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Edinburgh & Castle Driving the Coast of Scotland

The Royal Mile, Edinburgh + Tips for Traveling to Scotland. www.kevinandamanda.com

We spent our final evening in Scotland in Edinburgh. I completely fell in love with the gorgeous architecture here, and wished we’d had more time to explore this beautiful, historic, mysterious city!

The Royal Mile, Edinburgh + Tips for Traveling to Scotland. www.kevinandamanda.com

We only had about an hour to explore, so we spent most of our time wandering up and down the Royal Mile.

The Royal Mile, Edinburgh + Tips for Traveling to Scotland. www.kevinandamanda.com

We stopped for dinner at The Witchery by the Castle. More on our meal here to come in the next post, “Everything I Ate In Scotland!” :)

The Royal Mile, Edinburgh + Tips for Traveling to Scotland. www.kevinandamanda.com

After dinner we did a Ghost and Ghouls walking tour of Edinburgh with Mercat Tours. It was okay, but not my favorite tour we did on the trip. :) I enjoyed our tours in London and Paris more. :)

The Royal Mile, Edinburgh + Tips for Traveling to Scotland. www.kevinandamanda.com

But I totally loved Edinburgh!!

The Royal Mile, Edinburgh + Tips for Traveling to Scotland. www.kevinandamanda.com

It is definitely on my wishlist to come back and explore here more. :)

Visit Bamburgh Castle on a castle drive down the coast of Scotland + More Tips for Traveling to Scotland from www.kevinandamanda.com.

The next morning we left Scotland and drove down the east coast from Edinburgh to the English city of Newcastle Upon Tyne to catch the train to London.

Visit Bamburgh Castle on a castle drive down the coast of Scotland + More Tips for Traveling to Scotland from www.kevinandamanda.com.

But first we stopped to explore some of the gorgeous castles on the coast along the way. :)

Visit Bamburgh Castle on a castle drive down the coast of Scotland + More Tips for Traveling to Scotland from www.kevinandamanda.com.

Our first stop was Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland, England.

Visit Bamburgh Castle on a castle drive down the coast of Scotland + More Tips for Traveling to Scotland from www.kevinandamanda.com.

It’s right on the beach of the North Sea.

Visit Bamburgh Castle on a castle drive down the coast of Scotland + More Tips for Traveling to Scotland from www.kevinandamanda.com.

The trails from the castle lead right to the beach.

Visit Bamburgh Castle on a castle drive down the coast of Scotland + More Tips for Traveling to Scotland from www.kevinandamanda.com.

It was actually a gorgeous day to be at the beach! I could’ve stayed here all day. :)

Visit Alnwick Castle, aka Hogwarts, featured in the Harry Potter movies on a castle drive down the coast of Scotland + More Tips for Traveling to Scotland from www.kevinandamanda.com.

But we had more castles to explore and a train to catch! :)

Visit Alnwick Castle, aka Hogwarts, featured in the Harry Potter movies on a castle drive down the coast of Scotland + More Tips for Traveling to Scotland from www.kevinandamanda.com.

Do you recognize our next castle? :)

Visit Alnwick Castle, aka Hogwarts, featured in the Harry Potter movies on a castle drive down the coast of Scotland + More Tips for Traveling to Scotland from www.kevinandamanda.com.

This is Alnwick Castle in Northumberland.

Visit Alnwick Castle, aka Hogwarts, featured in the Harry Potter movies on a castle drive down the coast of Scotland + More Tips for Traveling to Scotland from www.kevinandamanda.com.

It’s also better known as Hogwarts, the castle from the Harry Potter movies!! :)

Visit Alnwick Castle, aka Hogwarts, featured in the Harry Potter movies on a castle drive down the coast of Scotland + More Tips for Traveling to Scotland from www.kevinandamanda.com.

Alnwick Castle is very family friendly, and they have so many fun activities for kids and families like Knights Quest, Dragon Slaying, and Broomstick Training! :)

Visit Alnwick Castle, aka Hogwarts, featured in the Harry Potter movies on a castle drive down the coast of Scotland + More Tips for Traveling to Scotland from www.kevinandamanda.com.

You could seriously come and spend all day here with your family exploring the castle, checking out all the fun activities, and just hanging out and picnicking on the lawn.

Visit Alnwick Castle, aka Hogwarts, featured in the Harry Potter movies on a castle drive down the coast of Scotland + More Tips for Traveling to Scotland from www.kevinandamanda.com.

The grounds and views were just so lovely and peaceful, and the state rooms inside the castle were mesmerizing.

Our next stop was the train station in Newcastle where we dropped off our car and caught the train to London. London here we come!! :) More to come soon! :)

 

Follow along on our Scotland, London, and Paris Vacation!

