Overview

We decided to try out the Secrets of the Royal Mile tour and see what might unfold. The tour started on the Royal Mile by the Mercat Cross and consisted of a guided walk along the street and dipping in to the closes. As a powerchair user it was fabulous to find a tour that was able to bring the history alive for me and included me in the exploring!

Transport & Parking

Getting up on to the Royal Mile was easy as there are loads of buses passing along the nearby bridges. Further up the street then went across the George IV bridge. All the lothian buses are wheelchair accessible. The railways station was a ten minute walk away.

Access

It seems odd at first awarding five stars to what I originally perceived to be a potentially difficult terrain of but it made so much sense when our tour guide spent time and effort in planning a route for us that provided level access all the way; just a couple of dropped kerbs. We had two powerchair users in our group and there were no problems at all in getting around. We saw everything that was described and were able to get up close to things. Our colleague who has a visually impairment loved the picture book that the guide used to show illustrations of things.

Toilets

As a walking tour the availability of accessible toilets wasn't perhaps relevant but we were delighted to hear the guide mention that she liked to be able to tell people were the nearest loos were and make time in tour should these be required.

Staff

Out tour guide was fabulous - her knowledge and ability to describe the places and the people brought the tour alive for us. She was not phased by our questions and by the end of the tour we were ready to carry on if we'd been allowed to! The attention to detail, the warm introduction at the start of the tour, and the friendly nature of the guide made the tour that little bit special.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

If you had asked all the members of our group if they'd go on a walking tour of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh they would probably have said no. Having taking the plunge and tried something completely different and little out of our comfort zone we would thoroughly recommend it to others. We learnt so much and had a great time!

Photos