mews-esque street that reminds me very much of the streets I used to live on in Kensington. Well worth a stroll even if it’s just to ogle at the homes.
Get festive at the Christmas markets
If you’re visiting Edinburgh during the holidays, the Christmas markets should be high on your list of priorities. The festivities are on for six weeks over the holidays so there’s certainly plenty of time to sip on mulled wine, ice skate or shop the markets along Princes Street. I also learned a very important mulled wine lesson from my friends – add a shot of Disaronno. As someone who has never loved mulled wine, this is the best idea ever.
We popped into one of the bars overlooking the entire market. It’s silly but it’s fun and going to places like these – especially at Christmastime are great to do.
Dinner at The Bon Vivant
On our trip everyone had contributed certain aspects of planning, from where to stay to what to eat. Somehow, I found myself organizing dinner plans. One of my greatest fears (yes, it’s a first world fear) is letting others down. So planning where to go for dinner or planning anything that might disappoint people is nerve wrecking.
I’d never been before but managed to snag us a table at The Bon Vivant. Trying to book somewhere for five people on a Saturday night (on the Friday afternoon before) is definitely painstaking. But, I couldn’t have been happier that I’d somehow stumbled upon booking The Bon Vivant. The food, service and atmosphere were absolutely brilliant. In fact, if I’d properly documented our dinner, I probably could have written up a glowing review. But sometimes, dinner isn’t blogging work – it’s dinner with friends, great food and lots of wine.
Needless to say, if you’re looking for a dinner spot in Edinburgh, this is it. Just book in advance.
Stare in awe at the Dome (and maybe grab a drink or two)
One of my all-time favourite places in Edinburgh is The Dome. Sure, it might be a little bit of a tourist trap. But it’s brilliant. Especially at Christmas.
The pillars are adorned with garland and the inside is well, magical.
I can’t recommend it enough for anyone visiting. Even if it’s not at Christmas, I do think it’s THE place to go. We popped along after dinner and after some strategic hovering, managed to nab a table in the main bar.
PS. It’s worth noting that if you’d like to visit The Dome, the main bar area doesn’t open until 4pm (unless you’re booked for lunchtime or afternoon tea). And they don’t take reservations for tables at the bar either… so while it’s a bit of a free for all, it’s worth it when you get inside.
Order quirky cool cocktails at Hoot the Redeemer
It turned into a little bit of a bar crawl, but can you blame us? When you’ve got such great girlfriends, it’s bound to happen. So we ended up stumbling over to Hoot the Redeemer – a little underground cocktail bar that serves up a hefty array of quirky cocktails and popcorn for the tables (one of my favourite things for bars to serve).
Once inside, we ordered some obscene drinks (hello neon blue) and managed to snap up a table. Honestly I’d love to say from here we danced all night, but ummm we mostly made it back to our airbnb and fell asleep immediately post-drinks and snacks.
SUNDAY
There’s nothing like waking up without a hangover on a Sunday morning. I’ll call that a success story for us all! Still, even without a hangover, it was one of those mornings where I KNEW I’d had a drink (or few…) the night before. So once we rounded ourselves up and packed up our things so we could hit up the fresh Edinburgh air!
Or at least the fresh Uber – because we immediately piled in and were off for brunch at The Pantryman.
Brunch at The Pantry
Known in Edinburgh for their incredible brunches, we were lucky enough to manage to get a seat. Mind you, you’ll have to wait for a table at the weekend. And because there were five of us, it was a little while of sitting outside in the cold before we could claim out table. So once our limbs had frozen a bit, we were welcomed inside. Bring on the oat lattes, tea and big breakfasts!
I chose the U.S.A! (Ubiquitous smashed avocado) including avocado, roasted pepper pico de gallo, chunky sourdough toast and a poached egg. A super basic option that I was 100% here for.
The girls chose some incredible looking dishes too, the Veggie Breakfast looked so good.
Once we’d stuffed ourselves silly we went for a walk through to Dean Village – you know THE ONE. It’s all over your Instagram feed, your Pinterest boards, etc.
Explore Dean Village
The Bucolic village sits across a stream, with gardens, 19th-century buildings and a local museum. It’s more of a place to take in the sights than to have coffees or a pint. So after getting your fill of Edinburgh eye-candy you can head back into town.
And that’s about all we had time for! Mind you, our train back to London was cancelled so we scrambled for seats on another train back. But all in all, we had the best time and I can’t wait for my next Edinburgh visit.
I’d also like to say it proves that you can have quite a wonderful whirlwind weekend city break too!
Have you been before? Is there anything that’s a must-do for my next trip?
Kelly x
PS. I’d also really recommending checking out the blogs of my fellow gal pals from the trip while you’re here too!
Allie – Rush + Teal
Katy – Little Winter
Chloe – Lashes of Lifestyle
Kim – Sweet Monday