Day Trips from Edinburgh

Scotland’s oldest university town, home to the game of golf and a cathedral that’s more impressive as a ruin than most are intact. The bus from St Andrew Square (Stagecoach X24/X59) takes about an hour and deposits you right in the centre. Drive and you’re there in 55 minutes via the Forth Bridge. The East Sands beach is quieter than the West but both are worth a walk. The British Golf Museum is decent even if you’re not a golfer. Cathedral ruins, castle ruins, great fish and chips on Market Street – it’s a full day without trying.

ScotRail direct from Waverley, 50 minutes, trains every half hour. Stirling is where Scottish history tends to land – the castle sits on a volcanic plug above the town, the Wallace Monument is on a hill nearby, and Bannockburn is literally a short bus ride away. The castle interior is well done; the Great Hall restoration is impressive and the Great Kitchens bring the medieval period to life. The town itself has a decent café scene. You can do Stirling and Bannockburn comfortably in a day and be back in Edinburgh for dinner.

Technically you want Balloch at the southern tip – ScotRail to Glasgow Queen Street, then a connecting service to Balloch, about 90 minutes total. Or drive via the M8 and M82, similar time. The loch itself is huge; Balloch Country Park is the easy access point, and boat trips run from the pier. For something more dramatic, the east shore road (the B837 to Rowardennan) gives you West Highland Way access and proper mountain views. Loch Lomond Shores retail complex at Balloch is fine for lunch but not the point of the trip.

The Borders Railway from Waverley to Tweedbank opened in 2015 – Scotland’s first new railway in a century. Journey to Tweedbank takes under an hour. From Tweedbank you can get a bus to Melrose (Melrose Abbey is one of Scotland’s great ruins) or walk the Borders Abbeys Way. Galashiels and Hawick are the main towns, both with their cashmere and knitwear history. The landscape – rolling hills, river valleys, the Eildons – is quiet and beautiful in a low-key Scottish way.

The East Lothian coast at its best. Train from Waverley to North Berwick takes 30-35 minutes, runs regularly. The town itself is pleasant – Scottish Seabird Centre, good beach, solid ice cream. But the reason serious visitors come between April and July is the puffins on Bass Rock. The rock is a volcanic plug a couple of miles offshore that hosts one of the largest gannet colonies in the world alongside puffins in season. Boat trips from the harbour run weather depending – book ahead in summer. The Seabird Centre has live cameras if the boats aren’t running.

Yes, The Da Vinci Code made it famous. Yes, it was already remarkable before Dan Brown got hold of it. The chapel itself is extraordinary – the stone carving is unlike anything else in Scotland, the Apprentice Pillar genuinely deserves its reputation, and the setting in a wooded gorge above the River Esk is lovely. Bus 37 from the city centre or the 47 from Newington, about 25 minutes. Admission around £10. The visitor centre is good. Get there early or late – it gets busy in summer.

This one takes more of the day but it’s worth it. ScotRail from Waverley to Aviemore is about 2 hours 40 minutes direct; it’s a beautiful Highland main line journey through Pitlochry, Blair Atholl and Dalwhinnie. Aviemore is the gateway to the Cairngorm National Park – Britain’s highest plateaux, genuine subarctic conditions at altitude, reindeer herd, funicular railway up Cairn Gorm (when it’s running), and some of Scotland’s best mountain biking and walking. In winter there’s skiing. As a day trip it’s a long one, but Aviemore itself and a walk around Loch Morlich is achievable without rushing.