Scotland

Scotland Day 1 & 2 — Inverness, Loch Ness, Skye, and Talisker Bay
Scotland Day 3 — Skye, Fairy Pools, The Highlands, and Oban
Scotland Day 4 — Islands of Scotland: Mull, Iona, and the Cave of Melodies
Scotland Day 5 — Fa’side Castle, Edinburgh
Scotland Day 6 – Edinburgh & Castle Driving the Coast of Scotland
Everything I Ate In Scotland

London

London Day 1: Notting Hill, Seven Dials, and The London Eye
London Day 2: Tower of London, Borough Market, and Big Ben
London Day 3: Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Fortnum and Mason
London Day 4: Bakery Hopping, Harrods Food Hall, and the London Tower Bridge
London Day 4: Sunset at The View from The Shard
Where We Stayed In London: Hotel Indigo Tower Hill
Everything I Ate In London

Paris

Paris Day 1: Sunrise and Sunset at the Eiffel Tower

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24 Responses
  1. Jillian

    So glad to have found this blog!  Amazing photos and tips for trips! 
    What camera do you use when traveling? Specifically,  what camera are these pictures shot with? They are beautiful.  Did you use filters or photoshop to enhance colors? 

  2. Edin

    I love all the beautiful shots! Edinburgh (and Scotland in general) is so beautiful and picturesque!

    You should definitely come back. Arthur’s Seat and The Castle is beautiful but there is so much more to discover, in the little streets with really cool and quirky independent bars, cafe’s and restaurants, and hidden parks. Edinburgh is very traditional looking and authentically Scottish, however, it hosts a ton of places which are very culturally diverse and artsy. Niche businesses thrive here, and there’s no end to the cool shops you can find!

    Thanks for sharing this!

  3. Catherine Windsor

    I spent a summer in Edinburgh, three months still doesn’t leave enough time to see everything there is to see!

  4. kelle

    Hi. Was the Isle of Skye a “must see” for you? We will mostly be golfing and sight seeing around Edinburgh for about 7 days. I might take the three-day tour, but would be going alone as I am the only one interested. I need your opinion. :)

  5. Amber

    We are going to Scotland in July for my husband’s 40 th birthday. The guys are going golfing but us four women need things to do during the day. Any top picks? We will be in Edinbugh and Turnsberry.

    Thank you for sharing

  6. Janie

    A friend shared your pics of your Scotland trip with me. Gorgeous! I am an American, now living in England have visited Scotland and LOVE it! I’ve never been to Edinburgh yet but hope to one day. The UK is one glorious country! Soooo beautiful!!!!

  7. Sandy @ Reluctant Entertainer

    LOVED following you through your amazing trip – a dream vacation! Gorgeous photos, Amanda.

  8. Alice // Hip Foodie Mom

    Amanda, your photos are so breathtaking and you’re right. . the architecture is absolutely gorgeous and stunning. . how awesome is it that you get to travel so much!! Beautiful beautiful post! and I hope to meet you and say hello in Miami at BlogHer Food! Cheers!

  9. Erin | The Law Student's Wife

    I feel like I am in a fairytale reading this post and looking at these pictures. Too beautiful to be real!

  10. Joanne @ Fifteen Spatulas

    Pete and I were thinking about Scotland and Ireland for our next Europe trip and you are seriously swaying me. Love all the photos! That sweeping grass…and those castles!!!

  11. shelly (cookies and cups)

    I LOVE that picture of you and kevin… so so beautiful!
    All your trip pictures are amazing, we all feel like we were stowaways in you suitcase :)

  12. Wendy A

    Amanda…how did you plan your trip? Did you go through a travel agency, or did you do your own research and travel plans/itinerary?

  13. Jackie

    Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful photos and your gorgeous vacation! You’re a rock star !! :)

  14. jenni

    amanda, these photos of edinburgh made me so homesick. i have only been there once and it was all too brief. like you, i want to go back. next time you go, visit when the military tattoo is on. i have never seen anything so thrilling in my entire life. it was phenomenal and i so want to see it again. the best ghost walk we ever took was in york, which aside from bath and the cotswolds, was my very favorite city. there are three civilizations evident in that city: the modern city, the roman walls and an excavated norse city underground. but the ghost walk (as well as the double cream turkish delight ice cream) was my absolute favorite (and most thrilling and haunting) of any of the walks we took elsewhere. york is definitely worth spending a couple of days in or more. i’m so happy you had a wonderful time. i look forward to going there again. your photographs made me so eager. thank you for sharing them.

  15. Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch

    These pictures are absolutely breathtaking, Amanda!!! What a beautiful area – I’m so glad you have enjoyed your trip – it looks just magical!

  16. Iiona V

    Oh purty! I love seeing castles and such amazing architect. The red telephone booth completely sent me into a Harry Potter moment :-) I’m so looking forward to the day we finally make it overseas for travel. We’re trying to do 35 states with our kiddos first & then go overseas. Currently we are at 17… Thanks for sharing!

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Meet Kevin & Amanda

Kevin and Amanda

We love to travel and to eat! Here we share our favorite quick and easy recipes, plus travel tips and guides for our favorite places around the world. If you have any questions about what camera I use or how I edit my photos, check out my photography tutorials.

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