Taxi from Holyrod Palace to Calton Hill and then back to Newhaven port

[Love 2 Travel]

We have been working at planning our day in Edinburgh. We will be doing quite a bit of walking to see the sights and will end up near Holyrod Palace. In order to save time and our legs, we are hoping to hail a taxi from the palace area to top of Calton Hill. is this possible? Also, if we walk back down from Calton hill will we be able to find a cab to hail down to take us back to New Haven tender port.? Any idea of cost for these two trips would also be appreciated. Thanks so much.

 

[fruitmachine]

2 hours ago, Love 2 Travel said:

We have been working at planning our day in Edinburgh. We will be doing quite a bit of walking to see the sights and will end up near Holyrod Palace. In order to save time and our legs, we are hoping to hail a taxi from the palace area to top of Calton Hill. is this possible? Also, if we walk back down from Calton hill will we be able to find a cab to hail down to take us back to New Haven tender port.? Any idea of cost for these two trips would also be appreciated. Thanks so much.

 

A taxi at Holyrood should be no issue whatsoever.  You might have to wait a bit if it's raining, but they'll be generally plentiful otherwise. 

 

As long as you walk back down to Regent Road, you should have similar success at Calton Hill.

 

Holyrood to Calton Hill will probably be under £10, and Calton Hill to Newhaven Harbour about £15.  An easy alternative to the latter is the #16 bus going downhill from either of the stops on Leith Street.  It passes Newhaven Harbour - get off at Fishmarket Square.  Pay with a contactless bank card - £2 per adult.  If you have a card each, just tap in front of the driver and walk on, no ticket is issues.  If you have just one card between you, ask the driver for the tickets before paying for them all together.

[Love 2 Travel]

Thank you for your quick response. You helped me out again! I am so thankful for people like yourself who take the time to share their experience and knowledge of a city. It is so helpful and much appreciated. Now to hope for a clear day so that we can enjoy the view from Calton Hill. It will be a nice way to end our short port day in Edinburgh.

[edinburgher]

10 hours ago, fruitmachine said:

if we walk back down from Calton hill will we be able to find a cab to hail down to take us back to New Haven tender port.

An alternative  and cheaper option to a taxi back to Newhaven, would be a tram from St Andrew Square, a 5 minute walk from the foot of Calton Hill on Regent Road.

 

Check the Edinburgh trams website for info.

 

Just a thought as you are asling about taxis back to Newhaven. Did you check your transport options from and to Newhaven on the Cruise Forth website. You can check if there has been a change to your ship location on "find my ship" and the "getting around" section for transport info.

 

https://www.cruiseforth.com/

Edited March 8 by edinburgher

[edinburgher]

 My apologies fruitmachine.  I had a senior moment earlier and mistakenly "quoted" you instead of the OP which means you will have been alertedto my post  instead of the OP

On 3/7/2024 at 8:40 PM, Love 2 Travel said:

if we walk back down from Calton hill will we be able to find a cab to hail down to take us back to New Haven tender port.

Love 2 Travel, I refer you to my post #4 above 😀

[Love 2 Travel]

19 hours ago, edinburgher said:

 My apologies fruitmachine.  I had a senior moment earlier and mistakenly "quoted" you instead of the OP which means you will have been alertedto my post  instead of the OP

Love 2 Travel, I refer you to my post #4 above 😀

Thank you. I will keep that in mind. I looked at it on the map to see where we would head to get to St Andrew's Square. There are four of to share cost of taxi so it would not be too bad if we decide to do that instead of tram.

 

We will probably use the tram to get into town in the morning.

This is our plan:

Tram to Princes stop west end

Princes Street Garden, west end to see floral clock and Ross Fountain for view of Castle

walk to Victoria Street

Then back to High street to walk the Royal Mile take our time.. maybe turn left up Cockburn street to look around.

end near Holyrod and then take taxi to Calton hill, if weather and time permits.

 

Any thoughts or suggestions about what we have planned for the day?

 

such a short time to see all there is to see. We just want to make the most of the time we have and tried to plan an itinerary that makes sense.

[edinburgher]

20 hours ago, Love 2 Travel said:

This is our plan:

Tram to Princes stop west end

Excellent plan.  Be certain to buy tram tickets from the machines BEFORE boarding as ticket inspectors constantly patrol the trams and will fine you if you have no ticket, no excuses accepted.

 

20 hours ago, Love 2 Travel said:

maybe turn left up Cockburn street to look around.

If you are already on the High St/Royal Mile, Cockburn street is downhill  from there, not up, but I can't imagine what is of interest to you on Cockburn St. OTOH, Victoria St and the Grassmarket are worth a look.  You could actually access both from the boundary at the west end of Princes St Gardens, close to the Ross Fountain, along Kings Stable Road which brings you on to the Grassmarket which you would  walk through onto Victoria St then uphill to George IV Bridge, take a left and the Royal Mile is only a few steps away. Or you could access both from the Royal Mile by turning right at George IV bridge then sharp right onto Victoria St and down to the Grassmarket.

