Just had the best hot chocolate and the best view: I am always telling guests on my New Town food safari how the New Town was designed to be a massive improvement from the Old Town with its narrow closes and high buildings and use examples of London Street’s incredibly wide street – you could easily turn a horse and carriage – whereas in the Old Town we could be talking a nine-point turn!
Today I took a free Little Fish walking tour of the Old Town – starts 10.30 opposite St Giles http://www.littlefishtours.co.uk/ and was hugely taken with guide Ben’s humorous and interesting tour with snippets of history but not bogged down with too many dates, we started at St Giles and went down Barrie’s Close – a new one for me to the Cowgate where cows were driven to market, then up through Greyfriars, and great views from upper Victoria Street to end up in the Grassmarket. To warm up after our two-hour walk, Ben recommended Mary’s Milk Bar for ice cream – too cold for me – and real hot chocolate – Mary of the Milk Bar has worked as a chocolatier for the last five years and she trained in Bologna, Italy. The hot choc was fantastic really rich and creamy and perfect after two hours on the cobbles. Also if you sit in the front of the shop you get the most fantastic view of the castle – my top tip of the day for hot chocolate with a view
Littlle Fish Tours
59/5 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh, EH11BS http://www.littlefishtours.co.uk/
Mary’s Milk Bar
19 Grassmarket
Edinburgh
EH1 2HS