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Mercat Tours Guide With Candle

Halloween Events in Edinburgh 2021: Top Things To Do

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We’ve put together a list of the top things to do in Edinburgh this Halloween. Have a look to discover the events announced so far, from ghost tours to magical light trails.

Halloween Ghost Tours, Mercat Tours

Mercat Tours’ ghost tours are a go-to for Halloween in Edinburgh. Visit the mysterious Blair Street Underground Vaults below the city with their award-winning storytellers who will be in full fancy dress. They have a range of tours to suit families and those 18+.

Tours include: Halloween Underground, Haunted Halloween 16+, Spirits of Halloween, Raising the Dead 18+.

(c) Mercat Tours

Edinburgh Zoo Spooktacular

Similar to their annual winter event, Edinburgh Zoo will host a Halloween light trail this year. Follow the trail and see the animals while surrounded by the spirit of the season. The perfect day out for families. Book here.

Image (c) Edinburgh Zoo

Lauriston Castle – Twilight Seance 18+

Are you a believer in the otherworldly? Then this event at Lauriston Castle is for you. Join paranormal illusionist Ash Pryce and join hands as you make contact with the other side. It’s giving us chills just thinking about it! Book here.

(c) Ash Pryce

The Lauriston Castle Horror Tour 12+

Horror tours are yet another spooky event taking place at Lauriston Castle this Halloween. Hear tales of murder, witch trials, and persecutions as your guide takes you through the Castle’s halls.

(c) Edinburgh Horror Festival

Lauriston Castle, Wand Making 5+

Everyone loves magic, especially kids! Take them along to this event at Lauriston Castle where they’ll craft their very own magic wand. Book here. 🪄

(c) Museums & Galleries Edinburgh

Fright Night Silent Movies – St. Vincent’s Chapel

A double bill of two classic silent horror movies in black and white, including The Phantom of The Opera and Nosferatu. The movies will be accompanied by a live score performed by professional musicians. More info here.

Children’s Terror Trail – Lauriston Castle

Running as a part of The Edinburgh Horror Festival, this terror trail will take kids on an adventure where they’ll defeat baddies, take part in challenges, and uncover hidden horrors. Children should be accompanied by an adult and refreshments and snacks will also be available. More info here.

(c) Edinburgh Horror Festival

Halloween Spooktacular – Dobbies Club Member Event

Are you a Dobbies Club Member? Dobbies Edinburgh will be hosting a Halloween Spooktacular for children with devilish dancing and ghoulish games. It sounds like the school disco we all wish we’d had, only spookier. Tickets come with a kids meal and a fancy dress competition will also be held. More info.

(c) Dobbies

Mary’s Milk Bar Edinburgh – Ice Cream Review

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With summer on the horizon we thought we’d review one of Edinburgh’s best ice-cream parlours – Mary’s Milk Bar!

Located on Edinburgh’s Grassmarket with a view of Edinburgh Castle, it’s a great spot to stop and cool down on a warm summer day in the Scottish capital.

Mary’s Milk Bar Ice-Cream Flavours

Their unique range of flavours are so stunning you’ll want to try them all. Some flavours change daily but the unique flavours that were on display when we visited were:

  • White Chocolate + Basil

  • Nectarine + Rosemary

  • Chocolate + Lavender

  • Cherry Mascarpone

    • Ice cream flavours at Marys Milk Bar

    I decided to try a double scoop cone with a combination of cherry and mascarpone and chocolate and lavender. It was lovely 💖! I liked that the ice cream wasn’t overly sweet and the cherry flavour had actual cherries in it. It’s somewhere I’ll definitely be visiting again.

    Summary

    If you’re in Edinburgh this summer, you need to visit this cute little ice cream shop. The staff are so friendly and it’s honestly some of the best ice cream I’ve had in a long time.

