Christmas in Scotland

Last fall, I spent about 10 days in Scotland on my first solo trip overseas. I thoroughly enjoyed that trip (you can read all about it here), so I was thrilled when my sister suggested that our family spend Christmas there this year. We emphatically said, “yes!”.

This trip was different from my first in several ways, primarily that we were going there for Christmas in order for our family to be together, so we didn’t plan as much out ahead of time. We flew into Edinburgh, and spent a few hours that first afternoon and evening checking out the large Christmas market located at the Princes Street Gardens. We then headed to Ayr, which is along the western coast of Scotland, where we spent three days relaxing, exploring, and celebrating the holiday. From there, we headed to Edinburgh. We took a day trip into the lower highlands, and another day was spent exploring Edinburgh before we headed out. Below are some things we did in each location.

Ayr:

Lang Scots Mile & Robert Burns

Ayr is located along the western coastline, and is a small city/large town. We spent 3 full days here. Our first full day in Ayr, we walked along the Lang Scots Mile, which goes along the beach, and then to the Robert Burns Path. Robert Burns was a famous and beloved Scottish poet, who lived in Ayr and nearby Alloway. We visited the Auld Kirk, which is the scene of the witches’ dance in Burns’ poem “Tam O’Shanter”. My sister, who had previously visited the church, told us the story that is outlined in “Tam O’Shanter” (you can read the poem here).

The story goes that Robert Burns was out drinking at the pub Tam O’Shanter (which still stands in Ayr). After a night of drinking with some friends, he jumped on his horse to make his way home to Alloway. As he was riding, he passed the Auld Kirk (the Old Church), where he noticed a glow and decided to inspect the scene closer. He saw a bunch of witches dancing around the fire, but they noticed him and chased after him. He jumped back on his horse and steered her toward the Brig O’ Doon (a bridge), as he knew that witches can’t cross over water. One of the witches grabbed hold of his horse’s tail but she pulled the tail right off, allowing Burns to escape over the Brig O’Doon and to safety. His poem is supposedly about the events of that night.

After visiting the Auld Kirk, we walked over to the Brig O’ Doon, walking past the Robert Burns memorial on the way (unfortunately, it was closed, but we got a view of it from the bridge). We then walked back toward the Robert Burns Museum, where we walked along the Poet’s Path, which outlines the story with artwork. From there, we headed down the road to Robert Burns Cottage, which is where he was born, then walked back to Ayr. The entire walk was about 5 miles, but the weather was great and it was mostly flat.

Christmas Walk & Traditional English Christmas Dinner

On Christmas day, we relaxed at our Airbnb, then took a short walk along the beach in Ayr. In the evening, my sister made us a traditional English (not Scottish) dinner. Her boyfriend and his mom joined us, and they had helped plan the meal. We had a roast chicken, roasted carrots, green beans, Yorkshire pudding, roasted potatoes, and brussel sprouts. Before the meal, we opened Christmas crackers (they’re filled with small presents, and you and another person pull on the handles to break it open) and put on our Christmas hats. After the meal, we tried traditional English desserts, such as Christmas pudding, Christmas cake (a kind of fruit cake), and mince pies.

Lang Scots Mile & Walk to Greenan Castle

Our final day in Ayr, we walked the Lang Scots Mile again, this time staying right on the beach and walking along until we reached Greenan Castle, some ruins on top of a steep cliff. We climbed up to the castle and enjoyed the view before heading back to our Airbnb. This walk was also about 5 miles. That evening, we celebrated my birthday at The Treehouse restaurant in the center of Ayr. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was very beautiful.

Day Trip to Lower Highlands:

After spending some time in Ayr, we headed to Edinburgh. Train service was down between Glasgow and Edinburgh, so we arrived much later than planned and walked around the Old Town a bit the first night, after dark. The next day, we took a day trip through Rabbie’s Tours. I had been on the same tour last fall, but it was the only one available at late notice. It was a different tour guide, with different stories, so it was still an excellent trip.

The Kelpies

Our first stop on the tour was to see The Kelpies, huge metal statues of two draft horses. I wrote more about my first visit here.

Loch Lomond

Our next stop was along the shore of Loch Lomond. It was a rainy day, but our family decided to do the 20-30 minute walk along the shore that our guide suggested. I wrote more about my first visit to Loch Lomond here.

Stirling Castle

We visited Stirling Castle in the afternoon. Last year, I explored the castle on my own, but this time I joined one of the free guided tours, which was very informative. I would recommend doing the tour, as it really provided some extra information about the castle and it’s inhabitants over the years.

Edinburgh:

We had one full day in Edinburgh, so we spent a lot of time walking around and visiting the main sights. We walked over 8 miles this day!

Dean Village

We started our morning walking from our Airbnb in the New Town to Dean Village, a picturesque neighborhood in the middle of New Town. We walked along the Water of Leith, passing by St. Bernard’s Well and walking under St. Bernard’s Bridge. We spent some time walking around Dean Village and taking in the beautiful buildings.

The New Town

In the mid-1700s, Edinburgh was a dirty, smelly, and unsanitary city with closely crowded buildings. The wealthy wanted to escape this disgust, so plans began for what is now called the “New Town”,  which was built in stages in the mid- to late-1700s. The New Town was carefully planned, with wide roads, spacious Georgian buildings, and lots of green space. We walked from Dean Village back to Stockbridge Market, where we grabbed some sandwiches for lunch and we stopped at Golden Hare Books for my brother. We then walked towards the Old Town, walking through some beautiful neighborhoods of New Town.

The Old Town

We had scheduled a free walking tour through Sandeman’s tours. The tour wound through the Royal Mile and connecting streets and closes (alleyways). Our guide told us about the history of St. Giles Cathedral, some of the statues that line the Royal Mile (including the statue of David Hume, who is a relative of ours!), Edinburgh Castle, Grassmarket, and Greyfriar’s Cemetery. After the tour, we went in St. Giles Cathedral, walked up to see the castle up close, went along Victoria Street (rumored to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter) and then headed back over to the New Town.

Calton Hill

Just off of Princes Street in the New Town is a small hill called Calton Hill. You can walk up the hill to visit several unique monuments, as well as stunning views of the city below. We walked up just before dusk, allowing us to experience the views at night. We spent a while up on the hill as daylight turned to darkness. Afterwards, we walked back over to the Old Town and got some tea and treats before heading back to our Airbnb for our final night.

I’m so glad we got to spend some time together in this beautiful country, and can’t wait to come back someday to explore more of it (namely, the islands that I haven’t been able to see on either trip so far!).