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Drumhillery Primary School

Edinburgh 2023

19th May 2023

14 of our P6-7 pupils enjoyed a wonderful trip to Edinburgh from 15-18 May 2023, our first mainland residential since Covid.  We were joined by 27 pupils from Churchill PS. Mr Campbell and Mrs Boyd attended from Drumhillery and 3 members of staff from Churchill.

Day 1

It was an action packed trip from start to finish with a packed itinerary each day. We left Drumhillery at 4:45am on Monday morning (yes 4:45am!!), travelling first to Churchill PS then on to the boat at 7:30am. After arriving in Cairnryan at 9:30am we travelled up to Glasgow Science Centre, arriving at 3:00pm. The children had great fun at the Science Centre which included a show in the Planetarium. We left at 4:00pm and made our way across to Edinburgh, checking in at the Premier Inn Hotel at approximately 5:00pm. After tea we went for a walk to a local viewpoint, taking in the stunning scenery at Scotland's famous 3 bridges. Then it was back to bed as a very long but enjoyable first day ended.

Day 2

A splendid breakfast was enjoyed at the hotel before leaving for a 45 min drive to Edinburgh Castle. The children were fascinated by the rich history associated with the castle. We arrived at Edinburgh Zoo at 1:00pm, had our packed lunch and then spent approximately 3 hours there. One of the highlights was seeing Edinburgh Zoo's famous pandas which will soon be leaving for China. 

We had a delicious tea that evening at Pizza Hut in Edinburgh, before travelling on to Ten Pin Bowling. There were some very competitive games and all the staff joined in the fun!

Day 3

The visit to Blair Drummond Safari Park is always a firm favourite on our school trips and this year was no exception!

After arriving we had a short tour through the animal enclosure in our bus and one of the highlights was definitely the monkeys jumping onto the roof! There was also a slide, paddle boats, dodgems, a Birds of Prey Display, Sea Lion Display and much more!

After leaving Blair Drummond at 3:30pm it was off to the Livingston Designer Outlet Shopping Centre for a quick browse and then back to the hotel for tea.

At night we went to a local park for an impromptu football competition and some time in the play park, all capped of by a visit to McDonald's (which just happens to be in our hotel car park!!). Another action packed but brilliant day from Edinburgh 2023.

Day 4

The final day of Edinburgh 2023 came all too quickly☹️! Having packed the night before we loaded our suitcases onto the bus and headed for Ibrox, home of Rangers FC. This turned out to be a very well organised and enjoyable tour, even for those who were not football fans! We visited the press conference room, the home and away changing rooms, the trophy room, and most importantly of all, experienced what it was like to walk down the famous Ibrox tunnel to the pitch. Each pupil also went home with a Rangers gift pack. It was all capped off with a visit to the new Megastore where gifts, souvenirs and Rangers kits were purchased. 

After the visit concluded we boarded our bus and headed for the 3:30pm boat at Cairnryan, although not before our bus driver Randal allowed everyone to pop into an ice cream shop along the way🍦🍦!

Finally, a tired but elated bunch of travellers arrived back at Drumhillery at 7:45pm to be greeted by equally excited parents! 

And so, a memorable and enjoyable Edinburgh 2023 trip had come to an end! Well done ✅✅ to all our pupils for making it such a wonderful week! The beauty of these trips is it allows us to get to know the children in a new way and this year was no exception! Our pupils were a delight to be with once again 🙂! Well done!