48 hours in Edinburgh

48 Hours in Edinburgh

Edinburgh is a beautiful and historic city that is full of things to see and do. If you only have 48 hours to spare, here is a suggested itinerary to help you make the most of your trip:

Day 1:

• Morning: Start your day with a visit to Edinburgh Castle, which is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city. The castle has a long and fascinating history, and it offers stunning views of the city.

• Afternoon: Next, take a walk down the Royal Mile, which is a historic street that is lined with shops, restaurants, and pubs. The Royal Mile is a great place to wander and explore, and you're sure to find something to interest you.

• Evening: In the evening, enjoy a traditional Scottish meal at one of Edinburgh's many restaurants. There are many great options to choose from, so you're sure to find something to your taste. Check out our food and drink guide here.

Day 2:

• Morning: Start your day with a visit to the National Museum of Scotland, which houses a collection of artifacts from around the world. The museum is free to enter, and it's a great place to learn about Scotland's history and culture.
  
  
  
  

• Afternoon: Next, visit the Scottish National Gallery and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, which both house collections of Scottish art. The Scottish National Gallery is home to a collection of European art, while the Scottish National Portrait Gallery houses a collection of portraits of Scottish people.

• Evening: In the evening, enjoy a show at the Edinburgh Playhouse or the Royal Lyceum Theatre, which are both located in the city center. The Edinburgh Playhouse is a large theater that hosts a variety of shows, while the Royal Lyceum Theatre is a smaller theater that specializes in Scottish plays.

Other things to do in Edinburgh:

We may be bias but we think one of the most special things to do in Edinburgh is to take a stroll along the Union Canal, which is a beautiful canal that runs through the city. The canal is a great place to relax and enjoy the scenery, and there are a number of pubs and restaurants along the way where you can stop for a drink or a bite to eat. Or even better, add a cruise to your stay on board The Camillia.

• Visit the Scotch Whisky Experience, which is a museum dedicated to whisky. The Scotch Whisky Experience offers a variety of tours and tastings, and it's a great way to learn about Scotland's national drink.

• Take a tour of Mary King's Close, which is a network of underground vaults that were built in the 17th century. Mary King's Close is a fascinating place to visit, and it's a great way to learn about the history of Edinburgh.

• Hike up Arthur's Seat, which is a hill that offers stunning views of the city. Arthur's Seat is a popular spot for hiking, and it's a great way to get some exercise and enjoy the scenery.

• Go shopping on Princes Street, which is a major shopping street in the city. Princes Street is home to a variety of shops, so you're sure to find something to buy.

• Visit one of Edinburgh's many pubs and enjoy a pint of Scottish ale. Edinburgh has a great selection of pubs, so you're sure to find a place to relax and enjoy a drink.

Getting around Edinburgh:

Edinburgh is a very walkable city. However, there are also buses, trams, and taxis available.

Edinburgh is a great city to visit for a weekend getaway. With its rich history and culture, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Life on the Canal

Living in an urban environment in Scotland’s capital city is much like any other city until you reach the picturesque Union Canal. Snuggled in a quiet pocket of Edinburgh city centre in the concrete jungle of the Lochrin Basin floats an array of multi-coloured boats bobbing about on moorings, reflecting and sparkling over the water, brightening up the local area. If you look closely you will see a whole vibrant community living and working on the canal. This colourful floating community is one of Edinburgh’s most unique ways of life and holds dear the old Edinburgh spirit of sharing spaces and cultures with people from all different walks of life. Living in harmony and enjoying creating unique space to live and work. Amongst the commercial operators there is Tectonica, probably the most unique architect’s office I have ever seen. The glossy dark blue with white trim wide beam barge is configured into a modern spacious office space. Owned by a lovely family of Architects, Tectonica is a sleek addition to the canal. Moored alongside Tectonica is the vibrant purple narrowboat called Black grouse, one of a fleet of 3, Black Grouse is the office space or the social enterprise Re-Union Canal Boats. Re-Union is an invaluable asset to the canal providing a community space for events and hosting workshops. They play a huge part in the organisation of the local community events and are pro-active in organising residential meet ups as well as engaging the residents and wider community in a variety of ways about how the canal is run and looked after often becoming a spokesperson for the local boating community with Scottish Canals. As well as The Four Sisters Boatel there is The Counter coffee boat serves the most delicious coffee and home baking it is a seasonal floating coffee shop. Painted a pale blue colour this tiny coffee boat provided towpath users with a delicious coffee stop when walking, running or cycling along the canal. All of the canal businesses are independently owned and add a different dynamic to Edinburgh.

