“Wow! What a guy, we booked
this two hour Canongate
evening history tour prior to
our first visit to Edinburgh after
reading his excellent reviews
BUT it's even better than first
class if that's possible! He still
ran this tour even though there
was only the two of us, how
kind, his enthusiasm, passion
for his homeland and
knowledge is unbelievable....if
our school history lesson had
been this interesting we may
have gained an A* !
Jo B TripAdvisor review -
20/5/2018
We think that this is THE street to see in Edinburgh! This
tour will reveal the interesting and action-packed history of
the most significant street in Scotland's capital city. If
something important happened in Edinburgh, the chances
are it played out somewhere along the historic street which
links Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace.
Once a separate town from Edinburgh, with a distinctly
different feel to it, the Canongate is a fundamental part of
Edinburgh's UNESCO World Heritage Site. You'll get plenty
of time to experience the history of what is now part of the
City of Edinburgh.
We'll take you to locations in and around the famous
thoroughfare. This walk will give you some wonderful
photographic opportunities, and you'll go away with an
incredible understanding of Edinburgh as it is today and
also how it was in the past.
“Our guide, Robert was very
knowledgeable, both of the
area and local history. Having
lived in Edinburgh for nearly 50
years, l visited places that night
l had never been before, seen
things l hadn't even noticed
(despite walking past them on a
daily basis) and learnt
something about my own city.
Go on this at least once,
whether you're a local or a
visitor to the city, you won't be
disappointed.”
TripAdvisor review by Sean B
- July 2015
Days: Selected dates only.
Prices: Adult - £10 Senior - £8 Children - £2
Duration: 2 hours (approx).
Meeting place: Just inside the ‘amphitheatre’ at
Dynamic Earth EH8 8AS
THE YOUNG PRETENDER
One of the most romantic figures in Scottish history is the 'Young Pretender', Prince Charles Edward Stewart, or 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' as he's often known. We'll look at his time in Edinburgh in 1745 a few times on this tour, from learning about the importance of Holyrood Palace to seeing where he billeted his officers. We will even re-create his surprise attack on the Netherbow Port. Your Edinburgh guide knows this area intimately, and it features on our schools' Jacobite activity walk.
KEY INFORMATION
A DYNAMIC START!
Your guide will meet you just in front of Dynamic Earth, giving us a brilliant viewpoint for us to see the nearby Arthur’s Seat, Salisbury Crags and Holyrood Park. Although the Canongate is now part of Edinburgh today, for much of the area’s history there were two very separate towns (or burghs) here – Edinburgh and the Canongate. You’ll visit both on this walk. Edinburgh’s Old Town lies on what is called a ‘crag and tail’ geological formation. Edinburgh Castle sits on the ‘crag’, and the Royal Mile runs down the ‘tail’. This tour doesn’t just explain that - it lets you FEEL it as we walk up the rise of the ‘tail’! We still think this is a good thing!WHITE HORSE CLOSE -
HERITAGE AND HISTORY
The Canongate has some of the most picturesque places in what is now known as 'Old Edinburgh.' We'll take you to White Horse Close, absolutely 'picture postcard' stuff and we'll take you to the even more authentic Bakehouse Close. Both places give you that beautiful feeling of actually seeing and experiencing some Old Town charm. By the time we've thrown in a peek at Holyrood Palace and Abbey AND a look at the John Knox House, you'll feel you have been walking through history!THE CANONGATE KIRKYARD
We love this place, and we will make the most of the picturesque Canongate Kirkyard on your tour. You’ll visit the graves of Adam Smith, father of modern economics and Agnes McLehouse, a lady who was one of the loves of Robert Burns. There’s a lot to discover in this graveyard!THE JOHN KNOX HOUSE
We spend a bit of time exploring this area of the city. We’ll reveal to you the military importance of the narrow Netherbow, the street on which the John Knox House sits, and we’ll then look at the story of the John Knox House. It’s a story which takes in one of the most divided periods in Scotland’s history - a civil war - a story which had fatal consequences for the original owner of the house. We will also look at the story of John Knox, one of Scotland’s leading Protestant reformers.
We can also offer this as a private tour.
FRIENDLY LOCAL GUIDE - Robert was born in Edinburgh
and has lived here all his life.
SEE THE SIGHTS - Including Abbey Strand, Bakehouse Close,
Canongate Kirkyard, the High Street , an Old Town close and the
Grassmarket.
OFF THE BEATEN PATH - We take you to some ‘hidden’
gems’ many visitors completely miss.
A PICTURE TELLS A THOUSAND WORDS - Your guide uses an
A3 book with images which will show you what the city used to
look like.
EXCELLENCE - This tour has an average ‘five-star’
rating on Tripadvisor.
DISCOVER HOW ONE STREET PLAYED A ROLE IN SCOTLAND’S HISTORY
- OUR ROYAL MILE TOUR
WE CAN ONLY TAKE GUESTS WHO HAVE PRE-BOOKED
FIVE REASONS TO COME ON THIS
GUIDED WALK
EXPLORE SCOTLAND’S MOST HISTORIC STREET ON YOUR
ROYAL MILE TOUR
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS
EDINBURGH TOUR
WHAT WILL YOU SEE ON YOUR
WALKING TOUR?
Copyright Historic Edinburgh Tours Ltd 2020
Registered in Scotland I SC 454482
28/2 Bridge Road, Edinburgh, EH13 0LQ
ABOUT US
Text/Call us :
+44 (0)7590 026 077
BOOK ANY TOUR
EDINBURGH
TOURS
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WE?
