“Fantastic & thoroughly engaging trip for
our P3/4s on Monday. We learned so
much. Really well thought out, lively and
well pitched. Your enthusiasm and sense
of humour were contagious! I would
thoroughly recommend!”
J. Ross - Class Teacher
YOUR FIRST LEVEL OLD EDINBURGH TOUR
USE EVIDENCE TO DISCOVER OUR CITY’S STORY
Please email robert@historicedinburghtours.co.uk
to discuss your tour requirements
Learning questions which our First Level
Castles tour can answer
YOUR FIRST LEVEL CASTLES EXPLORATION
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THIS TOUR
FIRST LEVEL
CASTLES TOUR
“What design features did castles have
and why?”
At Craigmillar Castle, we’ll go right up and touch the castle walls. It’s an awe-inspiring (and scary) sight to look up and into the gaps in the defences towering above us! These gaps were used to shower down some nasty things onto any attacking armies. We’ll continue our look at the soldiers and weapons used at this stage of the attack, and we’ll use this to highlight some of the features which castle defenders would have used against us. We deal with these ideas with ‘first level’ appropriateness!Welcome to your first level castle
exploration!
We’ve designed this tour to help teachers delivering an early years/first level project on castles. We’ll cover some of the most interesting aspects of castles - features of a castle, life in a castle, attacking and defending a castle as well as why people stopped building castles. This tour isn’t one where your guide simply points out the past and talks, it’s been carefully designed to maximise active thinking skills and ‘think, pair, share’ opportunities’. We can run this tour at most castles, but we really recommend Craigmillar Castle. It’s a quiet and really easy to explore building and there’s a minimal charge from Historic Environment Scotland. Please note that any fee for using the castle, and booking for that, is separate from Historic Edinburgh Tours.
“How would someone attack a castle?”
Your guide will use laminated ‘Lego’ weapons to investigate the different types of weapons used when attacking a castle. We use ‘Lego’ pictures because we’ve found they really strike a chord with our younger guests! Once we’ve learned how to classify weapons into different groups, we’ll move closer to the external castle walls. Pupils will work with partners and special soldier laminated images to choose which attacking soldiers they’d use if they were an attacking general. It’s a great opportunity for them to show off their knowledge!
“What makes a Castle different from
other buildings?”
Your castle exploration starts before we even enter the castle! We’ll compare the features of the castle with other buildings we see around us. Your class will have an opportunity to show off their knowledge, and to let your guide understand the interests and knowledge level of your pupils. We’ll also look at the land around the buildings, the castle walls and the heights of the walls and turrets.“Why did people stop building
castles?”
Our investigation on weapon types allows us to investigate how weapons changed and why castles had to change because of this. The change in weaponry meant a huge change in role for your typical castle.“What was it like to live in a castle?”
Craigmillar Castle is a terrific place to explore! Often we’re the only group in the castle, and this lets your class use their detective skills to investigate the interior rooms and work out how they were once used. The kitchen of Craigmillar is a great place to investigate. Your guide will point out various features in the room for your classes to think about and then use to help them imagine this room as it once was. There are so many great history detective skills to be used in the castle rooms - from the kitchen to the Great Hall…and even the dungeon!
Important information for
the class teacher
“What can we see, hear and smell in a
castle?”
Castles have a very different ‘feel’ to them, and this tour will make the most of opportunities to encourage your class to use their senses as they move around the building. Your class will walk under a portcullis, in and out of exposed old rooms and they’ll even see an authentic toilet ! They will walk up turnpike staircases, hearing the echos and muffled sounds, smelling the smells you experience when you actually visit a castle. These sensations make for great opportunities for writing!
Wet weather information
This tour has significant ‘outside’ sections with limited areas
where we can shelter out of the rain. We do realise that a wet
and windy day probably isn’t going make for positive
memories! Much of this tour is done outside and not inside
the castle.
We’re pretty flexible and will happily reschedule your date.
There’s no extra cost for this, although this may not be
possible due your castle booking or organised transportation.
However, please know that, whatever the weather, we will be
there for you!