    Rating:

    5 Scottish Unicorns out of 5

    🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄

    Hula Juice Bar and Healthy Eatery – Edinburgh – Review

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    Hula Juice Bar and Healthy Eatery is one of those places that I keep coming back to. With two locations in Edinburgh, one at Fountainbridge, and another near Victoria Street – I’m very lucky to live near one and work near the other.

    They also have a great selection of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options and all of their food and coffee is sourced locally.

    Breakfast 🍓

    Hula does some incredible smoothie bowls which come beautifully presented. This is the Acai Bowl priced at £7.65 with;

    “A frozen base of organic acai berry, strawberry, banana, blueberry and coconut. Topped with granola, goji berries, banana, chia seeds, cacao nibs, blueberries and coconut shavings.”

    It’s bursting with berry flavour, the portion is well-sized, and I was definitely full afterward. Something I love about Hula is that I never have to feel guilty for eating there because it’s healthy! Although, they do have a great selection of cakes too if you’ve got room for it.

    Lunch 🥪

    We’ve had a few different lunches at Hula including, the Sriracha Chicken Wrap (£6.95), Teriyaki Jackfruit & Kimchi bowl (£8.25), and Harissa Chicken Sourdough Sandwich (£6.95). My favourite out of all of them? The wrap. It was perfectly toasted, light, and gently flavoured, with a teeny kick of spice. Hula’s side salads are also always fresh with a yummy dressing.

    The harissa sandwich is very similar in taste to the wrap and the sourdough was soft, and crisp – but it was a bit fragile and crumbly, making for a difficult eating experience. In terms of the teriyaki bowl – all of the ingredients were so fresh, but we just felt like it needed more of a kick.

    However, if you’re someone who prefers natural, clean flavours, then you’d probably enjoy it, and I think that’s what Hula is all about natural, fresh, healthy food that’s good for you!

    • Jackfruit Teriyaki & Kimchi Bowl
    • Sriracha Chicken Wrap
    Harissa Chicken Sandwich

    Drinks 🥤

    Hula has a great range of smoothies, and I’ve yet to try all of them.

    So far, my favourite is the Blue Hawaiian made with strawberry, blueberry, banana and apple. It’s sweet and is a berry lover’s dream. The Betty Ford is also nice, not quite as sweet as the Hawaiian, and mostly strawberry flavoured with a hint of banana. Smoothies are priced at £3.95 for a small, £4.95 for a large.

    You can also choose to add one of Hula’s organic boosters, such as multivitamins and antioxidants, for 85p.

    Hula do milkshakes as well! Hubby went for the Nutty Professor, made with peanut butter and banana. It was thick and smooth and overall very tasty.

    When it comes to their hot drinks, Hula also have a brilliant range. The menu is divided into coffee and not-coffee for those that are caffeine sensitive. I chose the cinnamon latte, it was deep and rich, with earthy undertones. Plus, it was nice to know the beans were roasted locally in Edinburgh. I think now, more than ever, we need to support our local businesses.

    • Cinnamon Latte
    • Nutty Professor Milkshake & Betty Ford Smoothie
    • Blue Hawaiian Smoothie

    Overall

    I’d recommend trying Hula at least once, especially their breakfast menu and smoothies. Portion sizes are good and fairly priced. To some, £3.95 may seem steep for a smoothie, but not when you consider the ingredients that go into them, plus they taste fantastic!

    Rating

    4 Scottish Unicorns out of 5

    🦄🦄🦄🦄

    Pizzeria 1926 Edinburgh Entrance

    Pizzeria 1926 Review – Dalry, Edinburgh

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    Woo-hoo! Who doesn’t love a good slice of pizza (or ten)? 🍕

    As pizza lovers, we opted to spend our latest date-night at Pizzeria 1926, located on Dalry Road in Edinburgh. Rated 4.6 stars on Google, I’ve been hearing great things about this place for years. So with that said – let’s get into it!

