Wi-Fi arrives at Craigwell Cottage

It's here! At last! Craigwell Cottage guests can now have the
advantages of our new O2 home network for the duration of their stay.
Initially we will be charging a small fee for the use of the network
as not everyone will want it, however this policy will be reviewed
frequently. I'd you are looking for somewhere to spend a few nights in
Edinburgh, and want to be able to use your own laptop computer while
travelling, then why not try a stay at Craigwell Cottage?
We're close to the Scottish Parliament, the Royal Mile, Edinburgh
Council's Headquarters, and with great transport links nearby, we're
within easy reach of many parts of Edinburgh.

Things to do on a rainy day in Edinburgh

When you're travelling with young children, it's always good to go
armed with some ideas of what to do of the weather is foul and you're
on need of some indoor activity. During our October break we spent
some time at the Ceramic Experience just near Ocean Terminal, making a
lovely surprise for Grandma's birthday.

Edinburgh short breaks

Edinburgh is a wonderful place to spend time at any time of year, but
my favourite time of year is in September or October after the frenzy
of the Festivals is over and Edinburgh is getting back to 'normal'. I
took this photo while out shopping on a Saturday afternoon. We were
just heading from Princes Street up to the Royal Mile as we wanted to
price some pieces of kit to complete a kilt outfit before the party
and dinner season got into full swing. On the way the view from
outside the Royal Scottish Academy through the Waverley Valley towards
the Forth caught my eye, and armed with only the camera on my phone I
still think I captured quite a good shot. Hope it will inspire you to
come and stay at Craigwell Cottage some time.

Places to Visit from Craigwell Cottage

Just because you've decided to book a stay in a cottage in Edinburgh,
doesn't mean that you have to spend all your time in our fair city.
Basing your holiday at Craigwell Cottage means that you are only a few
minutes walk from the main railway station, Edinburgh's Waverley
Station: the only railway station in the UK to be named after a novel!
During our October holidays this year we set off for a day in Glasgow
as we'd heard good things about the Kelvingrove Museum and Gallery,
and had been meaning to visit for ages.
A kids go free offer meant that I'd we set off after 9.30 and returned
before 4.30 or after 6.30 we could get 2 adults and 4 children to
Glasgow by rail for less than £18.
Forty-five minutes later we were in the centre of Glasgow, and a quick
trip on the Underground and a short walk and we were there. We enjoyed
looking at the design rooms, with their Rennie Macintosh pieces, and
at the collection of art by the 'Glasgow Boys'. The children liked the
animals, the mini museum and the climate displays.
We tracked down the basement cafe which we'd heard was worth a visit,
and can confirm that all 6 managed to find enough to satisfy the picky
eaters in the party.

Dynamic Earth Visit

As agreed with Lottie and Scottie yesterday, it was to be a trip to Dynamic Earth today. So after our delicious breakfast from The Manna House, it was off up Campbell's Close to the Royal Mile, then over the road past Canongate Primary School and up to Bull's Close to find a shortcut through to Dynamic Earth. Plenty of photo opportunities en route as we passed the Scottish Parliament building with its interesting ultra modern facades. Lottie had been watching some kids show on BBC this morning about kids setting rules for their parents and says she's banning me from taking more than 5 photos a day.
Susan McNaughton
October 2008

Visiting the Garden at Craigwell Cottage

Our first morning at Craigwell Cottage looked a bit drizzly, so the
idea of walking over to The Manna House for croissants turned into a
quick trip in the car. But the croissants, petit pains au chocolat and
Mediterranean cheese swirls which we brought back were soon polished
off, and we were ready for a bit of light DIY. But it was not that
simple. Having dismantled the bed which had reached the end of its
useful life, we opened the new box to
find that the new one was in an even worse state. Time to hit the
phone. While Sandy took the old bed off to the dump (where he had to
put up with the predictable comments), we climbed up to the garden and
took some photos looking over the rooftops to Holyrood Park.

An autumn weekend at Craigwell Cottage, Edinburgh

Just beginning to experiment with my new iphone and mobile blogging - so forgive this photo! It was meant to show that the minute we arrived at Craigwell Cottage for the weekend, we kicked back, and relaxed in front of the TV while the kids got ready for bed.

