Visiting Edinburgh: Ghosts on the Tide

“Best of all are places that can be revealed. When the tide rolls back, exposing a pathway otherwise untouchable, a place is more special for it’s natural scarcity.” -Old Sean

An Introduction to Scotland

I know that officially the United Kingdoms are a single nation, but I always picture them as four distinct countries: Wales, England, Scotland and a portion of the Irish island. The cultural distinctions, accent differences, differing histories and unique aspects of each region are special. It makes a traveler feel like they’re entering a new and exciting place.

Edinburgh is my first stop in Scotland. After leaving York, I was thrilled to enter this rainy realm, famed for cows with hairstyles, warriors in kilts and highland landmarks.

It didn’t take long for Edinburgh to become my new favorite place in Scotland.

First Impressions of Edinburgh

People visiting Edinburgh for the first time receive a strong first impression. Enormous rises of sturdy stone crest upwards in smooth arcs from the city outskirts, gradual ramps leading to dramatic drops. These strong features lead to even more dramatic views, the most famous of these being Arthur’s Seat. 

Arthur’s Seat is entirely made of rises and ledges with no guardrails and lots of crows. There’s something about the drop that implies a potent sense of reality along the edge. 

Below, the city occasionally reveals breaks between buildings, granting walkers tantalizing views of the ocean. Edinburgh Castle is a lofty peak in the middle of the city, resolute gaze covering the entire urban population. The bold castle bristles with prop cannons jutting out every direction.  \

When actually wandering the streets, there are numerous museums and patches of delicate greenery cultivated in the city center.  Grand, manicured cemeteries rest at the foot Carlton Hill.  Every other corner boasts a bar, making the city the pinnacle of pub-crawling experiences.

Wandering and Visiting Edinburgh

After a few hours of simply enjoying food, I made a point of wandering to some personally favorite features. My friend El previously lived in Edinburgh, so I had a long recommendation list to work off of.

I tried to ease myself in somewhat slowly. The first place I visited was the Royal Botanical Gardens which had interior water features entirely covered with large, placid lilypads. Afterwards, I angled much deeper into the city, walking almost aimlessly.

If visited The Elephant House where J.K. Rowling crafted her Harry Potter novels, supposedly on the fringes of napkins. The venue is covered in toy elephants, which makes for fairly interesting decorations while writing.

Later on, I moved past the Holyrood Abbey Ruins where open stone walls are strafed by the usual rains dotting Scottish skies.

Eventually I moved back towards Princes Street, where a giant, botanical clock ticks away. The actual clock is embedded into the side of a hill in a garden space. It’s mechanical, but colorful plants are grown on it’s moving parts, making a unique and pretty effect.

I tried to dodge a couple of tourist crowds by weaving further into the central Princes Street Gardens. Also in the area is the Royal Scots Grays Monument, which depicts a Royal Scots Dragoon Guard (Carabinier and Greys) in uniform. I made sure to stop and pet the Wojtek the Soldier Bear Memorial, because the ammo-carrying Polish-military bear’s story is one of the most compelling tales of WWII. I finally wandered to the East Gardens, where I ducked under the distinct Scotts Monument, dedicated to writer Sir Walter Scott.

Afterwards, I spent several hours visiting the National Museum of Scotland to see their vast array of permanent and almost-overwhelming-number of exhibits. Later, I personally walked up the The Royal Mile, where I stopped at the St. Giles Cathedral. There are a ton of monuments, shops and attractions along the Royal Mile. But my favorite aspect was the street performers. One man painted gold and dressed in wizard robes and bramble “levitated” in front of the famed church.

The Ghost Island

While I loved the architecture and scenery of Edinburgh, it was strongly recommended that I head toward the shoreline.

One morning, after timing the out-flowing tides, I wandered to Cramond Ghost Island. The island is only accessible across a narrow, tide-vanishing concrete trail peppered with barnacles and beautiful, husky-blue shells. 

The island once operated as an untested WWII coastal defense fortified against a Nazi incursion which never came. The bunkers and pill box ruins now dot the edges of island. 

The defenses are a little humorous. While Nazi U-boats and subs never probed the structures readiness, a group of Allies performed a mock-invasion to test the readiness of the island. The island defenders supposedly failed spectacularily.

Though it’s not much of a military stronghold anymore, Cramond Ghost Island is decidedly beautiful. Salty clouds roll in from the distant sea across an enormous, rippled plot of mud, shells and darkened sand. Meanwhile, a veritable fog actually shrouds the majority of the island from view. 

The island itself is Scottish-and-craggy, with firm juts of stone softened only by a dense foliage giving birth to clusters of yellow and white flowers. Slightly further inland, visitors can spot swaying hanging bells of pink foxglove flowers. Trickles of salty streams flee from the shoreline, pursuing the pull of an unseen moon.

Cramond Ghost Island was fantastic in every way.  On the bus ride back, I became acquainted with a fellow named Neil who entertained me with rhetoric and offered a beer for my journey. 

Onward Through Scotland

I absolutely adored my time visiting Edinburgh. I ended up spending quite a bit of time appreciating the city and surrounding land. Based on conversations with locals, I would have personally preferred to head up into the highlands next.

However, I was due in Glasgow next.

After a quick stop at my hostel (which was actually named The Hostel), I shouldered my backpack and aimed for Glasgow. I left for the city mid-day, so I would have some time to explore a bit of Glasgow as well before resting.

So with that said,

Best regards and excellent trails,

Old Sean

Written Sunday, July 1st, 2018

Images While Visiting Edinburgh

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