I first arrived in Edinburgh in April 2015 and almost immediately decided to make it my home base. I usually end up there each year, and I spent most of the pandemic stuck in the beautiful city. I’d like to pass on the information I learned about being an expat in Edinburgh.
For years, I’ve had camping in the Pentlands on my bucket list, but I only managed to check it off this year while being stuck in Edinburgh. The Pentland Hills Regional Park is located 7 miles south of Edinburgh and covers 35 square miles. The park is full of forests, streams, pastures, waterfalls, reservoirs, and, of course, lots and lots of hills.
I can’t figure out how I’ve never written a guide for spending 48 hours in Edinburgh, considering this is my favorite city, my home base, and the place where I’ve spent more time than anywhere else since I started traveling the world. Maybe it’s because I could never decide how to cram everything into just two days (considering I’ve been exploring this city for months and am still finding new gems all the time), or maybe because I’ve already written journal-type posts about days I’ve spent here. Whatever the reason, here’s my recommendation on how to spend your weekend (or week-day) city break in the capital of Scotland.
If you’re looking for a good excursion from Edinburgh in Scotland, Falkirk is a great choice. This city is located only half an hour away from the capital and has plenty of fantastic attractions, including the largest equestrian statues in the world and the only boat wheel in the world, not to mention a few filming locations from Outlander as well as the most curious folly in Scotland. Here’s a guide on how to spend 48 hours in Falkirk.
If you’re visiting Falkirk, taking a tour of the Callendar House should definitely be on your itinerary. This year, the house was closed for nearly six months due to world events. As it happens, I was their very first visitor when they reopened on September 10th. In case you’re not able to get to Scotland in the near future, or if you’d just like a taste of what’s in the house, here’s a little virtual tour. This is definitely not meant to supplant your own visit someday.