No, we're not crazy! But as Sandcastle Cottage is booked during the
school holidays, we've decided to take the kids to the big city for
the weekend. Yes, our first stay at Craigwell Cottage in the heart of
Edinburgh's Old Town. I'm hoping to put up some blog postings about
what we do while we're here. More to come.

View of Edinburgh Castle from Starbuck's Princes Street.

Edinburgh Castle today

We went shopping for a little while this afternoon, and when we were in Princes Street we snapped this photographs of Edinburgh Castle in the late afternoon sunshine.

Went shopping in Princes Street today.

Edinburgh's Torchlight Procession 29 Dec 07

Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations kicked off with a torchlight procession from the Royal Mile to Calton Hill on Saturday 29 December 2007. I went along for the first time, and enjoyed it immensely. Even managed to capture some lovely night-time shots of Edinburgh.

Edinburgh's Hogmanay - 2007 into 2008

The Launch Event - Wednesday 21 November 2007

I set out from Craigwell Cottage this morning to attend the launch event for Edinburgh's Hogmanay which was being held at the newly opened Voodoo Rooms above the Cafe Royal in West Register Street at the east end of Princes Street in Edinburgh.

Taking advantage of the short-cut up the side of Calton Hill, I was able to avoid getting too wet and reached the Voodoo Rooms in under 10 minutes - good going for me! Must remember to put some information for guests about this route in my welcome pack at Craigwell Cottage.

The noise and spectacle started even before reaching the Voodoo Rooms, as there was a crowd of press photographers with their long lenses taking photographs of one of the pipers from the Red Hot Chilli Pipers posing with a monster. The monster will feature in the Monster Ceilidh on 'the night afore' - that is 30th December 2007! I kicked myself for forgetting my camera - another photo opportunity missed! The bagpipe music was great, and it made me want to be sure of a place at the Scott Monument stage for the Hogmanay Street Party where the Red Hot Chilli Pipers are appearing.

Inside there was a warm welcome in the refurbished Voodoo Rooms - the black paintwork and ornate gilt plasterwork looked fabulous in the daylight - how much more atmospheric it must look after dark. A good crowd had gathered to have a Lorne Sausage roll, or a delicate taste of honeyed Scots porridge before hearing about what was to be on offer for the 4-day Edinburgh's Hogmanay spectacular this year.

On stage in the supper room were Councillor Steve Cardownie, Peter Irvine from Unique Events, Tania Alonzi the Manager of Edinburgh's Winter Festivals and George Grubb the Lord Provost of Edinburgh.

Together their message came over loud and clear: Edinburgh's Hogmanay is going to be a very special event this year. There is an event for everyone - young and old, visitor and local. I was impressed by the increase in the offerings for families as it's sometimes appeared that the celebrations were all for the 'young, free and singles' with not so much for the older, younger or family visitors. But not this year. There are also more events indoors for those who aren't prepared to risk the weather dampening their fun.

I resolved to try to make it to the Torchlight Procession on 29 December, and to get to George Street for some of the fun and shenanigans planned on 30 December at the Night Afore event - which includes indoor and outdoor activities and entertainments - a truly Monster Ceilidh. Being part of the longest American Linedance along the length of George Street sounds like quite a challenge.

Throughout the season there's also a serious of classic films about Scotland being shown at Edinburgh's Filmhouse for when a wee rest in a dark place seems the order of the day. Look on their website for 'Highland Reels' for details.

The big Hogmanay celebrations on the night itself look incredible - there's so much going on both indoors and outdoors and full details are on the Edinburgh's Hogmanay Website. The fireworks are my favourite bit - hope to see some of them from one of Edinburgh's Seven Hills.

There are even events planned for the first of January 2008, when we all start our New Year Resolutions and can participate by flinging ourselves into the River Forth in The Loony Dook, running about daft in The One O'Clock Run, or if we're really fit, taking part in the Edinburgh Bicycle Triathlon (no point in getting into training now, though, as it's so popular entries have already closed...). The fit kids get to work out in the Iron Kids Duathlon - still time to get the kids into training for this! Even man's best friend has an event: Edinburgh's Dogmanay - husky racing.

Phew, think I'll need a holiday after all this activity - maybe a trip to Sandcastle Cottage?

Susan McNaughton
21 November 2007