Always Something New to Discover Along Edinburgh’s Royal Mile

Day 59, 2025 European Odyssey

Tuesday Aug. 26, 2025; Edinburgh, Scotland.

Last time I was in Edinburgh, a flood of people swept me up, surging downhill toward a sea of buses. My challenge was to find the right one to take me from the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo to the correct harbor and tender back to my ship.

Today, just 19 days later, the Royal Mile is still crowded, stretching down from the historic castle, but with the everyday flow of a busy tourist area. The Tattoo ended three days ago, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with its 54,000 performances ended yesterday, and the Edinburgh International Festival is winding down to its last days.

My goal this morning was somewhat undefined, other than to explore the lower part of the Royal Mile, perhaps even to reach Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Spoiler: I didn’t make it, but there’s always next time.

The city’s x99 bus – a cruise shuttle from our tender pier in South Queensferry – took about 30 minutes to reach its stop a block from the imposing Sir Walter Scott Monument.

Heading toward the middle section of the Royal Mile, I saw a sign that I should stop for breakfast. The small café’s sign actually read Edinburgh Press Club. The café in the old Scotsman newspaper building was enough for this former reporter. It also had the advantage of no wait, unlike tourist favorite The Milkman a block farther.

Full of coffee and a flaky croissant, I continued up the steep winding street to the Royal Mile. At 11 a.m., most restaurants, bars and pubs were still stocking up for the later rush.

Numerous shops were peddling Scottish wool and souvenirs sporting the plaid of every Scottish clan. Given that I’m from Texas, I wasn’t in the market for any wool. And I have never been a big fan of the Johnston clan tartan, a simple check of broad blue and green stripes with the occasional narrow yellow stripe.

The Tron Kirk Market offered a welcome break from shops full of souvenirs probably made elsewhere. The beautiful stained-glass windows remain from its previous life as a church. Today it houses booths selling local handmade products. Among the jewelry, pottery, knitwear and art, I found tins of gin-and-tonic flavored lip gloss. Perfect!

Every block or so was another busker, and some of the most popular were playing the pipes, as they are known here. We call them bagpipes. I think those woolen kilts, long scarves and feather bonnets must get pretty hot, as we are enjoying a nice sunny day. But notice the card-reader for tips – a sign of the times.

When I realized that I hadn’t made much progress in walking down toward Holyrood (and I would need to walk back uphill), I instead went to St. Giles’ Cathedral. On a past visit I sat to sketch, but was quickly frustrated in trying to get the vaulted ceiling into perspective. This time I was content to simply photograph it, as well as the distinctive crown steeple and the spot where the late Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin laid at rest in 2022. 

Before leaving the Royal Mile, I made my way up to the old Highland Tolbooth St. John’s Church, just below the Edinburgh Castle’s esplanade. I’m drawn not to the building, but to intersection of Castlehill and Johnston Terrace. It always requires a selfie under the street sign.

Lady Stair’s Close is one of dozens of narrow passageways off the Royal Mile. It leads to Makars’ Court, where words of famous Scots are inscribed in the flagstones in front of the Writers’ Museum, which I’ve toured before. It apparently also is a good tour group meeting place.

Back in the city’s commercial district, I stopped at Marks & Spencer, where I frequently find slacks and jeans that fit well. Despite trying on nearly every style of jeans, I didn’t find any I liked. For two months I’ve been wishing I had another pair of pants, but today was just warm enough that they all seemed too heavy. We’ll be heading for the warmer Mediterranean soon, so I decided to do without.

It wasn’t a wasted stop, as a brief rainstorm hit while I was trying on jeans, sending many people into the store. My timing was perfect. The rain ended and I had one last stop: to sit with Paddington Bear at St. Andrew Square.