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Just before the last #lockdown it was a beautiful Just before the last #lockdown it was a beautiful day so myself and the apprentice decided to visit one of #Edinburghs #Castles that people normally miss. I know this castle like the back of my hand as I used to spend most weekends here playing as a child with my family. There really was no one visiting then and up until the early 90s there was a small box outside where the caretaker knew us so well he used to wave us in. Now it’s a lot more refined and more of a VisitScotland business. Craigmillar Castle has been around since the early 15th Century and was owned by the Preston Family. If you go up to the top level and look down you still see the pond they built in the shape of the initial P. Scotland’s famous Queen Mary spent a lot of time at Craigmillar castle and she used the castle and grounds to rest after her long tour in November 1566. It’s also where the bond was signed to murder her second husband. There is a famous tree in the courtyard that some people think Mary planted, however, the tree she actually planted was unfortunately cut down a few years ago. For all you film and TV fans, you may recognise the castle as it was used as Ardsmuir Prison where Jamie was imprisoned in #Outlander. The Grounds were also used in the recent #RobertTheBruce movie Outlaw King. If you are a fan of #Sirwalterscott it has also been used in an adaption of Ivanhoe in the early 90s. If you keep your eyes peeled you might even spot a young fresh faced tour guide as an extra! #Castles #Edinburgh #Tourism #Scotland #staycationuk #staycation2021 #staycationscotland #edinburghscotland #edinburghbloggers #edinburghwows #luxurytourism #vip #viptourism #tourismscotland
Not a tour related post but a shout out to a local Not a tour related post but a shout out to a local business nearby! Was lucky enough to try some of these #brownies they were absolutely delightful and can’t recommend @danielaskitchen enough! With #international #travel looking promising for this #summer you may even get to sample one!!! #shoplocal #tourism #tourisminscotland #viptourism #vipservice #luxurytours #luxurytourism
All that remains of the once famous Fair a Far Mil All that remains of the once famous Fair a Far Mill are these crumbling walls. From 1770 it was at the heart of Cramonds industrial revolution. In total there were five mills running along the River Almond at one time! Iron was brought all the way from Russia and Sweden to these mills, just on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The industrial revolution didn’t last long, the mills were so poorly managed that customers were always complaining that their orders were wrong or incomplete. The mill used to make thin strips of iron that were then turned into various nails. Local children were employed to help make the nails. There were so many different types of nails made that, to this day, it’s a mystery what they were used for. Could be yet again down to the mismanagement. The river was the main power source but it is famous for flash floods and these floods would damage the equipment. Myself and the apprentice came down just after the rain to show how high the water can get, but I’ve seen it a lot higher. I’ve posted a picture from the #Archives to show you how low it normally is. The salmon ladder was rebuilt recently and that’s why it looks different. Further along the Almond a local artist has carved a fallen tree into a whale, if you look at the scale of the apprentice to the tree you will appreciate how big it really is. #Entertainment #Apprentice #Forfun #History #VisitScotland #Edinburgh #Cramond #whale #Artist #Ruins #ExploreEdinburgh #Scotland
There is a story that has been told by Scottish to There is a story that has been told by Scottish tour guides for many years. It’s a very entertaining story but remember it is just a story... It starts with King James V who used to disguise himself as a layman and see what his subjects thought of him. The story goes that King James was attacked by a gang while he was in disguise on horseback in the village of Cramond. However, a gentleman named Jack Howieson (there are a few spellings of this) appeared from the shadows, came to his rescue and then nursed his wounds. The following day Jack was summoned to #HolyroodPalace where the King rewarded him with the village of Cramond and a farm for his act of bravery and kindness. In the photos you can see the famous Cramond Brig where the alleged attack happened. The statue of King James V being attacked and the alleged remains of Jack Howieson’s cottage. It’s a great story and one that a lot of people embellish and go into great detail. The problem with the story is that it is just a story. There is no record of Jack Howeison or his family. The actual cottage remains date from the 18th century and not the 15th century. The story if “history guides” were to dig a bit deeper, actually originates from characters and buildings written by #sirwalterscott in Ivanhoe and Tales of a Grandfather. Sir Walter Scott has actually written a lot in his books that people now take as fact. His books have blurred the lines between fact and fiction in Scottish history. Where the apprentice is standing by the river is a famous scene in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie movie, where Jean (Maggie Smith) spends her weekends with Gordon (Gordon Jackson) #Wee_Scottish_Tours #BrilliantMoments #VisitScotland #TopEdinburghPhoto #ExploreEdinburgh #Scotland #BespokeTour #VIP #VVIP #Luxury #LonelyPlanet #InstaScotland #LoveScotland #ScotlandLover #ExploreScotland #Travel #Beautiful #Lowlands #BeautifulDestinations #Edinburgh #Tour #scotland #Luxurytourism #myth #Castle #outlander #Jeanbrodie #Walterscott @wee_scottish_tours
