Saskia’s Edinburgh Trip

As a Marketing, Tourism and Events student, I was thrilled to hear that my department were organising a trip to Edinburgh for a weekend of culture, friendship and most of all fun! If you want to follow my adventure in Scotland’s beautiful capital city as a University of Chester student, then carry on reading!

What we got up to

What did we actually do? Well, you’ll be pleased to know that it wasn’t a stereotypical educational trip that you might’ve done in school. No, no! Think ghosts, think Harry Potter, think unique bars and freedom. Everything that is the exact opposite of what you thought.

Edinburgh Castle

Our first stop was Edinburgh Castle, which if any of you have been to, you will know just how interesting it is! Now, believe me, I’m no history buff, but trust me when I tell you that I have never enjoyed touring a historic site as much as I enjoyed touring Edinburgh Castle! We got to see the crown jewels that were last worn in the 1600s, as well as the coronation stone, which will be used at King Charles’ Coronation in May. For those who enjoy the macabre elements, we visited the prison at the castle that was used until World War II and housed many famous people throughout history.

Tip: Stay for the firing of the gun at the castle. It’ll be sure to blow your mind!

You look like you’ve seen a ghost

Spoiling for a fright? Whether you are a believer or not, a ghost tour in Edinburgh is simply a must-do! If you like visiting graveyards after dark, delving into Edinburgh’s dark history of murder and mayhem and having a few laughs along the way, then this is for you and even better, our lecturers organised a private tour for us! One of the spookiest parts of the tour was visiting where the most active poltergeist in the world resides (according to our guide), and on a slightly lighter note, visiting Greyfriars Bobby’s grave, who was an extremely loyal and famous hound of Edinburgh. This is a great way to find out who the Scooby-Doo of the group really is!

Free time is play time

We had plenty of freedom to explore Edinburgh at our own pace with new and old friends! I enjoyed visiting the Hard Rock Café, which is a necessity to visit wherever you are! If after the ghost walk you still feel in the mood for some extra haunts, then do what I did and visit Frankenstein’s pub, which plays Frankenstein the Movie on repeat and even has a photo opportunity with the monster himself. However, my favourite thing was exploring Grassmarket and Victoria Street, where I visited the Harry Potter Museum. Who knew that Victoria Street was the inspiration for Diagon Alley? Me neither, but thanks to the University organising this trip I can now say I’ve been there! The perks of being a Tourism student!

Overall, my adventure in Edinburgh was great! I got to know my classmates and lecturers better and make lasting memories. It was also another place to tick off the bucket list, which gets bigger and bigger! I would encourage anybody that gets this kind of opportunity whilst their studying at the University of Chester to take it. It pushes you out of your everyday comfort zone and gets you socialising with people that you perhaps haven’t spoken with much before. It really was a fantastic experience!