Celebrating in Edinburgh – Hogmanay

New Year’s Eve was our first full day of exploring in Edinburgh and we saw so much. From the Castle to the Royal Mile, there were endless photo opportunities – and I took pretty much every one! Here’s a selection…

Our first stop was the Grassmarket area, where I had it on good authority (from Cait and Rosie) that there were lots of lovely vintage shops and cute cafés to be discovered. Unfortunately many places were closed for the holidays so there wasn’t much chance for bargain hunting. I’ll definitely be back another time though, as pressing my nose against the glass of each shop wasn’t quite the same!

We carried on walking and soon reached Edinburgh Castle aka The Windiest Place on Earth. Not the best day to wear a dress, but the views from the top were spectacular and the thoroughly Scottish shops along the Royal Mile made up for the lack of shopping earlier.

Walking down the Royal Mile was a great experience – there are so many nooks and crannies covered in twinkling lights, and I had fun nipping in and out of the various wool and cashmere shops searching for the perfect tartan scarf (which I eventually found – evidence below!).

Edinburgh is a very patriotic city and Scottish heritage can be seen on every corner, particularly in the form of bagpipe players!

Dress, ASOS | Coat, French Connection | Boots c/o Zalando | Scarf, Edinburgh Cashmere | Hat, Zara | Gloves, French Connection | Bag, Mulberry

Our daytime adventures ended at Edinburgh Zoo, where we saw the famous Giant Pandas, monkeys, exotic birds, wild dogs and an amazing pair of rhinos. It was fantastic to see such endangered animals up close, and the keepers were so knowledgeable and passionate about their conservation. Sadly we were so unbearably cold by this point (seriously, Scottish people – you’re a hardy bunch. I thought us Yorkshire folk were tough!) we didn’t make it all the way round, but we’ll definitely be back in the summer for a glimpse of the big cats.

As night fell and after a refresh back at our apartment, we headed back out to take part in the spectacular Hogmanay celebrations on Princes Street. I didn’t take my camera, but for photos from the night and more snaps of our trip, take a look at my Instagram feed.

Rob and I are on the train heading back to Leeds now and I’m so sad to be leaving. I’ve fallen head over heels for the Scottish capital and am counting down to my next visit. What a great way to see in 2013!

Happy New Year everyone! Let me know if you’ve ever visited Edinburgh – I’d love to hear your travel tales.