Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh, Scotland

Happy almost Halloween my ghouls! I thought the last spooky location I should take y’all through should be really creepy, but also awesome. So, today I bring you Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh, Scotland!

When planning our trip to Scotland I did a lot of research on things to do/see. Edinburgh was a little bit harder than other places because we wanted to see a ton of stuff. It is an incredible historic city, and we wanted to hit the highlights! One place that we kept seeing over and over (for different reasons) was Greyfriars Kirkyard. So, we added it to the list!

 Greyfriars Kirkyard, like many places in Edinburgh, is tucked behind some old buildings and you would absolutely miss it if you weren’t paying attention. The easiest way I suggest finding it, is to find Greyfriars Bobby’s Pub. First of all, the outside is adorable and you can see a statue of Bobby, the sky terrier who supposedly guarded his owners grave until his own death 14 years later. (You can find Bobby’s headstone right in the entrance of Greyfriars Kirkyard.) Once you find Greyfriars Bobby, look to your immediate left and go down the dark spooky alley and you will walk straight into Greyfriars Kirkyard.

This cemetery has been around since the 1560s. Yes, you read that correctly, 1560. Many Scots have been buried in Greyfriars throughout the ages, but one has been said to still be hanging around after his death. George Mackenzie was a persecutor of the Presbyterian church back in the 17th century, and his ghost is supposedly haunting the kirkyard to this day. The Mackenzie Poltergeist is said to be pretty aggressive because people have been scratched, bruised, and pushed often in the kirkyard at night.

It’s kind of incredible just to see all the old headstones and mausoleums. Even during the day it’s a little creepy. If you’re looking for a really creepy time, try going in the kirkyard at night! As far as I know, it stays open all the time, so you can go in anytime of the day or night! Jackson and I found the kirkyard for the first time at around 11pm and we wandered around in the dark for awhile. Not going to lie, you are going to want someone to hold onto.

Ok, where are all my Potterheads? I have something exciting to tell you! Did you know that J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter in Edinburgh (more on that in another post) and more specifically, found some of her character’s names in Greyfriars Cemetery?!? Buried in the cemetery is a man named Tom Riddle. There is also a Scottish poet with the last name McGonagall. I’m not going to tell you where they are because honestly finding them is half the fun! I will tell you they are closer to the back, but that’s it!

Greyfriars Kirkyard is an unbelievable place in one of the most beautifully magical cities in the world. If you are ever in Scotland, you must visit Greyfriars Kirkyard and Edinburgh. Say hello to Bobby for me and make sure to be on your guard!

❤ Abbie

Loch Ness, Scotland

Hello friends! I have been having major Scotland withdrawals lately. To be honest, out of our entire trip, Scotland is the place I always miss the most. I miss the breathtaking landscape. I miss the super friendly people. I miss the magical feeling of walking around somewhere so old. Scotland just always stays with you. Today I’m going to share another part of Scotland with you! We were excited to take a tour of the Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness with The Hairy Coo touring company! Now, I have to preface this by saying that I don’t normally suggest touring groups because I would much rather explore by myself. I feel that much more ground can be covered if you tour by yourself and you have the chance to stop and see whatever you want because you are making the schedule. However, The Hairy Coo tour was amazing. The tour guide was hilarious, gave excellent historical information, and even stopped at places not on the schedule because he thought it would be a good photo opportunity! I highly suggest taking the Hairy Coo tours if you don’t have a car available! Ok, time to get down to business. Let’s go find Nessie, shall we?

We started our tour of Loch Ness in an adorable little town called Fort Augustus. Imagine the place where little red riding hood lives, and you would have Fort Augustus. The town is full of beautiful old buildings turned touristy shops.

We hopped on a double-decker boat and ventured out into the vast Loch Ness. The views from the water are incredible! The loch is mostly surrounded by mountains. There was something mysteriously beautiful about the foggy day and looking for the notorious Nessie.

The tour guide on board told us the history of Nessie as we floated down the loch.

Did you know that if you are in Loch Ness longer than a minute you will die of hypothermia? The loch is so deep and dark that the sun cannot penetrate very far into the water, keeping the average temperature 42 degrees Fahrenheit year-round!

Many people over many centuries have been said to have spotted the Loch Ness Monster! Nessie is said to be quite large and have a long thin neck that protrudes the dark waters. The bad news is that an animal with such a long neck wouldn’t be able to live in water as cold as Loch Ness. We were pretty bummed to learn that news, but then something crazy happened.

Like really crazy. WE FOUND NESSIE!!!

Ok, so maybe not, but the boat had a little Nessie painted on the window that made for a perfect photo op!

If you look on the sides of the mountains as you boat around you might even see some wild sheep! They, unlike Nessie, are real! The trip was so beautiful and my photos don’t even do it justice.

I hope one day you venture out to find Nessie!

❤ Abbie

 

Wanderings: Arthur’s Seat, Scotland

An actual Europe post?!?! WHAT?!?! Look who is being productive!! I thought this would be a great first post on our incredible Europe trip! Hiking Arthur’s Seat was one of my favorite (and most sweaty) parts of our Edinburgh stay! I would say that this should be top priority on everyone’s Edinburgh bucket list!! Also, one of my best friends, Adele, is heading to Edinburgh next week so I thought I would give her yet another thing to look forward to!! So Adele, this one’s for you! Today we will be making the trek up Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, Scotland!