Further along the canal are the residential boats styled in their own distinctive way with multi-coloured paint and quirky names, ‘Game Bird’ is one that jumps out. The lifestyle on board a canal boat encourages creativity and individuality. No two boats are the same and no two problems have the same solution. Boaters are a combination of artist, engineer, project manager, joiner, plumber, painter and more. Learning new practical skills is an unavoidable challenge faced by all boaters and each boat has its own unique way of functioning. You will find an imaginative array of solutions to problems on boats along the canal. From collecting fresh water and homemade water filter systems to solar powered fully self-sustainable boats. These unique thought processes and the community spirit and atmosphere on the canal allows for boaters to share ideas and concepts as well as skills and create a distinctive vibrant canal spirit.

Residential boats moored alongside new build flats

Residential boats moored along Viewforth

There are often canal events organised to bring the community together. The largest of these is the annual Canal Festival held in the Lochrin Basin. The event brings up to 5000 people to the canal throughout the day and celebrates the canal and the canal community. There is a team raft race, a bandstand with music and performances, pony rides and much more. These community events are organised and ran by the local boaters and community and provide an essential link to the wider community and allows the residents of the canal to connect with the local residents in the area. It is an event all the boaters look forward to and enjoy taking part in. There is also the annual Flotilla of lights event where the boaters decorate their boats in lights and sail from Falkirk to Edinburgh playing music and waving to the crowds gathered along the bank side. This event marks the anniversary of the re-opening of the Forth and Clyde Canal in 2001.

Flotilla - Linlithgow

Canal Festival

Raft race

small independent business

History Of The Union Canal

Edinburgh’s Union Canal was not always the picturesque delight that is known today. The Union Canal runs from Edinburgh to Falkirk and was initially conceived with the purpose of moving materials to Edinburgh from the mines and quarries in Lanakshire. Construction started in 1817 by the Edinburgh and Glasgow Union Canal Company. It measures 31miles or 50k and is a contour canal which means there are no locks but did require large aqueducts to cross river valleys.

There used to be a canal junction at Port Hopetoun in what we now know as Edinburgh city centre. Port Hopetoun was named after the Earl of Hopetoun and was a large basin between Semple Street and Lothian Road and Morrison Street and Fountainbridge. There is little evidence of the old basin left today after it was infilled in 1922. There now stands a cinema and offices on the site and the end of the canal in Edinburgh is the Lochrin Basin where The Four Sisters Boatel is moored. But if you look closely you will see amongst the modern glass fronted buildings a nod to a previous time. The water feature in the square next to the canal represents the old Port Hopetoun Basin.

The bridges along the canal have numbered and many have their number engraved into keystones. The keystone on the second bridge, Viewforth Bridge, is engraved with the coat of arms of Glasgow facing West and the coat of arms for Edinburgh facing east.

Some of the bridges are painted black, blue, red and gold. The colours represent different aspects of the canal. The black represents the coal that was moved along the canal on the famous canal barges. The black represents the coal transported along the canal by barge, the blue represents the water of the canal, the red represents the lives lost during the construction of the canal and the gold represents the money made from trade and economic opportunities available since the building of the canal.

The largest most difficult part of the construction was the large Aqueducts built over the river valleys. The Slateford Aqueduct is the first one you come to heading west from Edinburgh which carries the canal over the Water of Leith. Second is the Almond Aqueduct just outside Ratho and the 810-foot-long (250m) Avon Aqueduct near Linlithgow which is the second longest in the United Kingdom.

Another interesting feat of engineering on The Union Canal in Edinburgh is the famous Lemmington Lift Bridge. This can be seen from The Four Sisters Boatel and is the last bridge before entering the Lochrin Basin. The bridge was built in 1906 and moved to its current location when the canal was shortened to make the Lochrin Basin the terminus of the Union Canal. The bridge fell into disrepair in the 1960’s but its restoration was included as part of the Millennium Link Project and the regeneration of the canal in the year 2000. On 16th May 2002 the bridge restoration was complete and it was opened the first time. The bridge allows for crossing from Gilmore Park to Lemmington Road and rises to permit boats to pass underneath. Constructed with a wooden deck between 2 gantries, it is made from riveted steel with solid columns on either side where the inner workings and counter balances are housed. A permanent footbridge allows pedestrians to cross at all times. These days the bridge can be operated by boaters and key holders who have training from Scottish Canals.

To celebrate 10 years since the regeneration and reopening of the lowlands Canals a flotilla was organised from Edinburgh to Glasgow. With over 60 boats including The Four Sisters Boatel and crew and with an estimated 15000 people coming along to support and celebrate along the way it was an incredible celebration of a treasured asset to Scotland. The canal was classed as a ‘remainder waterway’ and so British Waterways were not obliged to maintain the canal. After this huge celebration and the huge amount of support for the use of the canal Ronnie Rusack MBE tirelessly and successfully campaigned for the canals to be reclassified "After 40 years of strenuously campaigning for the reopening of the Lowland canals, the reclassification is a great foundation on which to build and protect these wonderful national assets for future generations to enjoy" – Ronnie Rusack – Waterways World Magazine. The Forth and Clyde Canal is now one of Scotland’s most popular tourist attractions with millions of visitors per year and bringing millions of pounds to the Scottish economy.