Edinburgh essentials
The royal yacht, and other must-see spots in the ancient capital
It’s not often that one gets to peek into Queen Elizabeth’s bedroom. But aboard Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia, visitors can admire the quarters she occupied while sailing the oceans blue.
Seen through a glass wall, her bed, with its flower-patterned bedspread, is in a white-walled, white-carpeted room containing conservative blond-toned wood furniture. Prince Philip’s adjoining room has plainer dark wood furniture, and the unadorned bedspread is a silky deep maroon.
Their quarters are near the stern lounge and deck, “Princess Diana’s favourite area” when she and Prince Charles honeymooned on the Mediterranean in 1981, duty manager Andrea Bradbury said.
The Queen received world leaders and other VIPs aboard the yacht at receptions and state dinners.
To maintain a dignified atmosphere, “there was no shouting,” Bradbury said. Orders between the 21 Royal Navy officers and 250 Royal Yachtsmen “were given by hand signals.”
Built at Clydebank, south of Glasgow, the royals used the 5,769-tonne, 126-by-17-metre steamship from 1954 until 1997, when it was retired after 696 foreign voyages and 272 visits to British waters.
Cared for by the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust, a Scottish charity, the popular attraction — with more than 300,000 annual visitors — is also available for special events, catered dinners and private tours.
On a Canadian note, a photo of Diana greeting her two sons as they stepped aboard Britannia in Toronto harbour is displayed at the entrance and exit. The boys were joining their parents on a 1991 royal visit to Canada.
Quoted as saying: “Britannia is the one place where I can truly relax,” the Queen reportedly wept at the ship’s decommissioning ceremony. Replacement plans never floated through Parliament.
HIDDEN STREETS
Visiting High Street has been a must-do since my Glasgow-born grandfather brought me to Edinburgh in 1971. On subsequent visits, I’ve always enjoyed the bustling Old Town with its cobblestone streets, shops, spired churches, costumed street performers and cafés.
In addition to battles, royal intrigue, business and crime, tales of ghosts, deadly plagues, killers and executions both titillate and haunt visitors.
Life was hard and often short centuries ago, especially for poor families jammed into tiny dank alleys called “wynds” or “closes” — one of which survives. The Real Mary King’s Close, where a plague killed half the residents, is a time capsule under the City Chambers, which were built over razed sections of the city in the 1750s. The close contains four streets, stone-walled rooms, plus narrow stairs and alleys.
TEA IN THE CASTLE
Exploring part of Edinburgh Castle, where my Gramps was billeted as a volunteer during the First World War, was fun.
I had afternoon tea for $32 — comparable to some high-class Canadian hotels — and sampled small, delectable roast beef, egg and salmon sandwiches, tasty tarts and Scottish scones on a balcony overlooking The Tea Rooms, where patrons enjoyed similar treats from towering trays.