ONLINE
EXPERIENCES
Copyright Historic Edinburgh Tours Ltd 2020
Registered in Scotland I SC 454482
28/2 Bridge Road, Edinburgh, EH13 0LQ
Days: Selected dates only.
Prices: Adult - £10 Senior - £8 Children - £2
Duration: 2 hours (approx).
Meeting place: Just inside the ‘amphitheatre’ at
Dynamic Earth EH8 8AS
KEY INFORMATION
We can also offer this as a private tour.
FRIENDLY LOCAL GUIDE - Robert was born in
Edinburgh and has lived here all his life.
SEE THE SIGHTS - Including Abbey Strand, Bakehouse
Close, Canongate Kirkyard, the High Street , an Old Town
close and the Grassmarket.
OFF THE BEATEN PATH - We take you to some
‘hidden’ gems’ many visitors completely miss.
A PICTURE TELLS A THOUSAND WORDS - Your
guide uses an A3 book with images which will show you
what the city used to look like.
.
EXCELLENCE - This tour has an average ‘five-
star’ rating on Tripadvisor.
EXPLORE SCOTLAND’S MOST HISTORIC STREET ON YOUR
ROYAL MILE TOUR
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS
EDINBURGH TOUR
“Our guide, Robert was very knowledgeable,
both of the area and local history. Having lived
in Edinburgh for nearly 50 years, l visited places
that night l had never been before, seen things
l hadn't even noticed (despite walking past
them on a daily basis) and learnt something
about my own city.
Go on this at least once, whether you're a local
or a visitor to the city, you won't be
disappointed.”
TripAdvisor review by Sean B
- July 2015
WHAT WILL YOU SEE ON YOUR
WALKING TOUR?
WE ADAPT YOUR ROUTE TO
SUIT
Edinburgh can sometimes be incredibly busy, especially the section of the Royal Mile between the Tron Kirk and the Lawnmarket. When the Edinburgh International Festival and Festival Fringe are on in August/September, we sometimes offer an alternative route down to the Canongate. Altering the route this way allows us to run a safer walk which keeps everyone together, and incorporates just as many interesting and picturesque locations.
“Wow! What a guy, we booked this two hour
Canongate evening history tour prior to our first
visit to Edinburgh after reading his excellent
reviews BUT it's even better than first class if
that's possible! He still ran this tour even though
there was only the two of us, how kind, his
enthusiasm, passion for his homeland and
knowledge is unbelievable....if our school history
lesson had been this interesting we may have
gained an A* !
Jo B TripAdvisor review - 20/5/2018
FIVE REASONS TO COME ON THIS
GUIDED WALK
THE YOUNG PRETENDER
One of the most romantic figures in Scottish history is the 'Young Pretender', Prince Charles Edward Stewart, or 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' as he's often known. We'll look at his time in Edinburgh in 1745 a few times on this tour, from learning about the importance of Holyrood Palace to seeing where he billeted his officers. We will even re-create his surprise attack on the Netherbow Port. Your Edinburgh guide knows this area intimately, and it features on our schools' Jacobite activity walk.A DYNAMIC START!
Your guide will meet you just in front of Dynamic Earth, giving us a brilliant viewpoint for us to see the nearby Arthur’s Seat, Salisbury Crags and Holyrood Park. Although the Canongate is now part of Edinburgh today, for much of the area’s history there were two very separate towns (or burghs) here – Edinburgh and the Canongate. You’ll visit both on this walk. Edinburgh’s Old Town lies on what is called a ‘crag and tail’ geological formation. Edinburgh Castle sits on the ‘crag’, and the Royal Mile runs down the ‘tail’. This tour doesn’t just explain that - it lets you FEEL it as we walk up the rise of the ‘tail’! We still think this is a good thing!WHITE HORSE CLOSE - HERITAGE
AND HISTORY
The Canongate has some of the most picturesque places in what is now known as 'Old Edinburgh.' We'll take you to White Horse Close, absolutely 'picture postcard' stuff and we'll take you to the even more authentic Bakehouse Close. Both places give you that beautiful feeling of actually seeing and experiencing some Old Town charm. By the time we've thrown in a peek at Holyrood Palace and Abbey AND a look at the John Knox House, you'll feel you have been walking through history!THE JOHN KNOX HOUSE
We spend a bit of time exploring this area of the city. We’ll reveal to you the military importance of the narrow Netherbow, the street on which the John Knox House sits, and we’ll then look at the story of the John Knox House. It’s a story which takes in one of the most divided periods in Scotland’s history - a civil war - a story which had fatal consequences for the original owner of the house. We will also look at the story of John Knox, one of Scotland’s leading Protestant reformers.
Text/Call us :
+44 (0)7590 026 077
BOOK ANY TOUR
WE CAN ONLY TAKE GUESTS WHO HAVE PRE-BOOKED
We think that this is THE street to see in Edinburgh! This
tour will reveal the interesting and action-packed history of
the most significant street in Scotland's capital city. If
something important happened in Edinburgh, the chances
are it played out somewhere along the historic street
which links Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace.
Once a separate town from Edinburgh, with a distinctly
different feel to it, the Canongate is a fundamental part of
Edinburgh's UNESCO World Heritage Site. You'll get plenty
of time to experience the history of what is now part of the
City of Edinburgh.
We'll take you to locations in and around the famous
thoroughfare. This walk will give you some wonderful
photographic opportunities, and you'll go away with an
incredible understanding of Edinburgh as it is today and
also how it was in the past.
ABOUT US