Edinburgh Castle-Place to visit with Kids?

My view of the castle from hotel on Princes Street

On my recent girls weekend to Edinburgh I got to visit the beauty that is Edinburgh Castle.  A castle that stands proudly above the city steeped in history you cannot stop but stare at it when walking around the city.  Home to many Kings and Queens of Scotland in history including Mary Queen of Scots to hold the keys to the castle meant you had a great deal of power.

As a nanny and now childcare blogger I am going to look at the castle as not just a tourist attraction for adults but as a family attraction in this blog.

What is there to see and do?
The castle has many areas to visit including the following:

• old jail
• martime museum
• war memorials
• Scottish crown jewels
• military hospital
• old battery
• old weaponary

What was my favourite part?

The views are amazing!! Also I love seeing the old jail and crown jewels.

Photo taken by Nanny Bicester

Is it expensive?

children under 5 free, children 5-15 £9.60, adult £16 so relative I thought but I think worth it as there is lots to see.  If you are using local sightseeing buses entry maybe including on their tours.

Eating Facilities?

There are two places to eat Redcote Café which you can get soup, sandwiches and cake amonst other things.  We went to the Queen Anne Tearoom to have a hot drink which does some hot food, hot and cold beverages and even Afternoon Tea for £16 per person!  If we didn't have an Afternoon Tea booked for later in the day I definitely be tempted to have it!! 

What age children is it suitable for?

I would take children 4+  to the castle particularly if they have an interest in history. 

I would also like to mention due to being on a steep slope and lots of stairs any parents/carers of children with disabilities should ring ahead when planning a trip to the castle as it may cause some mobility issues.

Does Edinburgh Castle have an app/interactive tools?
You can get audio guides to listen to as you walk around or listen via the app you can download from your app providers. The legend, ghosts and mysteries section has short sections of information that you can read or listen too which would be good for people with either  audio or visual difficulties as they would have a choice on how to receive the information.

Screenshot taken by Nanny Bicester

Special events?

http://www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk/whatson will give details of special events that are happening at the castle.  In August the The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo will set to pay tribute the Queens 90th birthday see website for more details.

Would I come back?

Yes!! I would love to comeback to Edinburgh and would love to visit the castle again as I feel I missed some parts.  We also found out in the gift shop what clan tartan we belong too.  If you ask in the gift shop around the castle they will use your surname to see what heritage clan you would belong too.

Anything else to mention?

Guided Tours are available for those who wish and have a browse around the gift shop its worth a look although I didn't buy anything but there was some nice items but some over priced!

Website link- http://www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk/

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Edinburgh Zoo-Day Out Review

During our trip we wanted to visit Edinburgh Zoo as my sister in law had heard there was a penguin parade and teamed with the fact it was the only zoo in the UK that housed Koalas and Giant Pandas this sounded to us like a win.  Unfortunately the reality of the experience started to go downhill when we got there about 1.30pm as the receptionist told us the Koala area is closed from 1pm.  I was very disappointed and then she said the Panda part was fully booked for viewings.  I recommend that if you visit here to check ahead of your visit and book the Pandas otherwise you may find yourself annoyed like us!!!

Anyhow I will review this attraction in light of a family visiting as after all I am Nanny Bicester!!

Variety of animals to see
There are was a variety of animals to see including squirrel monkeys, lion, penguin's, meerkats, koalas, pandas, rhino, tiger, wallabies etc. The lion, tiger, rhino I felt were abit sad as they were on their own having no company.  I do understand that all zoos are keeping these animals in an unfamiliar environment but their enclosures felt very small and cramped in comparison to other places I've been too such as London Zoo or Longleat.


Highlights
The meerkats at the beginning were adorable and the penguin parade was good so I recommend that. I will tweet the video that we took whilst there.

Value for money?
Personally I felt that the £19 adult ticket was steep especially when the whole experience was such a let down.  My mum hit the nail on the head when she said "the zoo seems neglected" as it needed some TLC.

Is it Children friendly?
Their were lots of children who seemed to be enjoying the zoo and the animals however as it is on a hillside lots of walking uphill is involved (great views of Edinburgh though!) so expect some moaning from your little ones.  Good luck if you have a buggy although you get some great exercise, my fitbit was loving all the steep inclines!

Interactive features

In an age of modern technology most attractions make apps to use whilst there.  Edinburgh Zoo does have one of these which you can download for free and it does give useful information about the animals.  I like that the app has an explorer trail for children to use to test your knowledge that you learn whilst going around the zoo. 

The photocard section can be a laugh as you can place your face on different animals although I have only just discovered this.

In the actual zoo there are QR scanners to use on your app to bring up the information you need however apart from general information in the areas I didn't feel there was enough interactive things for children to do in the flesh.

Navigation around zoo?
We had a map and there were sign posts but they were confusing and left us unsure if we were going the right way.  Painting some arrows on the floor to the different areas would of helped.

Anywhere to eat

There are many snack kiosk's around the zoo but with exception of the café in penguin rock none of them were open.  I don't know if this is a seasonal thing but its abit annoying if you want to stop and have a coffee when going up the steep hill.  I didn't go in the café so cant comment on this however as I have said in the past I would take lots of snacks if going on a day out with my charges and probably a picnic lunch.

Hope you have found this review helpful? Have you been to Edinburgh Zoo with your little ones? Do you agree/disagree? let me know what you think by tweeting me @nannybicester

Web info
http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/