Arthur’s Training Day in the Edinburgh City Centre

I’m thrilled to say that Dad has decided that I’m ready to start my tour guide training in the Edinburgh city centre! My big brother, Walter, has been doing tours in the city centre for about a year, and he often brags about his status as the sole canine tour guide of Wee Walking Tours. Well, that all might change now! However, Walter told me not to get ahead of myself because we still need to see how my training sessions go before Dad will even consider letting me guide a tour. I know I’m younger and less experienced, but I have to say that I think my first training session went well. It was positively exhilarating, and I would like to tell you all about it. So, sit back, relax, and let me tell you a story…

It all started early one morning a couple of weeks ago. Dad was talking about getting ready to go to work, when I realised that he was talking to me! I just assumed that he was telling Walter as they usually have a little ‘briefing’ before the day’s events in the city centre. I looked on in anticipation at Dad, while Walter gave a slight raise of his eyebrow, clearly questioning what was going on.

During my first year, Walter has provided invaluable mentoring and training with me (in fact, if you missed it, be sure to check out my previous posts on Leith Hall, Duff House, Haddo House, Huntly Castle, and Fyvie Castle, that I wrote as part of our ‘Golden summer blog series’ last summer). Therefore, I felt confident that I was ready to tackle the city centre.

Walter has also told me numerous tales of his Edinburgh explorations. I just hope I can remember what he said because I might have zoned out here and there during his lengthy stories. What can I say? My puppy attention span wasn’t the best. Who am I kidding? It’s still not great, but I do my best.

While I mentally prepared for the day’s events, Mom brushed my hair and teeth, so that I would be “presentable” to the public. I don’t see the problem with a little wild hair, but Mom said my thick coat needed to be “tamed” down. While all of this was going on, Walter made it clear that he wasn’t thrilled about me possibly taking on canine tour guide duties. Nevertheless, he decided to give me a brief big brother pep talk.

He proceeded to let me know that I was about to venture out into unchartered waters. Sure, we have had some amazing adventures around Scotland, but the Edinburgh city centre was a whole different beast. Beast?! What was I exactly getting myself into? I nervously listened as my brother continued. Apparently, I needed to be prepared for the many, many people who were about to take my picture and ‘ohh and ahh’ at me. “Such is the life of a celebrity” according to Walter.

With Walter’s guidance on my mind and Mom calling out encouraging words, Dad and I set out for the bus stop. As we walked along, he gave me a little run down of his training plans for the day. I tried to focus, but I was distracted by one of our neighbourhood cats. I’m such a happy go-lucky boy that I always want to say hello, but Walter says that we need to just mind our own business. He can be a bit bossy sometimes, but I guess he knows what he’s talking about. He is the older brother after all.

We eventually got to the bus stop, and I nervously stood next to Dad trying to look like I’ve done this a million times instead of only once before. The bus approached and I stepped on with as much confidence as I could muster. Dad guided us to the back of the bus where he said there would be more room for me to lie by his feet. I tried to get comfortable, but I think my nerves were getting the best of me as evidenced by my goofy face seen below. I didn’t know I could even do that with my tongue!

As we moved along, Dad gave me reassuring pats. Our spot was ideal because I could look up the aisle and see who was getting on and off the bus. Do you want to know a little secret? I like to partake in a little people watching from time to time from the office window at home. Walter says it is essential neighbourhood watch surveillance. Mom says that we’re just being “nosey”. I’m not sure who is right, but all I’m going to say is that someone has to keep track of the neighbourhood for safety.

Anyway, the bus ride flew by and as we made our way off, I gave the bus driver a nod of appreciation in an attempt to copy Dad’s words of thanks. And with that, Dad and I stepped into a huge crowd of people. I thought I would be prepared based on Walter’s stories, but this was unbelievable! Everywhere I stepped I just saw a sea of legs and feet. I stuck close to Dad as we walked along the busy street.

Our first stop was McEwan Hall at the University of Edinburgh- what a beautiful building. Dad mentioned that he and Mom recently went inside for a tour and will be writing about it in the near future- so keep an eye out for that!

I gave my best smile to the students as we made our way along to the next stop. Apparently, I was about to learn about one of the most important lessons of the day’s training.

