Happy New Year from Scotland! Come and explore Edinburgh with us as we take you along to some of our favourite spots on New Year’s Eve. We give you the insider’s knowledge of what’s worth the hype, what might be worth a pass, and offer helpful tips along the way. Zach was born and raised in the Edinburgh area, even attending Uni there before relocating to the United States. Now, with Annie and the 3 kids in tow, he’s back in his old stomping grounds and is experiencing UK life with a new perspective. You also can’t miss out as we dive into one of Scotland’s most famous New Year’s Day traditions – the LOONY DOOK!

For your own heated apparel, please use our code SIMPLE20 to grab some of Ororo’s amazing gear: https://uk.ororo.com/collections/sales
Annie’s coat: SOHO WOMEN’S HEATED DOWN PARKA JACKET – GREEN
Zach’s coat: MEN’S DUAL CONTROL HEATED JACKET WITH 5 HEATING ZONES (POCKET HEATING)

Chapters / Timestamps:
0:01 Meet Zach & Annie
0:20 **MUST SEE** LOONY DOOK and Ororo
4:08 What are the plans today & travel by train
6:51 Halfway House
7:14 The Milkman
8:25 Royal Mile
9:52 Makers Mart
12:05 Holyrood Palace
13:04 Arthur’s Seat
16:46 Duddingston
19:53 Sheep Heid Inn
21:56 St Margaret’s Loch
23:05 Armchair Books
24:24 Jolly Judge
25:34 St Giles’ Cathedral
27:00 The Scotch Whisky Experience
28:59 This is real life

#scotland #edinburgh #travel #uklife #americanexpat #royalmile #arthursseat

Share.

35 Comments

  1. Just watching Monty Don's British Gardens series 1, episode 1 on BBC iplayer. I'm not sure if you know about Dr Neil's garden beside Duddingston kirk. Sorry, Finnegan, but no dogs allowed 😔 I know you mentioned that Zach's parents were married at the church. It's definitely worth watching this episode as Monty visits Edinburgh in part of the episode. Edinburgh looks so beautiful. Look forward to your channel every week. Always makes my day. This one particularly with Annie diving into the sea! Happy New Year to you all from Edinburgh. The Braidhills is another place for you to visit including Finnegan. Fantastic views of Edinburgh 🥰

  2. This American thanks you for showing Edinburgh. It is on my bucket list! I live in Plymouth, Massachusetts and they do a polar plunge in South Boston each New Year! I don’t know if I’m brave enough to do it. All the best to both of you and your family!

  3. I loved this! Thank you for taking us along as you played tourists in Edinburgh. It is on my short list of places to visit. Loved everything about this. 😊

  4. I grew up playing rugby with Zach. I couldn’t believe that was him with his accent 😂 I also moved to the US (New Jersey) and have always wondered about moving my young family back. Great to see you’re doing so well.

  5. Wow – absolutely charming, informative , well narrated & shot video. Thoroughly enjoyed. It must be 40 years since I visited the Jolly Judge. Agree St Giles on the day can be an emotional experience – a special place. As for Annie and "Swan Lake", my heart is at Dunsappie Loch where I used to daily jog around the park, in the days before jogging became trendy and then mainstream, and always felt so much peace when I passed by – probably going to be my final resting place :]] Wonderful videos, always uplifting and funny. Thank you

  6. I don’t normally watch this kind of content. But love how yall show off Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland, still trying to convince my wife to leave the US to move there lol. Thanks for the content and yall have given me some ideas for our trip there in March.

    Also I have to mention if you haven’t already tried it I highly recommend Razzo Pizza Napoletana in Leith.

  7. I enjoyed you sharing your personal tour of Edinburgh. This CA girl hopes to get there someday and see it in person. Love the video's and your families' choices. Happy 2025 to you!

  8. I hope you enjoy living in Scotland and don't regret the move, yes our weather can be tough to take but it seems like you've got your eyes open in that regard. And anyway it just makes those rare nice days all the more special. And as Billy Connolly said, 'there's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes, so put on an an anorak and live a little' 🙂

  9. Love the Makers Market in Tron Kirk. I stumbled upon it while visiting my daughter who lives in Dundee.
    We have avoided those tourist shops on the Royal Mile. We prefer to buy our souvenirs at the Scottish Design Exchange by local artists. In fact, after my husband and I hiked up Arthur’s Seat we found a lovely print of a man and woman hiking up Arthur’s Seat at the Design Exchange. It was a perfect souvenir and is now hanging on my living room wall.

  10. I’m planning a 2027 15 day trip to Scotland. I plan to spend 3 days in Edinburgh and then Glasgow for a day then head north to Inverness and then head to Orkney then south from there back to Edinburgh. Any thing you would recommend as far as transportation. Is there a train that takes us to Inverness n should we rent a car there to Orkney or is there local transportation in Orkney that is better than renting a car

  11. Folks, if you're not aware, in California policemen and firemen are actually wealthy (taking into account their extremely, uh, generous pensions), even by California standards. Then they retire and flee the state. There's a thing we get hit with called "unfunded liability" here in California, by the way – feel free to Google it.

  12. The gentle breeze and light rain as seen at the start of the video added to the clear grey skies is what really makes Scotland special! "I'm wearing a water proof jacket, why is my T shirt wet?"

    "One owner has a about 25 of the souveneir shops" That is the trouble with Edinburgh today, this is what I mean when I say "It's for tourists" in the 90's Co'burn street that winds up from the station to the castle was a place where I would get band T shirts from around the world, You could buy hair dyes and all sorts of things. Today its either an expensive bar or full of ginger wigs and polyester kilts. Definitely look into the independent places, you might pay a little more for something but the person doesn't have a warehouse to keep bulk produce in.

  13. Hiya, Hartlepool monkey hanger here, (North East England and yes, we really are known as monkey hangers). I'm a relative newcomer to your videos and just wanted to say how much i enjoy them, (been binge watching the last 2 days), and i love your story. The weather wasn't the best for you on this one but it looks like you had a great day all the same. What's a wee bit of rain anyway when you're in such beautiful surroundings! I saw your York video, (i love York), come visit us again soon in the North of England, we have lots to offer. All the best, Pete. (By the way Fin is a little beauty)!!

  14. Anytime you are in the Royal Mile go to 'The Crypt at St Giles Cathedral' for good value snacks.

    In North Berwick, great coffee can be had at 'Steampunk, or at Bostock Bakery, opposite The Grange Steakhouse where we eat every Thursday. We eat at The Herringbone, every Sunday lunchtime, just two doors from us. Who else can I recommend pretty well everywhere I think having lived in the High Street for twelve years, it's our forever home.

Leave A Reply