Scotland tours from EdinburghSearch this site:
Here are four Scotland tours from Edinburgh - the first three have outline descriptions and you can click on the links there for more details. Simple really. Another good way of seeing what’s going on in and around Edinburgh is to take a look at the Edinburgh classified ads – they’re worth checking out for holiday places to stay as well. The tours described below feature the must-visit places – and, be warned, you’ll probably way to extend your vacation – especially to see more of the Lothians and the area around the city. Castles of Scotland - East Lothian (1)
Check out Scotland tours from Edinburgh to East Lothian in more detail here. St Andrews and the Kingdom of Fife (2)
Sir Walter Scott and his Trossachs blockbuster (3)You can see the hills of the Trossachs from the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle and it’s easy to day-trip this scenic area as part of some Scotland tours from Edinburgh. Take in Stirling Castle on the way, then do a loop via Callander, Loch Katrine – perhaps with a short cruise on the SS Sir Walter Scott – then continue to Aberfoyle and return. You’ll soon see why the business of tourism in Scotland started out here. Yes, the Trossachs are attractive but, more to the point in the days of coaches and horses, they were comparatively easy to reach.Take a closer look at Scotland tours - Stirling Castle and The Trossachs from Edinburgh. To Rosslyn Chapel and Peebles (4)
Rosslyn Chapel, pictured before conservation work started. If you’re a Da Vinci Code fan, then Rosslyn Chapel has to be on your list of ‘must sees’on your Scotland tours. Even before Dan Brown’s block-buster, this little church on a green and wooded slope, built by William Sinclair, Baron of Roslin, in the mid 15th century as a collegiate church, had attracted some wacky theories. Nevertheless the chapel is still an extraordinary conception and the finest example of stone carving work from medieval Scotland. Even if you consider Dan Brown’s story pure hokum, then you should still visit. The stonework is breathtaking, however you want to interpret it. I’m thinking here of, for example, the decorative representations of plant-life that look like ears of corn or maize. Yet that New World food plant was not discovered till much later. Maybe it is an allusion to the earlier Sinclair, the Earl of Orkney, who may have sailed to the Americas long before Columbus. Yeah, right. 
Similarly, the chances of the Holy Grail being found beneath the chapel are about the same as the Scottish Bigfoot being found in the attractive woodlands below the chapel. (Actually, what you do find in these woodlands – on the far side of the steep little valley - is a cave said to be used by ‘Braveheart’ William Wallace – but that’s another story!) Anyway, add on a visit to the charming little town of Peebles and it’s altogether a very interesting day out. Peebles is an old Scottish burgh – a word (pronounced burr-a) that you’ll often hear in connection with historic Scottish towns. A burgh was simply a town with trading and administrative rights, these usually being granted by the king. Peebles became a royal burgh in 1152, under the ultra-progressive King David I. Obviously, it’s changed a bit since then, but stroll around and you’ll still see the shape of the main street – the High Street – and the old ‘closes’ or lanes that run off at right angles. More to the point, it’s a really good shopping town, with proper local businesses, a long way from the depressing anonymity of the typical British High Street. Sometimes you hear it described as ‘Top Independent Retailing Town in Scotland'. Basically, it’s an interesting place to go just to see a real Scottish town getting on with its life. Nice riverside walks as well. You can get to both Rosslyn Chapel and Peebles easily by public transport. If you're planning to spend just a couple of days in Edinburgh, you'd better take a look at a quick list of Edinburgh must sees. Return to the Scotland in a Week Home Page |
