After a lovely journey up the coast on the train, we arrived at Edinburgh. It was a short walk from the station to where we were staying. was smooth and I loved the view from our room across the Grassmarket. I have only really briefly been to the Grassmarket before on previous trips to Edinburgh, so was looking forward to spending more time here. After getting sorted, it was time to head out and reacquaint myself with one of my favourite cities. I have been to Edinburgh numerous times over the years and there is always still more to see and do and revisit.
The first place I wanted to visit was The Vennel Steps, which I had across online while looking for things to do near where we were staying. When Id passed through the Grassmarket before, I really liked the view of the castle as Id only really seen it from the Royal Mile or the New Town, so it was a nice alternative. Id also liked all the bars and restaurants lining the square as it seemed like it would be a lovely place. There were a few other people at the Vennel Steps
when we got there. The reason to take a walk up the Vennel Steps is to get a great view of Edinburgh Castle. I stopped at a few different points on the steps to get some photos of the castle. Apparantly the 50th step is the best for the view. It really was a gorgeous view. We continued to the top of the stairs and were going to take the road further up but decided there probably wasnt a lot to see as it looked like a residential area. I was surprised at the top across the Flodden Wall as it looked like a castle wall. It had been a defensive wall in the past with watchtowers to allow the soldiers a good vantage point to defend the city from.
We headed back down to the Grassmarket. I really liked Cold Town House, which appears to be a restaurant/bar/brewery houses in an old church as it had these gorgeous, no doubt fake, flowers flowing down the side of the building. The flowers also got progressively lighter as the further they went down. It looked great. We then headed across the Grassmarket and up West Bow and Victoria
Street. There is a well at the foot of West Bow and it was one of the first well heads built to supply the Grassmarket with water from the reservoir at Castle Hill and it dates back to the 17th century. Victoria Street is a popular spot for getting instagrammable photos. The way the street curves and the brightly painted shopfronts are really gorgeous. The street was built between and was designed by Thomas Hamilton. There are lots of cute little shops on Victoria Street and I enjoyed having a look in the windows. There was also a sign outside of one of the shops stating that it had been a brush shop founded by Robert Cresser in 1873 and was occupied for 131 years. Some believe it was part of the inspiration for Diagon Alley and Ollivanders in JK Rowlings Harry Potter series. I briefly remember the guide mentioning this place, when I did the Harry Potter walking tour the year before. I wish I could have seen the original shop to see if it gave me the Harry Potter vibe as I feel that Victoria Street as a whole doesnt due to the brightly coloured shops. I
We headed up to the castle and had a mooch about out the front. It was late in the day by this stage and I dont think they were letting people in anymore. Sign of the times: a Covid testing centre set up on the square in front of the castle. I love the views from this spot in all directions. I love seeing all the buildings in the southside of the city and the university quarter, looking up at the castles outer walls, the newer buildings of the New Town and out to sea, and also down the Royal Mile. We had a look at some of the monuments that are in front of the castle. There was a column with a stags (?) head on it and it reminded me of the bubble tea shop called The Alley, as they use something similar in their logo.
