First level 'Old Edinburgh' tour 

“How long could people live for in ‘Old Edinburgh’?”

We love covering this on our tour!  Towards the start of our tour, we will look at the gravestone of a family, giving us a clear idea about just how long it was possible to live in the eighteenth century.  We guarantee that your class will be surprised by this!

​

​

​

​

​

“Who are the most famous ‘Old Edinburgh’ people?”

Our tour starts by looking at one of the most famous of all Edinburgh’s characters; the story of the faithful Skye Terrier, Greyfriars Bobby. 

This story is probably the most famous Edinburgh tale.  But stories are not always full of facts.  Robert will explain the different versions of the ‘legend’ of Greyfriars Bobby and let your class work out their own opinions.

​

“How has the Old Town changed over time?”

There are many chances for us to become ‘time travellers’ on this tour!  We’ll stand in a couple of locations and use archive images to show us what these locations looked like hundreds of years ago.  We can even use multiple images to reveal how one area looked at different historical points! 

Your pupils will visit Greyfriars Kirkyard, the Grassmarket, the Lawnmarket, Riddle’s Court, the High Street, Parliament Square (where we get a great view of St Giles) and a typical ‘Old Town’ close on your tour.

“What were some of the big events in Edinburgh’s history?” 

We can look at the celebration which officially welcomed Mary, Queen of Scots, on her return to Scotland.  Then, we will look at the story of Deacon Brodie, and we’ll visit the site of the prison where he spent his last days.

We will also find out about the bodysnatchers, and we can mention the Irish murderers Burke and Hare if you wish.  We know that these characters often come up, even in first level projects.  

We can share stories that are as age-appropriate as possible.    You’ll know what you’d like your classes to learn, and we can incorporate when and where possible.

How can we use evidence to find out about a place from the past?”

The picture on the left of this text box shows a view of the old West Bow street as it would have looked over two hundred years ago.  You can see parts of this street today.

Your class will get a chance to explore this area and compare this image with what they can see now.  It’s an excellent opportunity to look at the fine details in archive images and see what resemblance these archive images have with the evidence we can see today.

“What was it like to live in an Old Town close?” 

We’ll use props and ‘then and now’ pictures to let pupils imagine what it was like to live in one of the famous Old Edinburgh closes.

Yes, we DO look at the whole ‘Gardyloo’ story…probably in a lot more detail than you’d expect…  But, twenty years of teaching have taught us what your pupils will want to know!

Accessibility information

Although pupils won’t be walking for the entire two-hour duration of this tour, there are limited places where we can offer rest areas.  

We will try to alter the tour if needed.  There are limited options for this, however.  Sadly, the Old Town is hilly and not brilliantly paved.   All our tour routes cross at pedestrian crossings, where possible, and any alternative solutions might include streets that don’t have proper crossing areas.

Wet weather information

This tour is an ‘outside’ tour, and there are no areas where we can shelter out of the rain.  We do realise that a wet and windy day probably isn’t going make for positive memories!

We’re pretty flexible and will happily reschedule your date.  There’s no extra cost for this.  We realise this is useful if you travel on foot or use public transport.  If you have organised transport, then please know that, whatever the weather, we will be there for you!

If you’d like to reschedule your tour, please let us know by 8.30 am on the morning of your tour.  My mobile number is 07590 026 077.

Risk assessment

Risk assessment is something that your governing body will legally need you to carry out, and, as such, we can only offer some suggestions and recommendations for your paperwork.

While we can’t offer these as your official risk assessment, please click here to download our suggested risk assessment information and route instructions.

We’ve put together an accessibility information sheet with some information for your risk assessment print-out. You can access this here.

Accessibility information

We’ve got no ‘toilet’ stops on our tour, but may be able to arrange use of the toilets in the Museum of Scotland.  You may also want to book a teacher-led guided tour/exploration there.  This is free, but you will need to book in advance.  Their offers/accessibility might change due to COVID.   The Museum of Scotland also offers a series of paid workshops.  Booking either of these options will allow you to ask for the use of their lunchroom. 

We recommend checking out the educational workshops at Riddle’s Court and Edinburgh Castle.  These come with a cost.  A lunchroom is sometimes available.

​

We are happy to discuss tailoring our tour start/finish times and locations around any other activities you may be doing.