If you’d like to reschedule your tour, please let us know by 8.30
am on the morning of your tour. My mobile number is 07590
026 077
Accessibility information
This one-hour tour won’t involve lots of walking, but there
are few areas to offer proper rest points. We’ve put together
a page which will highlight some relevant accessibility issues
which occur on this tour route.
We will try to alter the tour if needed. There are limited
options for this, however. Sadly, most castles don’t have
perfect accessibility options although Historic Environment
Scotland properties do make as many alterations as the
building’s history allows.
Risk assessment
Risk assessment is something which your governing body
will legally need you to carry out and, as such, we can only
offer some suggestions and recommendations for your
paperwork.
While we can’t offer these as your official risk assessment,
please click here to download our suggested risk assessment
information and our route instructions.
Toilets and added value to your tour (!)
We’ve got no planned ‘toilet’ stops on our section of this tour, but
there are toilets there. Craigmillar Castle does have toilets with
access for guests. There are toilets throughout Edinburgh
Castle.
Please note that our fee is only for your guided tour. Schools will
have to book transport and use of the castle separately. Please
also note that Edinburgh Castle has strict guidelines for tour
guides - we can’t, for example, guide inside any of the buildings.
We strongly advise that you consider booking Craigmillar Castle.
Previous classes have been able to lunch in the castle and then
explore the grounds in their own time, after the tour.
You may wish to investigate Historic Environment Scotland’s
offers for subsidised transport. Find out more here.
Please contact us so that we can discuss your castle tour requirements.
Email us at; robert@historicedinburghtours.co.uk
You can also call/text us on; 07590 026 077
Please contact us so that we can discuss your castle tour requirements.
Email us at; robert@historicedinburghtours.co.uk
You can also call/text us on; 07590 026 077
2020 TRAVELLER’S CHOICE AWARD WINNER
ONLINE EXPERIENCES
Old Edinburgh Virtual Tour
© Historic Edinburgh Tours Ltd 2020
Call us +44 (0)7590 026 077
WE’RE GOOD TO GO!
COVID-19 AND YOUR SAFETY
Historic Edinburgh Tours Ltd have successfully achieved the
‘Good to go” standard from Visit Britain which shows we follow
current government COVID-19 guidelines and that we have
processes in place to maintain cleanliness and aid social
distancing.
You can find out more about our COVID-19 policy here.
Please contact us so that we can discuss your castle
tour requirements.
Email us at; robert@historicedinburghtours.co.uk
You can also call/text us on; 07590 026 077
“Fantastic & thoroughly engaging trip
for our P3/4s on Monday. We learned
so much. Really well thought out, lively
and well pitched. Your enthusiasm and
sense of humour were contagious! I
would thoroughly recommend!”
J. Ross - Class Teacher
FIVE REASONS WHY WE THINK
YOU WILL LIKE THIS TOUR!
WHY EXPLORE A BURIAL GROUND?
FIRST LEVEL
CASTLES TOUR
Please email robert@historicedinburghtours.co.uk
to discuss your tour requirements
Learning questions
which our First Level
Castles tour can answer
“What design features did castles have
and why?”
At Craigmillar Castle, we’ll go right up and touch the castle walls. It’s an awe-inspiring (and scary) sight to look up and into the gaps in the defences towering above us! These gaps were used to shower down some nasty things onto any attacking armies. We’ll continue our look at the soldiers and weapons used at this stage of the attack, and we’ll use this to highlight some of the features which castle defenders would have used against us. We deal with these ideas with ‘first level’ appropriateness!
“How would someone attack a castle?”
Your guide will use laminated ‘Lego’ weapons to investigate the different types of weapons used when attacking a castle. We use ‘Lego’ pictures because we’ve found they really strike a chord with our younger guests! Once we’ve learned how to classify weapons into different groups, we’ll move closer to the external castle walls. Pupils will work with partners and special soldier laminated images to choose which attacking soldiers they’d use if they were an attacking general. It’s a great opportunity for them to show off their knowledge!“What makes a Castle different from
other buildings?”
Your castle exploration starts before we even enter the castle! We’ll compare the features of the castle with other buildings we see around us. Your class will have an opportunity to show off their knowledge, and to let your guide understand the interests and knowledge level of your pupils. We’ll also look at the land around the buildings, the castle walls and the heights of the walls and turrets.“Why did people stop building castles?”
