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City and Countryside Life in Scotland

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Fringe Festival City and Countryside Life in Scotland

Scotland boasts some of the most beautiful places in the UK and offers plenty of life-affirming things to do. Every traveller most likely doesn’t want the same experience from a holiday and, unsurprisingly, Scotland can cater for this variety in hunger. The delightful capital city of Edinburgh can probably cater for most of that hunger alone.

For a start, it is the home of the legendary Fringe Festival – an event that attracts thousands of visitors every August. It goes on for the whole month and features some of the most creative people in the world strutting their stuff on the streets and stages. Edinburgh has one of the best shopping streets in the UK, too: the Royal Mile. Particularly lovely at Christmas time.

If you’d rather avoid city life on your travels, Scotland certainly isn’t short of striking countryside. Highland holidays in Scottish country cottages are popular with travellers all over the world and are even becoming much more popular with like-minded people who are based in Britain.

Glenmore City and Countryside Life in ScotlandThe Cairngorm mountain region in the north of the country, located south east of Inverness, is a gigantic area that offers some of the best walking spots and most spectacular views around. Be sure to take your camera when you’re exploring this part of Scotland.

Loch Ness is located very close to the Cairngorms, just south west of Inverness. Everybody knows why this loch is famous, but nobody has yet proved the monster’s existence. There have, of course, been many claims and a few grainy pictures to boot, which are what attract visitors by the bucket load year upon year. If you’re in this part of the country, pay Loch Ness a visit to catch a glimpse of Nessie herself.

For the whiskey fans out there, Scotland is a mecca. It is home to some of the most famous distilleries in the world, many of which host tours and taster sessions. Dufftown and the Isle of Jura are two rather accomplished distillery locations to visit.

The Isle of Skye, in the Inner Hebrides, is famously one of the most romantic and scenic places in Scotland.  If walking in the hills is your kind of thing, no trip to the country would be complete without the Isle of Skye.

And if you fancy a bit of city life after all, Edinburgh is only a car, bus or train ride away.

Photo: 1, 2

10 Attractions to Visit in Edinburg

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The Scottish capital can legitimately be called one of the most culturally rich cities in Europe, if not the world. It attracts more than 13 million tourists on a yearly basis and continues to delight every visitor on its enchanting streets. There is a range of apartments and cheap hotels in Edinburgh to use as a base from which to go out and enjoy what the city has to offer. We take a look at ten of the best sights.

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle 10 Attractions to Visit in Edinburg

Edinburgh’s castle is probably the most iconic attraction of the cultural city. The 12th century castle sits proudly atop Castle Rock and dominates the Edinburgh skyline. Visit the castle to really delve into the history that the great city has behind it.

Old Town

Old Town 10 Attractions to Visit in Edinburg

Another part of the city that offers an intriguing history lesson is the Old Town area – the architectural delights on show are truly something to behold. The most famous street in Edinburgh, the Royal Mile, is found in the Old Town area and boasts an array of wonderful restaurants, bars and shops for all visitors to enjoy.

Arthur’s Seat

Arthurs Seat 10 Attractions to Visit in Edinburg

Around a mile to the east of Edinburgh Castle is Arthur’s Seat, where you can visit an actual volcano – but don’t worry, it’s extinct. This is the only site in the world in which you can stand on the site of a volcano within a major city, which only serves to add to the uniqueness of Edinburgh.

Holyrood Park

Holyrood Park 10 Attractions to Visit in Edinburg

Holyrood Park is located on the edges of the Edinburgh and offers visitors the perfect respite from the stress of a busy city. There are many great walking and climbing spots, so be sure to bring your hiking boots. There is even a loch in the park for you to explore – all in reaching distance from the centre of one of the most buzzing cities on the continent.

Royal Observatory

Royal Observatory 10 Attractions to Visit in Edinburg

Astronomy is quickly growing in popularity across the world and, luckily for star-gazing visitors to Edinburgh, the city is home to the Royal Observatory. You can join the search for exoplanets and extra-terrestrial life or just sit in on some of the many lectures that are dotted about the calendar.

