On the 9th of October 2020, my helper and I went to stay in Edinburgh for one night. We left my house at 1:00pm arrived at the hotel around 3:30pm. The journey up was good roads were relatively quiet, the traffic got busy when we approached Edinburgh. After checking into the Travelodge Edinburgh Central Waterloo Place, we went up to the room to unpack our bags and chilled out to waiting for my friends to arrive. Once my friends arrived my helper and I went to meet them down at the car park to show them where the hotel is. After settling in the hotel, we all took a walk to find anywhere that was opened for something to eat or takeaway and we also got some snacks out of Sainsburys for the hotel. Some of us ended up getting Chinese food from the restaurant a few doors down from the accommodation. The food was a bit unusual and overpriced; I think I was over charged for two meals.
Travelodge Edinburgh Central Waterloo Place Overview
We stayed at Travelodge Edinburgh Central Waterloo Place which is a 4-star rating on Tripadvisor. The hotel is centrally located to historic monuments, landmarks such as Arthur’s Seat and tourist attractions and it is a short walk to the famous Royal Mile. The hotel has 97 rooms and 6 disabled rooms to choose from such as Double Twin Accessible Room, Family Room, Double Room, Business Floor Double Room and Small Family Room. All the rooms throughout the hotel are very basic with facilities that guests require. There is a lift to take guests who require it up to every floor of the hotel. If you have a blue badge, then you are eligible to park out on the street even on double yellow lines. However, blue badge holder cannot park on yellow lines if it has two streaks on the curb, that is a loading bay.
My helper and I stayed in the Double Twin Accessible Room with wet room which has plenty of room to manoeuvre for wheelchair users and those who have other mobility requirements, the doorways are wide enough for wheelchairs and mobility aids. Double Twin Accessible Room had facilities such as: Twin beds made by Sleepeezee, accessible bathrooms with handrails, wet room with shower, cosy 10.5 tog duvet, 4 plump pillows, TV with Freeview, fresh white towels, desk with mirror, tea and coffee making facility and the Wi-Fi is free for 30 minutes or £3 for 24 hours. The staff at the hotel were very welcoming and accommodating throughout our stay. The receptionist came up to the room to give us a briefing in case on an event of a fire and showed us where the refuge points are for guests with disabilities. I found that they have paid attention to detail and met the customers need.
Edinburgh Castle Overview
Edinburgh Castle is second place in top 20 most visited tourist attractions in Scotland on VisitScotland website and the attraction was recently voted UK Heritage Attraction in the British Travel Awards and is Scotland’s number one paid-for tourist attraction.
At the start of the castle hill, you will be on the same path as the soldiers, kings and queens that used to walk along. The famous Castle is packed filled with fascinating history, facts and secrets about Edinburgh Castle and the city which dates to the 12th century. Edinburgh Castle houses Honours Crown Jewels of Scotland, the Stone of Destiny which are precious to the country. Tourists can witness the famous 15th century gun Mons Meg, the One O’ Clock Gun and the National War Museum of Scotland.
There are guided tours available by the stewards at the castle, also there is audio guided tours in eight languages English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Mandarin. The audio tour will take you on a journey through the castle explaining its architecture and tells its history and facts.
Getting Around Edinburgh Castle
On Saturday afternoon my helper and I drove to visit Edinburgh Castle and parked outside saltire court which is ½ a mile from the attraction. I pre booked tickets a few days before online on the Historic Scotland website.
Once we arrived at the castle both of us went straight for the Redcoat Café for something to eat. The café is situated near the One o’ Clock Gun cannon. After lunch we walked around the castle went to go into the New Barracks which is one of the largest buildings within the castle grounds. However, due to the lift being broken I was unable to access the museum to have a look around. After finding out about the lift we went further up the castle to the Scottish National War Memorial, Great Hall and the St Margaret’s Chapel.
The Scottish National War Memorial is fully wheelchair accessible with ramps and the ground inside is smooth which is good for wheelchair users and those with mobility requirements. Unfortunately, photography is forbidden in the Scottish National War Memorial. The Great Hall was built for King James IV around 1488 – 1513 for special occasions and political gatherings and then it was used as a soldier’s barracks in 1650. The Great Hall now features weapons and armour that were used in battles throughout Scotland and packed with history about King James IV. The Great Hall is fully accessible with ramps and the ground is also smooth to go over which is good for wheelchair users and those with other mobility requirements. The room steward in The Great Hall informed me that wheelchair users and others with mobility needs will need to go out the same way they come in as there is a large step at the other door. Inform the steward when you are ready to leave the Hall so they can assist you out of the building. St Margaret’s Chapel is the oldest building in Edinburgh which was built in 1130 by King David 1st on the castle grounds. The Chapel is small inside not a lot of room to manoeuvre. The good news is, it is fully wheelchair accessible with a ramp at the entrance, however, the ground is a wee bit uneven nothing to worry about still good enough for wheelchair users and those with mobility requirements.
Edinburgh Castle Entry Fee
Adult: £15.50 per ticket
Child: £9.30 per ticket
Concessions: £12.40 per ticket
Family price (2 Adults + 3 Children): £53 per booking
Family ticket (1 Adult + 2 Children): £31 per booking
Family ticket (2 Adults + 2 Children): £45 per booking
Young Scot Card Holder – Adult (Age 16-25) £1.00
Young Scot Card Holder – Child (Age 11-15) £1.00
Edinburgh Castle Accessibility and Facilities
Access to the castle – Tourists with disabilities can use a vehicle that is provided by the Bank of Scotland to give them the opportunity get to the top of the castle. There is ramps and lifts to access some of most important buildings such as Crown Jewels, Stone of Destiny, exhibition etc. Edinburgh Castle has free Braille guide and hands-on models of the Crown Jewels with Braille texts for those with impaired vision.
The Castle grounds – I did find the old cobbled paths around the castle bumpy and a bit steep which I found uncomfortable in my electric wheelchair. This maybe a bit of an obstacle for some wheelchair user and those with mobility requirements, the cobbles are large. My helper and I have come up with a nickname for Edinburgh, “Cobbleburgh”. I felt that my insides were rattling.
Redcoat Café – The café is wheelchair accessible with plenty of room to move around and there is no step at the entrance located next to the One O’clock Gun. The Redcoat Café provide hot and cold food and beverages.
Toilets – Disabled toilets are located near the draw bridge as soon as you go through castle gates. The toilet is spacious to manoeuvre especially for those that require an assistance with them.
Gift Shop – there are three gift shops at Edinburgh Castle Portcullis Shop, Whisky and Finest Food Shop and Crown gift shop where visitors can purchase savonniers and memorabilia.
Getting to Edinburgh Castle
Car – Blue Badge holders can park on the street if there is enough space or request a parking space on the Castle Esplanade, however there is limited spaces first come, first served. Visitors can park NCP parking at Castle Terrace £10 for 5 hours.
Bus – Airlink 100 express bus from Edinburgh airport 25 minutes journey to the city centre, the bus is wheelchair accessible and suitable for other disabilities. Some hop-on, hop-off buses stop near the castle and they are wheelchair accessible and suitable for other disabilities. The local buses in Edinburgh are wheelchair accessible and suitable for other disabilities, look for Mound or George IV Bridge.
Trams – The nearest tram stop to the castle is Princes Street or Grassmarket. All the modern trams are suitable for wheelchair users and those with other disabilities. The trams are 100% accessible with gently sloping ramps or lifts, Low entrances throughout the vehicle, high visibility handrails, two dedicated wheelchair/buggy spaces per tram, dedicated disabled priority seats and passenger alert buttons signposted in Braille for blind and partially sighted tram users.
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