After having surrounded the castle on foot on our first day, I am eager to visit it but quickly find out that there is a steep entrance fee that does not even include a guided tour and that it is quite overrun and crowded with tourists every day. My friend is not a fan of that idea, and I relent. (Here is a 20-minute video link to an official Edinburgh Castle Guided Tour in case you’re interested in seeing it from the inside: https://youtu.be/Z6TU_Vxqz1A.)
We settle on visiting Dean Village instead, and I get my feet psyched up for another long walking day. On our way, we come across St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral and seek refuge from the burning sun for a moment. The Cathedral was built in Victorian Gothic Revival style in the 19th century; I never cease to marvel at sacred architecture—it is a beautiful building.
After the short break, we press on and come across a mews that is too cute to not explore. Wikipedia informs that a mews is a row (or courtyard) of stables and carriage houses with living quarters above, so pretty much the olden day garage and laneway house equivalent. Our mews maintains the cobblestoned road, and there is a garbage man rattling bins across the bumpy ring road, chasing us away with the cacophony.
Dean Village is set around a picturesque creek with postcard perfect buildings alongside. Tourists and locals hang out here, taking in the cute views and walking their dogs. Moving on, we come by a courtyard with a clocktower. People live here, evidenced by laundry on the line right beside a tile setter’s workstation. We imagine what it would be like to live here and agree that the cute-factor would likely add to the price tag.
We keep going along the creek, which turns out to be a river called Water of Leith, and don’t tire of the scenery, including a house that looks like a mini-castle and a Greek statue in a gazebo right by the river. We end up in our own neighbourhood again and have a late lunch at the Haymarket pub where we order typical Scottish pub fare: I choose haggis, neeps and tatties, my friend goes for a Crofter’s Pie. We are surprised that the food is unexpectedly tasty—maybe we’re hungry, too.
Once fortified with food and beer, we walk into the Old Town again and explore a different area where we find lots of pubs and restaurants with patio seating, the inevitable impressive architecture and a part of the old town wall. I can’t resist the opportunity to get yet another photo of the Edinburgh castle in the background. Overall, this exploratory walking tour of the city is probably the better choice compared to elbow-wrestling the crowds at the castle.