    Freshly Made Italian Pizzas

    Pizzeria 1926 is known for its fresh and authentic Italian style pizzas. Founded by an Italian family from Naples, they know their stuff. The Pizzeria 1926 website states:

    “All the ingredients used at Pizzeria 1926 are fresh and simple. The very best varieties of tomatoes, burrata, mozzarella, sausage, flour and olive oil are imported from Italy, whilst meat, seafood and vegetables are sourced as locally as possible.”

    The inside of the restaurant is small but cozy, emblazoned with Napoli Football Club memorabilia, and decorated in their team colours, blue and white. The name of the restaurant even comes from the year the football club was founded, 1926.

    As a Scots girl and Bengali guy, we found the menu a little difficult to navigate – with Italian titles and no pictures, it was hard to grasp what each pizza was. We decided on the A’ Caprese and Ko’ Pesto.

    The A’ Caprese description was as follows: Cream of Vesuvian Piennolo tomatoes, garlic, basil, and burrata. It came uniquely presented, with a tasty ball of burrata in the middle! After spreading the burrata around the pizza, it was definitely creamy, which was a nice contrast to the tanginess of the tomato.

    The Ko’Pesto was delicious – Italian pesto is extremely flavourful, and it really shone through. Both pizzas were fresh, with soft stretchy dough, cooked within view of customers in a large pizza oven. Each priced at £10.95, we felt it was excellent value for money.

    To wash our pizzas down, we had a nice cool drink of Cola and San Pellegrino Lemonade. Both came in glass bottles, which added to the authentic Italian vibe. Despite the restaurant being busy, service was fast and the staff were upbeat and friendly. We were surprised to receive our pizzas within roughly 10 minutes! Will definitely be back.

    • A’ Caprese Pizza
    • Ko’ Pesto Pizza

    Rating

    We rate Pizzeria 1926 – 4 Scottish unicorns out of 5: 🦄🦄🦄🦄

    Things To Do In The Scottish Borders – Abbotsford House

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    Nature, scenery, and history often come hand-in-hand in Scotland. If these are things you enjoy, then Abbotsford is the perfect place to visit. Tucked away in the Scottish Borders, Abbotsford House was once home to one of Scotland’s greatest writers – Sir Walter Scott. If you’ve been to Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, then you’ve likely seen the massive Scots monument dedicated to him.

    When was Abbotsford House built?

    The site was originally a small farm named Cartleyhole. Walter Scott bought the location in 1811 and gave it the name Abbotsford. Modest, as farmhouses typically are, Walter enlarged the building between 1811-1812 and made further expansions from 1816-1824, resulting in the mansion we see today.

    Things to see & do at Abbotsford House

    Having previously been farmland the mansion is surrounded by nature. Not only does it have a stunning garden that visitors can walk through, but it also meets with the River Tweed and has benches where visitors can stop for a rest or a quick lunch.

    While we didn’t go inside on this visit, you can also enter the mansion. Adult tickets are priced at £5.70. Inside you’ll find an incredible vintage library where Walter Scott himself used to read and write. There’s also a cafe which I’m determined to go back and visit as it supposedly does some amazing scones!

    Photographed by Elman

    Things near Abbotsford House

    Assuming you’ve traveled by car then it’s easy to stop at the nearby Tweedbank Park. As a Scottish girl from Fife that’s seen a lot of lochs, and lived in the country for 24 of my 26 years – I was amazed to see so many swans! It’s probably the first time I’ve seen them almost outnumber the ducks.

    At the edge of the park you’ll find the 4-star restaurant, Herges On The Loch. If you go, definitely try the fish and chips! While the fish is a little on the small side, It’s incredibly fresh and the batter just melts in your mouth. If you sit outdoors, you can enjoy your lovely fresh meal with a beautiful view of the park, loch, and fountain.

    Overall, the Scottish Borders make the perfect getaway, day-trip or staycation! Only an hours drive from Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, the area is a peaceful contrast from the city.