Yellowcraigs Beach

We spent our last day in Scotland at the beach!

East of Edinburgh along the Firth of Forth (bay off the North Sea) is beautiful Yellowcraigs Beach. 

The kids played at a really neat playground at the beginning of the trail to the beach.

 Let's have some fun!

 Anyone want some kelp?

 Fidra Island

 Running down the beach

 I'm going to get you wet!!!!

 Emma found a crab

 My handy "Walks in Scotland" guide told me that we could hike to the nearby town of North Berwick and enjoy some lunch. Nothing like a 3 mile hike to work up an appetite!

 This area is a golfer's heaven.  We saw a few people hitting their ball out of the big beach bunker.

 Lunch at the Golfer's Rest, a great little pub in North Berwick

 Bass Rock

 Having some fun on the walk back

 What a memorable trip!  Thank you Camden and Emma for exploring Scotland with me! The only thing that would have made this trip better is if Chris was with us!

Edinburgh Zoo

After their search for Nessie ended when we left Loch Ness, all Emma and Camden could talk about was the Edinburgh Zoo.  It was an amazing zoo and the kids could have gone back again the next day! :)

The most famous residents are the 2 giant pandas.  

One was stuffing his face with bamboo...

 ...and the other was taking a snooze

 Two other cute and cuddly bears :)

 The Edinburgh Zoo is known for its large penguin population. Penguins are at the top of my "Favorite Animals List" so while the kids played on the playground beside the exhibit, I enjoyed watching the penguins swim and waddle around.

This fella one of my favorites

 It's my penguin counterpart - a mama with her 2 babies!

 Playing on the eagle after lunch

 Adorable otters

 Mama Gibbon and her 9 week old baby

 What a ferocious tiger!

Exploring Edinburgh

Sunday was our day to see all the sites in Edinburgh.  The bus dropped us off right at the Princes Street Gardens.  Here is a peek of Edinburgh Castle as we walked through the gardens.

 Cannons galore!  

Camden and Emma pretended to shoot off every cannon they saw protecting the castle.

 Who are these cute guards?

 A festive bagpiper

Camden and Emma became experts at our audio guide tour.  They were on the lookout for the numbers while I listened to all the extras (audioguides = a parent's best friend!)

This guy was hilarious!  He told the kids that what ever they are told in school, remember that those guys in Boston were just a bunch of ninnies! 

 Guard #1

Guard #2

 I love my silly girl!

 After our castle tour, we took a (wet) walk down the Royal Mile

The Palace of Holyrood - The Queen's residence when she's in Edinburgh

Our next stop was an awesome science center called, Our Dynamic Earth. The kids had a blast exploring all the exhibits.

 Emma lost a tooth outside Our Dynamic Earth! 

The South Loch Ness Trail and Foyers Falls

Saturday was our last day in The Highlands.  On our way to Foyers Falls, we stumbled upon the South Loch Ness Trail. This unplanned stop was a trip favorite for me!

Foyers Falls

Hiking near the falls

 A post-hike snack at the local cafe 

 On our way back to Edinburgh, we stopped at a few places along Loch Tummel

The Queen's View of Loch Tummel

Camden was so excited to see this huge gathering of ducks swimming towards the shore before the rain  began.

Emma's rainy ode to the Queen