Heading North to St. Andrews and Edinburgh
As Kent and I boarded the train from Wales to Edinburgh, we were anxious to explore new cities but also sad to bid our favorite place farewell. The train ride was lovely, besides some loud passengers, giving us a glimpse into the famous Lake District. Rolling hills and sheep filled our windows as the train sped towards the Scottish highlands.
We arrived to Waverly train station in Edinburgh later that evening and rolled our bags about 15 minutes to our hostel. Yes, this part of our trip is where we transition from the perfect bed and breakfast in Wales to an 8-person dorm room in a hostel. Our hostel, Castle Rock Hostel, was in the perfect location, at the base of Edinburgh Castle just off the Royal Mile, so the good location outweighed the large dormitory room.
Once we checked in, dropped our bags off and said hello to a fellow Hoosier on the street, we headed up the Royal Mile to find a dinner spot. We had received two recommendations to eat at The Royal McGregor since it has great traditional Scottish food, so we did just that. We couldn't decide what entree to get, so we split the Haggis, Neeps and Tatties (a tower of haggis, mashed potatoes and bashed turnip with red onion and rosemary gravy, according to the website) and Steak & Ale Pie.
After dinner we walked down the street, taking in the dark and eerie feel of Edinburgh. It definitely has different look than other historical cities I've been to. It is very distinct in that its buildings are dark, almost as if they have been through a fire. When raining, the city can feel truly ominous yet magical.
We roamed for a bit and then headed back to the hostel to get a good nights sleep before our big day at The Open.
St. Andrews - The Open
St. Andrews is one hour away from Edinburgh, so we woke up early to catch the train northwest. When we stepped off our train from Edinburgh to Leuchars, multiple buses were waiting to take passengers to the golf course. We got on board and shortly arrived to the famous Old Course at St. Andrews, the most historical golf course in the world. When Kent realized we would be in UK around the time of The Open, he immediately bought tickets and we rearranged our trip accordingly. Originally, we had tickets for the final day of play but due to rain on Saturday, play was delayed one day.
With tents everywhere and a historic course before us, we took in the moment and then headed to the gear shop. We both purchased some souvenirs and then made our way to the course. We really had no plan for the day, which was rather unfortunate. We started out by following Fowler, walked the course a little and then sat in the 17 grandstand to see the green and other players teeing off on 18.
We continued the day in similar fashion, following people and sitting, but soon had beers in hand. At the end of the day, we were exhausted from walking and did not have a good seat to see the 18th green, so we headed to The Chariot, a pub behind the clubhouse that was Kent's aunt recommended. It was a cozy pub that filled up rather quickly and was a great setting to watch the last players finish their rounds.
Once we finished our pint, we headed to St. Andrews Cathedral to see the ruins of the old 12th century church. After exploring the streets, we grabbed some snacks at the grocery and then headed back to Edinburgh.
Edinburgh
Kent and I woke up early Monday morning and headed to hike Arthur's Seat, a hike that overlooks the city. After walking past Holyrood Palace, the hike begins and is relatively short but steep. I soon regretted by casual jeans and flannel, but the view of the city was well worth it. A 360 degree view of the ocean, castle, city and distant farm land was a great reward.
We took some pictures, caught our breath and headed to Easter Road, Hibernian FC's football stadium. Since we could only go in the gear shop and did not get a view of the stadium, the walk was more tiring than rewarding. We shopped at TK Maxx (the UK's version of TJ Maxx) and got some groceries. We stumbled upon a nearby park just in time to enjoy a picnic...in the rain.
After our soggy picnic, we took a bus to the gardens below the castle, walked around and then headed back to our hostel to freshen up. After that we had a relaxing day full of coffee, tea and shopping.
First, we got tea and a cappuccino at Hula Cafe, a cute little cafe on Victoria Street off Grassmarket. Then we headed up Victoria Street and stopped in some cute shops along the way. We found a map shop, a typical gift shop and a local art store, The Red Door Gallery, where I purchased a piece of art. After some shopping, we went around the bend to the Elephant House Cafe for tea, which is the place where J.K. Rolling wrote some of the early Harry Potter series.
Once we were full of coffee and tea, we found a local restaurant, The Three Sisters, where we watched the final day of The Open on its outdoor big screen. We drank some Guiness Dublin Porter beer, made friends with fellow viewers and watched Zach Johnson claim the trophy.
After spending a couple hours watching golf, we made our way up to the The Royal Mile to embark on a "Dark Tour" for 10£. The tour guide lead us up Calton Hill where he shared stories about ferries, folklore and Mary Queen of Scots. I wish the tour had more ghost stories about the different places in Edinburgh, but it was a nice way to get some historical context around the city, since we did very little research on Edinburgh.
The following morning, our final day in Edinburgh, we ate breakfast at a french cafe, La Boarantine Victoria. Then we did a little more shopping and made our way to the train station for our next stop, Liverpool.
Tips:
1. Castle Rock Hostel was great if you are comfortable with hostel living. It had a nice shared kitchen and a perfect location.