Now, I don’t want to give away all our stories because you can learn so much more if you book a tour with Dad and Walter (paws crossed- I can soon say a tour with Dad and I). What I will say is that Greyfriars Bobby sure was an amazing dog. He was such a loyal, good boy, and I can only hope to aspire to be such a canine pal. I do know I love my dad as much as Bobby loved John Gray.

We made our way to what Dad tells me is one of the most beautiful streets in Edinburgh- Victoria Street. I like the colourful buildings and the cobblestone road. In fact, Walter warned me this morning during his pep talk that there are cobblestones all over the Old Town in Edinburgh and I need to watch my step.

At the bottom of Victoria Street, we weaved our way through the Grassmarket. There were some scary things that happened here centuries ago, but Dad wasn’t sure if I was ready to hear about it yet. Something about hangings- whatever that means. All I know is that there were so many people he couldn’t get any pictures of me, but I did get lots of smiles and heard an endless stream of ‘ohhs and ahhs’ that Walter said would happen.

Climbing up what felt like a thousand steps, Dad said we were going to the Edinburgh Castle Esplanade to see the Castle as well as where our tours start at the Witches Well. I can’t believe I finally got to see the place that I have heard Walter talk about so much. I just wanted to stop and close my eyes as I breathed in the history of it all. Mom and Dad tell me all that time that I clearly have some of Angel Sawyer’s dramatic spirit in me. I never got to meet him, but Walter talks about him all the time. He was a legend, that’s for sure.

Speaking of legends, I’m so excited to see the two Scottish historic icons that guard Edinburgh Castle on each side of the bridge- Robert the Bruce and William Wallace! I’ve dreamt of seeing them ever since I first saw the picture of Dad and Sawyer posing with them as a pup. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get to the bridge, but I was just thrilled to see them from a distance.

We left the Esplanade and made our way down the most famous street in all of Edinburgh- the Royal Mile (Castlehill). Walter has told me about the amazing sites on the Mile as well as some surprising places just off it. Evidently to get to them, you must go down narrow alleyways called ‘closes’. As we walked down Castlehill, Dad suddenly veered to the left and before I knew it, we were going down a dark alley called ‘Lady Stair’s Close’. We weren’t in the dark long though because we came out into a quiet and picturesque courtyard. This is where the Writers’ Museum is located, and Dad had me pose in front of it.

Like I said earlier, you’ll have to book a walking tour with Dad and my big brother, Walter, if you want to hear all about the myths and legends of the Royal Mile. For example, Dad gave me the run down about Deacon Brodie- what a tale! I walked by a statue of him and, as you can tell by my side eye, I wasn’t thrilled about it after hearing his exploits.

Dad’s training continued with talks outside St. Giles Cathedral and then at the Mercat Cross. At this point, I was starting to get hungry and gave Dad some not to subtle clues. He gladly obliged by giving me a couple of treats and told me I was doing great. Did you hear that?! I love praise almost as I love treats.

I posed for a picture near Tron Kirk, and we then made our way down Cockburn Street. Dad informed me that we were going to leave the Old Town and explore some of the New Town. Although, looking ahead, nothing really looked very ‘new’ to me. I guess I would find out. I smiled as I stopped for a quick photo on Waverley Bridge.

The next part of our journey was to Calton Hill. This is one of Walter’s favourite places, and he has told me all about it. He just loves to run around and get some of the best views of Edinburgh. However, our first stop was to a place where I had to be more composed and serious- the Old Calton Hill Burial Ground. Dad said we were going to ‘meet’ a famous American. I had no idea what he was talking about and was even more surprised when I saw a statue of Abraham Lincoln! What on earth is that doing in the capital city of Scotland? Fortunately, my Mom wrote an article about it, and you should read the whole story after you take this adventure with me.

Walter is known to be the agile one in the family. While I’m not quite as nimble pawed (I admit it- sometimes I stumble going up the stairs at home), recently I have decided to prove that I can do some clever poses too. I really went for it on Calton Hill.

Dad said I was strutting my stuff in front of the National Monument of Scotland. Stay tuned until the end for another adorable pose at sunset.

