3 Reasons why Edinburgh is a great place for an athletic vacation

Travel and Activity go hand in hand

Not all cities make it easy to stay active while enjoying your vacation.

That’s not the case with the Scottish capital city of Edinburgh. My wife and I just finished a 4 day stay in the city and were amazed at how easy it was to be active while not even realizing it most days. We did plan some active adventures but that’s because it was easy to accomplish, not because we sought out the difficult to do activities.

This will be a quick article, written on the train from Edinburgh down south to London but that doesn’t mean the lessons are any less important.

A quick look around

Edinburgh is a gem of a city, and I say that as someone who’s not a big fan of cities.

It’s not too big, population roughly 500,000. It has incredible architecture, history, and nature. The people are friendly and hospitable, but will also teach you a lesson if you disrespect the place. My kind of people!

What’s best about the city is how easy it is to be active when you’re just trying to get the most out of touring around this Medieval marvel.

My wife and I both agreed that a 3 pound bag of Epsom salts we bought as the pharmacy and used daily in our hotel soaker tub was the best purchase of our time spent in Edinburgh!

Here are the 3 ways Edinburgh is a great active city for your next adventure.

1. Steps Steps Steps

If you stay in the city centre you’re never more than a 15 minute walk from where you want to go.

The Old City of Edinburgh is filled with steep staircases and hilly cobblestone streets, all those steps have hidden intensity. Taking taxis or ubers doesn’t get you far, you’re most efficient route is almost always a walk. Even the incredible Edinburgh Castle historical site required a fit physique due to the steepness of the old streets and winding staircases.

Just walking around as a tourist keeps you active, a great addition to seeing amazing sites.

2. City Parks on top of Hills

Just like Rome, Edinburgh sits surrounded by 7 hills but unlike Rome many of the hills are pristine natural wilderness.

King Arthur’s Seat is a glorious little hike that’s not too high but certainly steep and is located right behind the Holyrood House royal palace. It’s rugged enough to need proper shoes and while giving you an amazing view of the City, you can forget you’re steps away from a bustling metropolis. Calton Hill is a great perch a top the city that has old buildings, statues, and an art museum.

These parks are easy walking distance from the city centre and give you a chance to climb and relax at the same time.

3.Nature is at your doorstep

If walking around the city gets tiring you can take the city bus out to an amazing natural wilderness call the Pentlands.

This natures lover’s dream is a massive nature reserve that features different ecological terrain and lots of native animals. We hiked 12km and saw people running, biking, hiking, and even taking a horseback stroll through the park. It was an easy way to espace into nature and be back in time to have a nice dinner after cleaning up.

The ease of getting to and around this amazing park was a real surprise and made staying active a breeze.

4.Takeaways

Vacation is a great time to unwind and relax but that doesn’t mean neglecting movement.

Edinburgh gave us the perfect mix of tourism, history, beauty, tradition, and motion. I could go for an early morning run up the hills and then spend the day sightseeing climbing steep medieval staircases and winding cobblestone roads. This is the best type of vacation.

Where you genuinely want to be on the move to get the most out of the place you are visiting, and Edinburgh was PERFECT for that.

Keep active and athletic when you’re not ‘supposed to care’ like on vacation is a key ingredient in living an athletic life.

These little strategies and attitude shifts to see physical challenges in every day activities helps you stay on track. When I’m tired and hungry but we still need to move, I imagine myself training for a long endurance run. And when the place you visit brings out opportunities to test yourself, that’s a great reward on a vacation above the relaxation and adventure you’re hoping to find.

Next time you’re on vacation think about the ways that motion can become a meaningful part of it, instead of something you avoid because your ‘on vacation’