Tag: guided tours

Deaf Action invites Edinburgh public to explore the city’s deaf history

The world’s oldest deaf charity is inviting the public to visit its Albany Street home during International Week of Deaf People and Doors Open Days

Deaf Action is inviting people across Edinburgh to visit its Albany Street home this September, with a community coffee morning and a weekend of free tours offering a chance to learn more about the city’s deaf history.

Founded in Edinburgh in 1835, Deaf Action is the world’s oldest deaf charity.

To mark International Week of Deaf People, the charity will hold a free community coffee morning in its Blackwood Café & Bar on Thursday 24 September, from 10am to 12pm.

The morning is open to everyone, whether deaf or hearing, BSL users or non-signers. People can drop in at any point for free tea, coffee and biscuits, meet Deaf Action staff and members of the deaf community, and find out more about Deaf Action and the deaf community. Visitors are also encouraged to wear blue on the day, although this is optional.

Deaf Action will then take part in Doors Open Days on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September, opening the building to the public from 12pm to 5pm.

Free guided tours will run on the hour in BSL and English, giving visitors a look around the Albany Street building before finishing in the Scottish Deaf Archives.

The archive, cared for by Deaf History Scotland, holds over 200 years of documents, photographs and objects recording deaf life and history in Edinburgh and Scotland.

Visitors will be able to see historic robes and hymn books from the Albany Deaf Church Choir, photographs of deaf clubs, groups and community life, and a replica of Deaf Action’s founding constitution, generously shared for this event by the National Library of Scotland, where the original document is held.

Philip Gerrard MBE, Chief Executive of Deaf Action, said: “Deaf people have been part of Edinburgh’s story for generations, and we have a wonderful collection that helps tell some of that history.

“We want people to come in, meet us and have a look around. You don’t need to know BSL or have any previous connection with Deaf Action. Everyone is welcome.”

Doors Open Days visitors will also receive 10% off at Blackwood Café & Bar during their visit.

Coffee Morning: Thursday 24 September, 10am–12pm. Free, no booking required.

Doors Open Days: Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September, 12pm–5pm. Tours at 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm. Free, no booking required.

Location: Deaf Action, 49 Albany Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3QY.

Celebrate Life Open Days at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Explore peaceful memorial settings at the Botanics with our Celebrate Life Open Days 🤍

From adopting a tree or bench to placing a commemorative plaque, discover ways to honour and remember loved ones. Our team will be on hand to guide you through the Garden and answer any questions you may have.

🌱 Guided tours are available on each date at 10am, 11.30am, 1.30pm, and 3pm, and will last approximately one hour.

Tours will begin at the Visitor Welcome Desk at the John Hope Gateway.

If you would like to attend, please contact Louise King, Development Officer, at lking@rbge.org.uk.

Be a Garden Guide at the Botanics

🌿 Become a Garden Guide at the Botanics!

For the first time in years, we’re looking for enthusiastic volunteers to lead tours at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

If you love horticulture, enjoy meeting people from around the world, and have a passion for storytelling, we’d love to hear from you.

Our popular guided tours run twice a day from April to October. No formal experience is required and full training will be provided.

Apply by 12pm on Monday 1 December:

https://www.rbge.org.uk/support-us/volunteer/

Forget the Fringe – discover Edinburgh’s dark history this August at The Real Mary King’s Close

During August, the vibrant city of Edinburgh almost doubles in population as thousands of visitors from across the world head to the cultural hub that is Edinburgh Fringe festival.

While you’re never short of things to do or see, it’s always important to pack some time into your busy schedule to soak up some of Edinburgh’s rich history and venture further afield for things to do.

Visitors need look no further than The Real Mary Kings Close, hidden beneath Edinburgh’s iconic Royal Mile lies an abandoned world, eager to tell its story.

Mary King’s Close was once vibrant and bustling with life, filled with traders and Old Town residents. When the plague arrived during the 1640s, the street’s close quarters made a perfect breeding ground for infection, permeating its homes and affecting the lives of the residents. 

Today, The Real Mary King’s Close is one of Scotland’s top tourist attractions, inviting curious souls to journey underground, encounter fascinating former residents, and relish in secrets and stories never told before. 

