UK cross-country tour (9-day itinerary) – Pottertrail walking tour review
August 28, 2018
For all Harry Potter fans out there – the Pottertrail walking tour is a MUST DO. As true Harry Potter fans, you should know that… J.K. Rowling lived in Edinburgh while she was writing up the famous Harry Potter series, and was in fact a lot of details in the book were inspired by the city (incl. character names, the Hogwarts look, and even Quidditch!). But I swear, the Pottertrail walking tour is amazing – here’s why:
- The tour guide CLEARLY loves his job, and was super enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the world of Harry Potter
- It was amazing to be surrounded by fellow Harry Potter enthusiasts (although clearly they were waaaay beyond my league, as these kids spouted off the exact Harry Potter book / movie where this passage / this scene was shown etc
- Although HP books may be over and dusted, it’s always super nostalgic to reminisce about the magical world, and being able to see with my own eyes the places and people that inspired J.K. Rowling is such a dream come true
Table of Contents
Where does the tour start?
The group meets in front of the Grayfriar Bobby statue (which is a statue of the dog). It’s quite easy to miss it – it’s not huge; but if you go there ~10 mins before the tour starts, there’s sure to be a large crowd, so you won’t miss it. If you’re in doubt, a cloak-wearing guide should soon show up, start waving around wands, and announce that it’s time for…. *drumroll please*… the Pottertrail tour!
How old do you have to be to join the tour?
My group was HUGE, and was mostly composed of families – essentially you’ve got the kids (the true Harry Potter fans), and their parents (the ones who were dragged along). I’d say bring your kids if they’ve read the Harry Potter books or have watched the movies. If they’ve read the books (aka have a decent attention span), then they’re probably at an age to enjoy these types of tours!
What’s the tour route?
Instead of going through the route itself… let me just share some of the key fun facts you’ll learn over the course of the walking tour… Note: If you don’t want spoilers – please don’t read the rest of this post. I like being surprised by fun facts DURING the tour – but…
For folks who like to know what’s coming before they get there / or for those who don’t have plans to go to Edinburgh but want to know some nice fun facts about the Pottertrail walking tour – please, read on! Note: I’m only posting photos of most (not all) of the places where the tour stopped – so even if you’ve read this blog, feel free to do the tour still – it may surprise you 😉
Fun fact #1
The inspiration for Lord Voldemort’s name (and McGonagall’s) can be found at Grayfriar’s Kirkyard) – notice how Riddle’s spelling is different here. It was changed so that Lord Voldemort could be created
Fun fact #2
The four houses of Hogwarts (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw) were inspired by the houses of the George Heriot School (a super expensive, elite school in Edinburgh)
Fun fact #3
J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter: Philosopher’s Stone (Book 1) at Nicholson Cafe, now renamed to Spoon. The cafe was owned, at that time, by her brother-in-law
Fun fact #4
Elephant House is the cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote parts of Harry Potter books 2 to 4. It’s also where the character Rita Skeeter was conceptualized (due to a particularly pesky reporter who kept hounding Rowling while she was writing here). Interestingly, hundreds of handwritten messages from fans to J.K. Rowling are graffiti’d all throughout the Elephant House female toilets – which is a true sight to behold!
Fun fact #5
Victoria Street is the real inspiration for Diagon Alley – it even has a joke shop (inspiration for Weasley Wizard Wheezes?), a map store, etc etc!
Fun fact #6
The Edinburgh Castle’s military tattoo stadium is said to have inspired the game of Quidditch!
Woohoo! What a way to spend a magical afternoon – I still feel afterglows of pleasure as I’m writing this down. <3 Hope you enjoy the tour as much as I did!
If you’re interested to read about my 9 day cross-country trip around the United Kingdom, please see below blogs!! 🙂
- Europe: A logistics and travel guide for first-time travelers
- Day 1: What to see and do in Bristol
- Day 2: What to see and do in Stratford-upon-Avon
- Day 3: What to see and do in Windermere
- Day 4: Enjoying the Lake District Tour
- Day 5: Enjoying the Loch Ness and Scottish Highlands tour
- Day 6: What to see and do in Edinburgh
- ++ A Pottertrail walking tour review
- Day 7: A musicals-filled London day
- Day 8: London day trip to Brighton and Seven Sisters
- Day 9: What to see and do in Shoreditch
- ++ Shoreditch Street Art and Graffiti Tour
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They even printed a coin to raise money for the Temple with Donald Trumps face on the front and with king Cyrus'(who built the second Temple) behind him. On the back of the coin is an image of the third Temple.
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Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.”
Referring to the last days, this could only be speaking of a cashless society, which we have yet to see, but are heading towards. Otherwise, we could still buy or sell without the mark amongst others if physical money was still currency. This Mark couldn’t be spiritual because the word references two different physical locations. If it was spiritual it would just say in the forehead. RFID microchip implant technology will be the future of a one world cashless society containing digital currency. It will be implanted in the right-hand or the forehead, and we cannot buy or sell without it! We must grow strong in Jesus. AT ALL COSTS, DO NOT TAKE IT!
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