We visited one of #Edinburghs hidden gems today. T We visited one of #Edinburghs hidden gems today. The apprentice and her best friend were exploring the snowy park and making #snowmen but that wasn’t the only reason we were here. Saughton Park is a local community park located just outside of the city and is 34 acres in size. It has one of the largest public Italian gardens, heather beds and an award winning rose garden. The park dates back to the 1900s when it was purchased from Sir William Baird During World World War 2 the park was used as an onion field to help the “Dig for Victory” campaign. The statue the little apprentices are photographed with is Sri Chimnoy who is the Dreamer of Peace. When this statue was installed in #Saughton Park it put the park on a par with #Prague, Oslo and #Seattle who also have statutes of of Sri as well. The sundial featured dates back to the 17th century. The stonemasons have done a wonderful job on this dial. #BrilliantMoments #VisitScotland #TopEdinburghPhoto #ExploreEdinburgh #Scotland #LonelyPlanet #InstaScotland #LoveScotland #ScotlandLover #ExploreScotland #Travel #Beautiful #Lowlands #BeautifulDestinations #Edinburgh #Scotland #Newyear #History
With 2020 nearly behind us and the snow coming dow With 2020 nearly behind us and the snow coming down thick and fast in Edinburgh. Myself and the apprentice haven’t been doing much exploring the last couple of days. I thought I would list some of my favourite pictures we have taken on our adventures during #lockdown. Hopefully these pictures have managed to keep you entertained and brought a little joy as you’ve viewed our Covid adventures in 2020. It’s not how I planned on spending this year, but it’s been great going on adventures and spending so much time with the apprentice! It’s also been lovely hearing from so many of you who have enjoyed seeing pictures of #Edinburgh and Scotland. We have Greyfriars Bobby, #highlandcows the Kelpies a brief appearance by #bangourvillagehospital and of course a greatest hits wouldn’t be complete without a picture of #deanvillage. #BrilliantMoments #VisitScotland #TopEdinburghPhoto #ExploreEdinburgh #Scotland #LonelyPlanet #InstaScotland #LoveScotland #ScotlandLover #ExploreScotland #Travel #Beautiful #Lowlands #BeautifulDestinations #Edinburgh #Scotland #Polish #Catholic #War #Newyear #History #Outlander #Church #Cathedral #Stainglass #Kelpies #Hiddengem
Merry Christmas from Wee Scottish Tours! We know l Merry Christmas from Wee Scottish Tours! We know lots of you have had to cancel your #tours next week and next month due to the current #covid restrictions, #scotland and Wee Scottish Tours will still be here once this pandemic has passed. Until then #staysafe keep washing those hands and enjoy the #holidays. We have this lovely Christmas cake to keep us occupied as we currently plan more tours for #2021 #Wee_Scottish_Tours #BrilliantMoments #VisitScotland #TopEdinburghPhoto #ExploreEdinburgh #BespokeTour #VIP #VVIP #Luxury #LonelyPlanet #InstaScotland #LoveScotland #ScotlandLover #ExploreScotland #Travel #Beautiful #Lowlands #BeautifulDestinations #Edinburgh #Luxurytourism #whisky #Horses #outlander #Hiddengem @wee_scottish_tours
St Giles Cathedral is a breathtaking building for St Giles Cathedral is a breathtaking building for so many different reasons. The #architecture is magnificent and there are full size statues that each tell a story of the past. There are stain glass windows where every pane of glass has it’s own detail and their colours are mesmerising. The Building’s history dates back far and is detailed, here I am going to give some of the highlights; The church was built around the 12th century and is dedicated to Saint Giles. In 1559 the church became Protestant with the famous John Knox as its minister (he is still buried in the car park) The grounds were used as a prison at one point as were parts of the church. The church was also used used as place where meetings could take place for the parliament of Scotland. You may have noticed I referred to the building as a church up until now as it wasn’t until 1633 when Charles I made the St Giles a Cathedral. It was in 1637, when Charles was trying to impose a new prayer book in the cathedral, that a riot took place and the then Covenanters were formed. This turned into a terrible time in Scotland’s history to forever to be known as The War of The Three Kingdoms. #BrilliantMoments #VisitScotland #TopEdinburghPhoto #ExploreEdinburgh #Scotland #LonelyPlanet #InstaScotland #LoveScotland #ScotlandLover #ExploreScotland #Travel #Beautiful #Lowlands #BeautifulDestinations #Edinburgh #Scotland #Protestant #Catholic #War #Religion #Church #Cathedral #Stainglass #Johnknox #Covenanters #hiddengems
Wojtek the bear is one of Edinburgh’s most unrec Wojtek the bear is one of Edinburgh’s most unrecognised sons. He was an orphaned bear cub found in Iran and taken in by the Polish Army on their way to Siberia. The Polish II Corps 22nd Artillery to be precise. The bear apparently loved chocolate. The soldiers formed a bond with the bear and apparently he used to get triple rations because of his size. At the end of the war the soldiers were placed in the Scottish Borders and, as the bear also had papers, he was placed there as well. Eventually he moved to Edinburgh Zoo and stayed there until he passed away in 1963. If you grew up as a child in Edinburgh there’s a good chance that, like me, you were lucky enough to have one of the old Polish soldiers come into your school and talk about the famous bear. Up until 2019 there was a small tailor shop in Edinburgh which was run by Mr Jaszczur who had served in the army with Wojtek. His shop was a shrine to the bear and his own past. It was occasionally opening up until last year but he is now fully retired I believe. The blue bag in the last picture is one of the famous change bags that his wife used to make which were sold in his shop. #Wee_Scottish_Tours #BrilliantMoments #VisitScotland #TopEdinburghPhoto #ExploreEdinburgh #Scotland #BespokeTour #VIP #VVIP #Luxury #LonelyPlanet #InstaScotland #LoveScotland #ScotlandLover #ExploreScotland #Travel #Beautiful #Lowlands #BeautifulDestinations #Edinburgh #Tour #scotland #Luxurytourism #Princessst #Castle #outlander #Hiddengem #Bear @wee_scottish_tours
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From the blog

  • Guest Blogs
    Working within the tourism industry in 2020 has really brought us all together. Especially now that COVID vaccine has just been announced as well this will certainly help with bespoke tourism in Scotland and Edinburgh. […]
  • Lockdown restrictions
    It’s finally happening lockdown restrictions are being lifted and the one thing one people’s minds are that much deserved and well thought out holiday! Scotland is here and is slowly beginning to return to a normality. […]
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