 

Hope you have a lovely day in the city and that you may even be tempted to return for a land visit which would give you more time to explore.

[Love 2 Travel]

Thanks Edinburgher!  I appreciate your recommendations. The plan to walk down  King's Stable road and through Grassmarket allows us to see more with a purpose and more direct route than what I had mapped out originally. Looking forward to our day. You have been extremely helpful!

[edinburgher]

22 hours ago, Love 2 Travel said:

You have been extremely helpful!

Thank you.  There are a small number of us local to Edinburgh and we try to help when we can.

 

Something I should mention.  Should you follow the West End/King's Stables Road/Grassmarket/ Victoria St routing,   you would miss the Floral Clock, which is at the opposite end of that western section of Princes St gardens,  next to the staircase at the foot of The Mound. But that assumes it is in place at the time of your visit (it is seasonal)  Which month will you visit? And how long will you have in the city, remembering that Newhaven is a tender port?

 

And you may want to enjoy a stroll through that section of the gardens which has lovely views of the castle and the white higgledy piggledy houses at Ramsay Garden next to the Castle Esplanade.. The other section of the gardens lies between Waverley Bridge and the National Galleries at the foot of the Mound, and it too has lovely views and is a pleasant place to walk through.  I think that, should the weather be good that day, Calton Hill should be visited, but when you come down onto Regent Road, you only need walk the very short distance to Waverley Bridge where you can enter that eastern section of the gardens, and at the end of that section, you simply cross the road at foot of the Mound, enter the western gardens section by the gateway there, and the Floral Clock is right there next to the staircase. and from there,  a tram from St Andrew Square or a taxi.  Hmmm port planning is rarely easy,or long enough  especially for a first visit to a city with much to offer.

[fruitmachine]

23 hours ago, Love 2 Travel said:

Thanks Edinburgher!  I appreciate your recommendations. The plan to walk down  King's Stable road and through Grassmarket allows us to see more with a purpose and more direct route than what I had mapped out originally. Looking forward to our day. You have been extremely helpful!

 

1 hour ago, edinburgher said:

Something I should mention.  Should you follow the West End/King's Stables Road/Grassmarket/ Victoria St routing,   you would miss the Floral Clock, which is at the opposite end of that western section of Princes St gardens,  next to the staircase at the foot of The Mound.

 

There is a route from the west end of Princes Street Gardens into Kings Stables Road, but it has been closed off for some time because of rock falls.  After passing the Floral Clock, stay in Princes Street Gardens until you get to St Cuthbert's and St John's Churches at the west end, then exit onto Princes Street.

 

Rather than taking King's Stables Road at it's west end, I'd suggest Castle Terrace (immediately next to it) as it has much better views of the 'back' of the Castle (https://maps.app.goo.gl/g5roa4qJsVkzApwE8).  King's Stables Road is too close and low.  When you get to Johnston Terrace, cross the road and take the steps next to the security barrier down to King's Stables Road and continue as your plan.

 

If the queue is not too big, stop in the Grassmarket at Mary's Milk Bar for the best ice cream in Edinburgh!

[edinburgher]

18 hours ago, fruitmachine said:

There is a route from the west end of Princes Street Gardens into Kings Stables Road, but it has been closed off for some time because of rock falls.

Learning something new every day and  thanks for that update.  Just as well you are checking my posts for accuracy. 😁

 

Love 2 travel, apologies for my inaccurate information. It may be best for you to ignore my posts in favour of those posted by fruitmachine.

Edited March 12 by edinburgher

[edinburgher]

On 3/12/2024 at 11:40 AM, edinburgher said:

There is a route from the west end of Princes Street Gardens into Kings Stables Road, but it has been closed off for some time because of rock falls.

fruitmachine, is there an expected date for reopening?

[fruitmachine]

No specific date that I'm aware of, though I see this from last summer, so something might be happening.  https://www.geplus.co.uk/news/rock-slope-concerns-at-edinburgh-castle-lead-to-new-remediation-works-30-08-2023/

 

Like the Radical Road closure, it seems to be down to a few officials with low risk tolerance.  In October 2022 The Scotsman reported that there had been no rock-falls in the four years it had been closed off for.

[edinburgher]

48 minutes ago, fruitmachine said:

Like the Radical Road closure, it seems to be down to a few officials with low risk tolerance. 

Absolutely. The Radical Road closure period  has become a big  embarrassment.

 

It isn't that much of a diversion to access Grassmarket via the short stretch of Lothian Road then on to Castle Terrace, but it isn't as quiet or scenic and could confuse non residents.