A day after my sister and I returned from our trip to Bristol, our brother and sister-in-law arrived from Hong Kong. They didn’t have much time for a rest before the 5 of us (including my partner) embarked on our visit to Scotland for a week.

Our first stop was Edinburgh. It’s a challenge to find accommodation with 3 bedrooms 3 bathrooms and a living room in the centre of Edinburgh, but I found us a delightful basement apartment on Broughton Road, a few minutes’ walk from Picardy tram station. 

Edinburgh was a destination that suited everyone – my partner could meet up with his niece while I showed my siblings around and acted as their tour photographer! For me, I had time to take a few photos of Edinburgh though I was not as diligent as I was last year. 

Princes Street Gardens  & The Royal Mile

Last year at the end of March, there were not a lot of colours in the gardens. This year, we were blessed with on-off sunshine and many flowers were already in bloom so the gardens looked more exotic. The gardens were surprisingly quiet for a late Sunday morning, probably because most people were shopping on Princes Street or heading up the Castle!

Calton Hill

Calton Hill is easily my favourite place in Edinburgh. As our apartment was near St James Quarter within a few minutes’ walk (albeit uphill!) to Calton Hill, we got there just after breakfast when there were very few people around.  

Royal Yacht Britannia

This was the one place in Edinburgh that I wanted to see out of curiosity but didn’t have time to do so last year. While the others explored the shops in Edinburgh, my partner and I took the tram to Ocean Terminal for our “Royal Yacht Britannia Experience”

The Royal Yacht Britannia, now berthed in Edinburgh’s Port of Leith, was the floating palace for Queen Elizabeth II from 1954 to 1997. The yacht oozed a strong sense of contemporary history, down to the dated interiors. State Apartments looked comfortable rather than opulent.
I was surprised by the capacity of the yacht to hold 250 guests and a crew of 21 plus 250 Royal yachtsmen when it was in service.

Port of Leith

After our visit to Royal Yacht Britannia, we took the tram for one stop to Port of Leith. Not knowing what to expect, I found it more interesting, dare I say it, than Britannia!

The Port of Leith is Scotland’s largest enclosed deep-water port. There is an ongoing multi-million-pound regeneration project to transform it from a heavy industrial shipping zone into a renewable energy hub and vibrant lifestyle district. Indeed the equipment for major Scottish offshore wind projects could be clearly seen from Royal Yacht Britannia

Fingal Ship Hotel

The Fingal Ship Hotel was the former Northern Lighthouse Board ship. Fingal transformed it into a luxury floating hotel with 23 cabins and suites, multi award-winning restaurant and unique wedding and events venue. It’s permanently berthed on Leith’s vibrant waterfront.

Finally, as I bade farewell to Edinburgh from my favourite spot, I looked forward to exploring Scotland northwards…. to Inverness!