Gilmerton Cove

Gilmerton Cove 10 Attractions to Visit in Edinburg

Located in one of the suburbs of the city is Gilmerton Cove, which is an underground network of passageways that were carved by hand. It is now used as an educational spot for all visitors after it was reopened in 2003 after a long-running campaign from the City Council and the Gilmerton Heritage Trust.

National Museum of Scotland

National Museum of Scotland 10 Attractions to Visit in Edinburg

The newly renovated National Museum of Scotland is one of the newest and, indeed, most popular attractions in the city. It features the famous bits of Scotland as well as great international exhibitions. It was recently awarded the best building award from the RIAS following its renovation this year.

Princes Street Gardens

Princes St Gardens 10 Attractions to Visit in Edinburg

If you are looking for a place to relax in the city but don’t fancy a trip to Holyrood Park, these gardens are the perfect place for you. Edinburgh is, in fact, one of the greener cities around in terms of gardens and parks, so you won’t struggle to find a place to put your feet up.

Nelson’s Monument

Nelsons Monument 10 Attractions to Visit in Edinburg

A climb up Nelson’s Monument will give you one of the best views of Edinburgh and its beautiful surroundings. It is, as you might guess from the name, dedicated to Admiral Lord Nelson, who died in the Battle of Trafalgar.

Mary Kings Close

Mary Kings Close 10 Attractions to Visit in Edinburg

Mary King’s Close is similar to Gilmerton Cove in the way that it is an underground network of tunnels. You can take a guided tour beneath the Royal Mile to learn more about the history of Edinburgh, as well as divulging in a couple of ghost stories and legends.

Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

5 Low-Cost Places to Visit in the UK

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Penny Lane 5 Low Cost Places to Visit in the UK

Penny Lane, Liverpool.

By DAPHNE DUNPHY

City breaks can be expensive wherever you go. Everything from flights, accommodation, single trip insurance, worldwide travel insurance and just general costs of having a good time can set you back a pretty penny, but there are places you can go and things you can do to keep your costs to a minimum and your fun to a maximum.

The UK is notoriously quite an expensive place to visit, but that’s only because most people who visit the country visit and stay in London. The capital city of England attracts about 15 million tourists every single year, so it is no wonder that hotels and attractions are constantly putting their prices up. People are guilty of that in any country that is popular with tourists.

This practice is not so common in other UK cities precisely because they are not as popular with tourists. But that is not to say that these cities or towns are not worth visiting, because they most definitely are. Take Manchester, for example. This great city is regularly called the capital of the north, but without the prices of the capital in the south. Hotel prices in the northern city are often hundreds of pounds cheaper than London for a week’s worth of accommodation.

The lower rates don’t necessarily mean that Manchester is less enjoyable than London – there are plenty of cheap things to do. The famous Museum of Science and Industry is located in Manchester, along with some of the best city walks in the country.

Leeds is another northern city with great character and low costs. In many cases, it is even cheaper than Manchester. Speaking of decent walks, too, the city is located only a few miles from the Peak District, which is one of the most beautiful places in the UK (and it’s even better when it’s not raining!). The region also has some fantastic golf courses for those fancying a bit of scenery in the city.

Liverpool is undoubtedly one of the most charismatic places in the country. The city has one of the most famous docks in the world, the Albert Dock, and has just opened one of the most state-of-the-art shopping centres in Europe. If art is your thing you should absolutely pay a visit to the Tate at the Albert Dock.

If you want to explore a bit further north, jump across the border to Edinburgh. The cost of living and, indeed, just visiting is famously much lower in Edinburgh than it is in London. The Royal Mile is one of the most enjoyable things you can do without spending a thing: it’s the main thoroughfare through Edinburgh city centre, which means that it is busy but absolutely buzzing all day, every day.

For somewhere with just as much heritage and equally affordable prices, York is well worth considering. The history of the Vikings still sits with the city of York and you can really feel when you take a stroll around the streets. The cobbled streets, dark alleys and medieval buildings make York the perfect place to hold ghost walks at night.

Whether you’re on a week-long trip or a six-month trip, you’ll never run out of things to do in the UK, even if you leave London off your list of destinations.

As a graduate of English and History, Daphne Dunphy combines her creative streak and passion for the English language with her love for all things travel.