By Paul Topping

So we are on the fast train to Edinburgh from London, four and a half hours, and it is only eight minutes late.

Having had no rain since boarding the train, the heavens open as we arrive at the railway station in Edinburgh to find a cab. Our plush accommodation is reached in ten minutes. RÌGH Residences, on the corner of George Street and Frederick Street, a great location and an excellent apartment.

We were in Edinburgh about three years ago for a week. We love the city and its vibe. The history, nightlife, cuisine and architecture and more.

Our intention is to do some new activities and visit locations not achieved on our previous visits. Our first outing and we end up in a pub, the Queens Arms , with loudish background music and friendly staff. I’m for eating there and we have a pint and end with an amazing haggis, neeps and tatties. As local as you can get. This is repeated on day two in an upmarket Scottish restaurant, The “Whiski Rooms”. Mashed potatoes, haggis, £87 per couple, including a bottle of average Malbec wine.

In the morning we take a taxi near to the castle. We are travelling with relatives who have not been to the city before, exciting for them.

The queues move in a steady flow to get in. As I’ve been here before but never ended up going, it’s a 90-minute tour. I prefer walking down the Royal Mile. Though I’ve been here a few times, it’s a joy to walk, even in the rain.

For the first time I go into St Giles’ Cathedral, an amazing building. Memorials of many Scottish military personnel dying during campaigns in Africa, the Middle East, India and two World Wars. Francis Maxwell is remembered as having been awarded the British Victoria Cross.

If you want to see the futility of wars, visit churches like this one and read through the names of the fallen.

Near the church is a statue of David Hume with his golden toes. Some people rub them for good luck, hence the colour change.

The variety of property along this mile is fascinating. Look above the shopfronts. Amazing variety and style.

Having got off the QE2 ship a week ago, we are in Edinburgh on the Royal Yacht Britannia. You need an hour at least to visit this ship and if you use their tour communication system, it’s more like ninety minutes. What a ship, what a story. Jezzabel says, “What a waste of public money. She should have been a ‘roundhead’.”

Another great meal out, this time in a fishy-type restaurant called “Fishes” in the city. Great menu and a ten-minute walk from our accommodation.

One thing Jezzabel has picked up: in every big city there are always great restaurants close by, no need to travel long distances.

The Royal Mile and the castle exterior are musts. Check out George Street, which is what is called New Town, with wide streets and buildings of the bygone years.

The evenings, whilst walking about, are very safe and we enjoy activities in Rose Street, full of bars and restaurants.

The next night we struggle to get into a good restaurant, all fully booked. It’s a Thursday night. We end at “The Ivy”, one of our favourite UK restaurant chains. No consistency and service compared to our previous visits to this international brand.

Harry Potter Alternative Tour is not on the list of things to do. Neither are official night tours to cemeteries, done it before in this city. Tapophiles rule.

In our desire to visit somewhere new, we walk to visit Dean Village. Amazing contrast to the vibrant city, rolling stream, lovely properties from different eras and styles. It’s like being in a little hamlet in middle England. There is one big old property that dominates the village, looks like an old college.
Early evening we walk through the park by Princes Street and the last rays of the day. There is a war memorial, lots of statues, and we slip into the cemetery of St. Cuthbert's  Church.

As a tapophile, I enjoy walking through the gravestones. They stand quite high here, with multiple family headstones. We find the statue and grave of the dog, Greyfriars Bobby, who waited on his owner’s grave for twenty years for his return.

Early evening, it is lovely to be walking, the crowds enjoying the park.

Our evening meal venue is The Badger, where Kenneth Grahame was born, famous for “The Wind in the Willows”. It’s £120 including half a bottle of average wine per couple.

Overall, a lovely meal and a short walk home.

An abiding memory of other trips to Edinburgh, and reinforced by this visit, is the friendly nature of the locals.