2. Explore Edinburgh a little bit more than we did. Visit Edinburgh Castle or Holyrood Palace to experience some history. Kent and I were still tired of museums from London, so we decided to relax and take it easy.
3. If you attend The Open, or any professional golf tournament for that matter, make a plan. We roamed too much and spent a lot of time chasing players rather than enjoying some great golf.
4. Research the city's history before you go. We wish we would have!
Other photos:
We arrived to Waverly train station in Edinburgh later that evening and rolled our bags about 15 minutes to our hostel. Yes, this part of our trip is where we transition from the perfect bed and breakfast in Wales to an 8-person dorm room in a hostel. Our hostel, Castle Rock Hostel, was in the perfect location, at the base of Edinburgh Castle just off the Royal Mile, so the good location outweighed the large dormitory room.
Once we checked in, dropped our bags off and said hello to a fellow Hoosier on the street, we headed up the Royal Mile to find a dinner spot. We had received two recommendations to eat at The Royal McGregor since it has great traditional Scottish food, so we did just that. We couldn't decide what entree to get, so we split the Haggis, Neeps and Tatties (a tower of haggis, mashed potatoes and bashed turnip with red onion and rosemary gravy, according to the website) and Steak & Ale Pie.
After dinner we walked down the street, taking in the dark and eerie feel of Edinburgh. It definitely has different look than other historical cities I've been to. It is very distinct in that its buildings are dark, almost as if they have been through a fire. When raining, the city can feel truly ominous yet magical.
We roamed for a bit and then headed back to the hostel to get a good nights sleep before our big day at The Open.
St. Andrews is one hour away from Edinburgh, so we woke up early to catch the train northwest. When we stepped off our train from Edinburgh to Leuchars, multiple buses were waiting to take passengers to the golf course. We got on board and shortly arrived to the famous Old Course at St. Andrews, the most historical golf course in the world. When Kent realized we would be in UK around the time of The Open, he immediately bought tickets and we rearranged our trip accordingly. Originally, we had tickets for the final day of play but due to rain on Saturday, play was delayed one day.
With tents everywhere and a historic course before us, we took in the moment and then headed to the gear shop. We both purchased some souvenirs and then made our way to the course. We really had no plan for the day, which was rather unfortunate. We started out by following Fowler, walked the course a little and then sat in the 17 grandstand to see the green and other players teeing off on 18.
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| The famous bridge |
Once we finished our pint, we headed to St. Andrews Cathedral to see the ruins of the old 12th century church. After exploring the streets, we grabbed some snacks at the grocery and then headed back to Edinburgh.
 |
| The ocean view near the Old Course |
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| St. Andrews Cathedral |
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| We were very cold at times! |
Kent and I woke up early Monday morning and headed to hike Arthur's Seat, a hike that overlooks the city. After walking past Holyrood Palace, the hike begins and is relatively short but steep. I soon regretted by casual jeans and flannel, but the view of the city was well worth it. A 360 degree view of the ocean, castle, city and distant farm land was a great reward.
 |
| On top of Arthur's Seat |
 |
| If you look closely you can see Edinburgh Castle on the hill. |
After our soggy picnic, we took a bus to the gardens below the castle, walked around and then headed back to our hostel to freshen up. After that we had a relaxing day full of coffee, tea and shopping.
First, we got tea and a cappuccino at Hula Cafe, a cute little cafe on Victoria Street off Grassmarket. Then we headed up Victoria Street and stopped in some cute shops along the way. We found a map shop, a typical gift shop and a local art store, The Red Door Gallery, where I purchased a piece of art. After some shopping, we went around the bend to the Elephant House Cafe for tea, which is the place where J.K. Rolling wrote some of the early Harry Potter series.
Once we were full of coffee and tea, we found a local restaurant, The Three Sisters, where we watched the final day of The Open on its outdoor big screen. We drank some Guiness Dublin Porter beer, made friends with fellow viewers and watched Zach Johnson claim the trophy.
After spending a couple hours watching golf, we made our way up to the The Royal Mile to embark on a "Dark Tour" for 10£. The tour guide lead us up Calton Hill where he shared stories about ferries, folklore and Mary Queen of Scots. I wish the tour had more ghost stories about the different places in Edinburgh, but it was a nice way to get some historical context around the city, since we did very little research on Edinburgh.
The following morning, our final day in Edinburgh, we ate breakfast at a french cafe, La Boarantine Victoria. Then we did a little more shopping and made our way to the train station for our next stop, Liverpool.
Tips:
1. Castle Rock Hostel was great if you are comfortable with hostel living. It had a nice shared kitchen and a perfect location.
2. Explore Edinburgh a little bit more than we did. Visit Edinburgh Castle or Holyrood Palace to experience some history. Kent and I were still tired of museums from London, so we decided to relax and take it easy.
3. If you attend The Open, or any professional golf tournament for that matter, make a plan. We roamed too much and spent a lot of time chasing players rather than enjoying some great golf.
4. Research the city's history before you go. We wish we would have!
Other photos:
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| Avoiding the rain |
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