Now from the bottom this thing looks like a mountain (while hiking it also feels like a mountain) but it is technically considered a hill. It is located next to Holyrood Palace, which is where the Queen stays when she comes to visit Scotland. It’s a beautiful house and you can tour it when she isn’t visiting!

You can start the trek by going left or right to get up to Arthur’s seat. Left is quicker and less of a trek. Right takes you on a bit of a wander around the base and middle of the hill (which is also scenic). Really either way you go you are in for a treat! I suggest left, because we went right first and were a bit confused on how to actually get to the top! (Side Note: If you want to click on any of the photos in the galleries below it should blow them up to normal size for you. It’s just impossible to have all of the full size pictures in one blog post. It would be insanely long! So please click away!)

I probably should have said this sooner, but I definitely suggest wearing hiking boots. The way up and the top tends to be a bit slippery, so you will definitely want some traction. I also suggest not wearing a ton of layers, even if it is 40°F. That hike up there can get a bit sweaty, trust me! I had 4 layers on and was dying.

The views while going up the hill are incredible.

You can see all of Edinburgh laid out beneath you! You can see the hill that Edinburgh castle sits on. You can hear church bells ringing off in the distance. It really is a dream and pictures just do not do it justice.

❤ My adventure partner

There are several places to sit once you are near the top. If you are really feeling fancy, try to bring a picnic basket with you and have a picnic! You’ll have the best view in the whole city!

Once at the top I suggest you just take it in. To this day sitting at the top of Arthur’s Seat is one of my fondest memories of our whole trip. Enjoy every moment.

❤ Abbie

P.S. Another huge “thank you” is in order to my husband Jackson for taking some killer shots of me. He really is the best.

So What’s the Deal with AirBnB?

AirBnb seems to be one of the newest trends in travel. If you are unfamiliar with it, let me fill you in! AirBnB is a service where you can rent nights in people’s homes, instead of staying in a hotel. The idea is genius, but is the execution as good as the thought? Today, I’m going to share our AirBnB experiences and hopefully this will help you make your decision about using this service!

Courtyard of our AirBnB in Edinburgh, Scotland.

So how does it work?

First, sign up with the site and make a personal profile. You can’t rent anything until you complete your profile. Once you’ve done that, you can choose your location, dates, and room sizes. The really cool option is that you can rent anything from a couch to an entire home. The price of the location is on the main page to make sure it’s within your budget. Once you choose your place to stay and dates, you can request to book your stay. The owner of the location will email you giving you all the information you need to know about the home and the approval to stay. You can also email back and tell them a little about you! Then you are all set!

What makes this different than staying in a hotel?

Staying with AirBnB is always a unique experience. You are literally staying with normal people (who know the location well, because they live there) and in regular houses. The stay feels more like home, in our experiences. You also will pay (9 times out of 10) less than you would for a hotel. We would find homes for rent right in the middle of big cities for almost half than a price of a hotel in the same location.

Inside our AirBnB in London, England.

What are some perks that are unique to AirBnB?

The hosts are a huge help. All of our hosts were very friendly and informative. In almost every occasion, our hosts gave us maps, pamphlets, and advice on what to see in their city! Locals know better than anyone what to see, where to eat, and how to get around! That alone, was enough to make each trip a success! You also get the perks of staying in a home. Whether you rent an entire place or just a room, you get privacy. Most places allow you to use their appliances as well. When we were staying in Cork, Ireland we needed to use a washer and dryer, and our AirBnB hosts let us use theirs! We used the kitchen when staying in Edinburgh, Scotland. You can save a lot of money by using the kitchen provided, rather than eating out! Those are just some of our favorite perks!

Free breakfast in our London stay.

Is it safe staying with people you don’t know?

We never felt unsafe at any of our AirBnB homes. While AirBnB doesn’t preform background checks on all hosts or guests, they do allow you to see past guests’ comments which can allow you to weed through the homes. Reading comments and ratings is actually one of my biggest suggestions! Guests are required to leave comments after every stay, so you really get to see what it was like! Trust me, in my searching I’ve seen stellar comments to scathing comments; at least people are honest! You can also check out the neighborhood guides on the hosts page to see what it would be like to stay where they live! Also, it’s way safer than staying in a hostel. I never felt nervous or anything about leaving our stuff (including expensive camera equipment) in our room while we weren’t there. It’s more expensive than a hostel, but you’ll feel much safer in the long run.

View from our AirBnB in Cork, Ireland.

Are there any downsides to choosing AirBnB?

The only downside we experienced was in Paris, when we rented an entire loft. Our host kept changing plans on how to get the apartment key and give the key to back after our stay. It wasn’t awful, but it was a tad inconvenient. So, I guess the only inconvenience is in the arranging of arrival and departure. However, we only had an issue at one out of the four locations we stayed.

View from our AirBnB in Paris, France.

Would I recommend AirBnB?

Absolutely. To be honest, in all of our experiences we had a fantastic stay! It was great to be able to meet new people and stay in cool places! We also saved a ton of money by choosing AirBnB. Our stays ranged from $50-$70/night, where a hotel would have cost us at least $100+/night. Overall, I would 100% recommend AirBnB!

Behind our AirBnB in Dean Villiage in Edinburgh, Scotland.

I hope this has been a helpful guide! Have a fantastic day!

❤ Abbie