Walter wasn’t kidding when he mentioned the epic views of the Edinburgh cityscape from Calton Hill (see the photo at the beginning of this article). It certainly impressed me! We were having so much fun, but Dad said we needed to continue because he still had some surprises in store for me. I love surprises- as long as they aren’t the scary kind (I am not a fan of scary television shows or movies).

Long-time readers will know that my brother and I are named after famous Scottish writers. Walter’s namesake is Sir Walter Scott and mine is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Therefore, I was tickled pink when I found out that I was going to the place where Arthur Conan Doyle was born. With a pep in my step, I followed along with Dad as we approached Picardy Place.

Now, the building where he was born no longer exists, but my disappointment quickly left me when I saw the awesome statue of Sherlock Holmes! Mom and Dad have read some of the Sherlock stories to me, and sometimes when I’m out on walks, I like to pretend that I’m a detective just like him, sniffing out clues. Dad took a photo to commemorate the moment.

If I liked that surprise, Dad said that I was going to love the next one. For that, we needed to head back towards Princes Street and up to St. Andrew Square. Dad said it wasn’t too far, but it seemed to take forever- mostly because I was anxious to see what was next on the agenda. Eventually we made it to the Square, and as we approached a bench, I blinked my eyes because I couldn’t believe I was seeing Paddington Bear! I love the Paddington movies, so meeting the adorable bear in person was a treat. Evidently, Paddington and I made quite the scene because, if you notice in the photo below, I’m looking to the side, and that’s because there were a ton of people next to and behind Dad also taking pictures of us. Now I understand when Walter said, “Such is the life of a celebrity”.

Paddington wasn’t the only famous bear I was to meet. Our next ‘explore and discover’ session was in Princes Street Gardens- another favourite of Walter’s. As we walked along the Gardens, I understood why dogs and people love to come here. It’s a delightful oasis of green in a bustling city centre. Although, I did a double take as we approached what looked like a giant bear! I hesitated and Dad laughed a little as he assured me that it was just a statue of Wojtek the bear. He then proceeded to tell me the most unbelievable tale of how Wojtek fought with the Polish Army in the second World War and ended up spending his retirement at Edinburgh Zoo! You can read more about Wojtek’s story in this article that my dad wrote.

We continued our walk through Princes Street Gardens all the way to the west end where we visited St. Cuthbert’s Churchyard. I played a quick game of peekaboo with Dad while we admired the views of Edinburgh Castle.

I also came upon another canine legend that might not be as well as known as Bobby, but whose story is better known across the pond all the way in San Diego, California. As I curiously greeted the dog, Dad told me his name is Bum.

You see, to celebrate their status as sister cities, in 2008 San Diego gifted Edinburgh a statue of Bum and Edinburgh gave one of Bobby to San Diego. Bum lived in the late 1800s on the streets of San Diego and became an icon of the city. Like Bobby, he was quite scrappy and smart. Dad said to tell you to stay tuned because he plans on writing a post about Bum in the near future. After posing with Bum (do you see how happy I was- I’m always thrilled to make new friends), I eventually said my goodbyes and we continued on our way.

Dad said he was going to take one last photo of me with the Castle. I couldn’t resist making my goofy grin as I noticed more people taking pictures of me behind Dad. I think it is so funny to think of all those strangers who wanted me in their vacation photos.

With that silly thought, my story draws to a close. But don’t worry, you can continue to follow along with mine and my brother’s adventures on our social media platforms- Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, TikTok and YouTube. Also, if you would like to see some of the places I visited in my training day adventure, be sure to book a tour with my dad and our lead Golden Retriever tour guide, Walter (Walter told me to put that in). Also, Dad says to tell you that you can bring your canine family members along because all our tours are dog friendly. Hopefully, I’ll be joining Dad soon. He said I did great today, but we still have some more training to do.

For now, I’m happy to be home, and just like when I was a puppy, I still love to cuddle with my older brother, Walter, after an exhausting day of adventures. I hope he’ll be proud of the training I did today. I’m going to drift off for a well-deserved nap. Perhaps I will dream of some Scottish legends- human and canine!

Until next time- Explore & Discover!

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