Since opening its doors in 2003, The Close has produced over 250,000 hours’ worth of tours and continues to provide both tourists and locals in Edinburgh with a fascinating history of the city’s dark past, the extreme living conditions and harsh effects of social hierarchy during the 17th century.

Visitors are given the chance to come face-to-face with former residents including Mary King’s daughter, Jonnet Nimmo.

Also, Dr Arnott, who was one of the wealthiest residents of The Close. With a flair for the nitty gritty, Dr Arnott had some rather unique methods of diagnosis.

His favourite technique was to analyse his patients’ urine for its colour, smell and … TASTE!

Suitable for the whole family, Dr Arnott’s Sampling Sensation is a hands-on workshop inviting the public to diagnose Dr Arnott’s patients using his favourite 17th century method, examining their urine.

Following their 1-hour guided tour of The Close, guests will be invited to use all of their senses (including taste) to diagnose Dr Arnott’s latest patients and create their own concoction to cure their ailments using authentic remedies from the time period.

Dr Arnott’s Sampling Sensation runs every Saturday throughout the year.

Tours run at 12.00, 13.30, 15.00 and 16.30.

Tickets are £29/adult and £22/child (5 to 15 years old)

The Real Mary King’s Guided Tour runs from 9.00 till 22.00 during July-August, 7 days a week.

Tickets start from £21/adult and £15/child (5 to 15 years old)

Pre-booking is strongly recommended for all tours as places sell-out quickly, especially during the festival period.

For more information and bookings please visit: 

https://www.realmarykingsclose.com

Savings of 20% on guided tours of the UK & Ireland from Rabbie’s

Explore the best of the UK and Ireland on tours departing in February and March

Enjoy 20% off guided tours across the UK and Ireland in February and March from award-winning, small-group tour specialist Rabbie’s (www.rabbies.com).

Many miss the spectacular sights and sounds that the winter months have to offer. Plan a new adventure in February and March and discover the underappreciated wonders of the UK and Ireland, such as the Old Man of Storr and Kilt Rock on the Isle of Skye and the wild Causeway Route on the coast of Ireland.  

Save 20% on tours departing in February and March across UK and Ireland departure points, when using the promo code SAVE20. Highlights include:

Three-day The Isle of Skye

Journey through unforgettable landscapes, charming villages and mighty castles on a roundtrip from Edinburgh. Visit historic Scottish landmarks such as Stirling Castle, the Wallace Monument and Doune Castle before reaching the mountain pass of Glencoe, famed for its wild beauty.

Be amazed by the incredible Eilean Donan Castle before enjoying a day on the Isle of Skye. On this majestic isle, travel north to the Trotternish Ridge, home to the geological wonders of the Old Man or Stoor and Kilt Rock, or learn of the isle’s legends and clan culture at Dunvegan Castle, the 13th-century home of Clan MacLeod.

Take in views of Loch Duich and the Five Sisters of Kintail after travelling through Cullin Hills and attempt to spot Britain’s best monster, Nessie, at Loch Ness.

Join Rabbie’s Three-day The Isle of Skye from Edinburgh from £160 per person (was £199 per person), based on a 22 February 2023 departure.

Three-day Discover Northern Ireland

Towering mountains, unforgettable legends and a fascinating history are all waiting to be uncovered in Northern Ireland during this tour which departs from Dublin.

Take in a city tour of Belfast before exploring the majesty of the 19th-century estate of Mount Stewart and its world-famous gardens. Chart the winding and wild Causeway Coastal Route before stepping foot in the land of titans at Giant’s Causeway – a location where myths and legends and geological fact collide.

Ride on a ferry across the ‘Narrows’ of Strangford Loch and pass into a land of fiction at Castle Ward, also known as Winterfell from Game of Thrones. Follow the holy course of St Patrick to the Down Cathedral before concluding with an incredible drive into the Mourne Mountains.

Join Rabbie’s Three-day 3-day Discover Northern Ireland from Dublin from €272 per person (was €339 per person), based on a 23 February 2023 departure.

For more information about Rabbie’s and its tour offerings, visit www.rabbies.com.