Our investigation on weapon types allows us to investigate how weapons changed and why castles had to change because of this. The change in weaponry meant a huge change in role for your typical castle.“What was it like to live in a castle?”
Craigmillar Castle is a terrific place to explore! Often we’re the only group in the castle, and this lets your class use their detective skills to investigate the interior rooms and work out how they were once used. The kitchen of Craigmillar is a great place to investigate. Your guide will point out various features in the room for your classes to think about and then use to help them imagine this room as it once was. There are so many great history detective skills to be used in the castle rooms - from the kitchen to the Great Hall…and even the dungeon!
Important information for
the class teacher
“What can we see, hear and smell in a
castle?”
Castles have a very different ‘feel’ to them, and this tour will make the most of opportunities to encourage your class to use their senses as they move around the building. Your class will walk under a portcullis, in and out of exposed old rooms and they’ll even see an authentic toilet ! They will walk up turnpike staircases, hearing the echos and muffled sounds, smelling the smells you experience when you actually visit a castle. These sensations make for great opportunities for writing!
Wet weather information
This tour has significant ‘outside’ sections with limited areas
where we can shelter out of the rain. We do realise that a wet
and windy day probably isn’t going make for positive memories!
We’re pretty flexible and will happily reschedule your date.
There’s no extra cost for this, although this may not be possible
due your castle booking or organised transportation. However,
please know that, whatever the weather, we will be there for
you!
If you’d like to reschedule your tour, please let us know by 8.30
am on the morning of your tour. My mobile number is 07590
026 077
Accessibility information
This one-hour tour won’t involve lots of walking, but there are
few areas to offer proper rest points. We’ve put together a page
which will highlight some relevant accessibility issues which
occur on this tour route.
We will try to alter the tour if needed. There are limited options
for this, however. Sadly, most castles don’t have perfect
accessibility options.
Risk assessment
Risk assessment is something which your governing body will
legally need you to carry out and, as such, we can only offer
some suggestions and recommendations for your paperwork.
While we can’t offer these as your official risk assessment,
please click here to download our suggested risk assessment
information and our route instructions.
Toilets and added value to your tour (!)
We’ve got no ‘toilet’ stops on our section of this tour. Craigmillar
Castle does have toilets with access for guests. There are toilets
situated throughout Edinburgh Castle.
Please note that our fee is only for your guided tour. Schools will
have to book transport and use of the castle separately. Please
also note that Edinburgh Castle has strict guidelines for tour
guides - we can’t, for example, guide inside any of the buildings.
We strongly advise that you consider booking Craigmillar Castle.
Previous classes have been able to lunch in the castle and then
explore the grounds in their own time, after the tour.
You may wish to investigate Historic Environment Scotland’s
offers for subsidised transport. Find out more here.
“Our Crime and Punishment tour on
Thursday night with two P7 classes was
definitely one of the best school trips I've
been on in my 22 year teaching career”
L. Ross -
Class Teacher
Please contact us so that we can discuss your castle
tour requirements.
Email us at; robert@historicedinburghtours.co.uk
You can also call/text us on; 07590 026 077
Welcome to your first level castle
exploration!
We’ve designed this tour to help teachers delivering an early years/first level project on castles. We’ll cover some of the most interesting aspects of castles - features of a castle, life in a castle, attacking and defending a castle as well as why people stopped building castles. This tour isn’t one where your guide simply points out the past and talks, it’s been carefully designed to maximise active thinking skills and ‘think, pair, share’ opportunities’. We can run this tour at most castles, but we really recommend Craigmillar Castle. It’s a quiet and really easy to explore building and there’s a minimal charge from Historic Environment Scotland. Please note that any fee for using the castle, and booking for that, is separate from Historic Edinburgh Tours.
FIRST LEVEL
CASTLES TOUR
© Historic Edinburgh Tours Ltd 2020
Text/Call us :
+44 (0)7590 026 077
WE’RE GOOD TO GO!
COVID-19 AND YOUR SAFETY
Historic Edinburgh Tours Ltd have achieved the
‘Good to go” standard from Visit Britain.
You can find out more about our COVID-19
policy here.
