Scotland is probably my favourite place. So when Colleen and I were sat in the pub at the graduation dinner for the schools that recently graduated and hatched a plan to go to Edinburgh for the weekend, I was well excited. We were only going to be in the city for something like 40 hours, but I couldn’t wait.

We took the north-eastern service from King’s Cross Station straight to Edinburgh, and it was a breathtaking journey along the coast. We saw castles and waves crashing. Our train had a delay that left us with glimpses of coast line and pine trees, and I swear, I have never been so pleased for a delay.

When we finally got to Edinburgh, we dropped our bags at the Airbnb and set out for Calton Hill. We were cutting it close for sunset, and I couldn’t help but run the final metres when I saw the sky all aglow. There were loads of tourist groups, but that didn’t diminish the sight of Edinburgh Castle and Prince’s Street with a rose-coloured background.

(photo of me taken by Colleen)

The following morning found me wrapped in my coat, having breakfast in the garden. Still, it was warmer than I ever remember Edinburgh being, and whilst trekking along the Royal Mile, I actually shed my coat and went in just my t-shirt. Colleen and I wound through the side streets and tried a deep-fried Mars bar (hello, diabetes – but holy cow, amazing). It was the weekend after the Fringe Festival shut, so the city was calming down again. Still, we only saw two bag-pipers throughout the day (and one of them, we saw twice). It felt a bit lean.

We met my mate Becca and her parents for coffee, and afterwards, she took us to the abbey that is part of the way up to Arthur’s Seat. Her red hair makes her look properly like Merida from Brave, so I took some stalker photos as she enjoyed the view of her city.

From there, Colleen and I continued up to Arthur’s Seat. One of the best and worst things about it is that it doesn’t seem as far up as it is, and once you get there, the photographs don’t show how sheer the drop is. We stayed up there for ages, the wind whipping sharply round us, the city unfolded at our feet, (the Italian tourists taking selfies and shrieking).

The trip was short, but I love that photography gives me the ability to live it over again. That, and the video I’ve made, which can perhaps help you to experience our adventure as well!