If you’ve got small children then chances are you’ve heard of the newest CBeebies programme: Teacup Travels. My three year old is hooked – she shouts “Great Aunt Lizzie” every time it’s on!
We were watching the first episode of Teacup Travels together and I recognised the location of Great Aunt Lizzie’s house as being in Edinburgh. Last week my daughter and I were running errands in Edinburgh, and as a treat I popped over to the house with her. She was so excited, bless her, and hasn’t stopped talking about it ever since!
If you live near Edinburgh, or are planning a trip to Edinburgh any time soon (perhaps over Easter?) then your kid will adore a visit to Teacup Travels house! The house couldn’t be easier to find – it’s in Princes Street Gardens, just below Princes Street (the main street in Edinburgh).
To access the house, go down the steps that lead into the garden from The Mound – opposite the Scottish National Gallery. You’ll go past the big floral cuckoo clock, which when it’s all planted up, is always fun to look at with kids! The house is then tucked in the bottom corner of the garden closest to the steps that you just came down (you can see the steps in the top photo) – you can’t miss it!
If you’ve got a buggy or pram you’ll have to go down quite a steep ramp that is accessed from Princes Street, opposite the Frederick Street junction. Just look for a large statue of a horse mounted soldier (the Royal Scots Greys statue) and you’ll find the ramp!
You can’t actually get inside the Teacup Travels House (also known as the Gingerbread House, or officially the West Gardener’s Cottage) – it appears to be some sort of office – but just being able to look at the house and peer into the gardens proved pretty exciting for my little girl!
Once you’re in the Gardens it’s a fun place to spot squirrels, have a picnic, or visit the play park at the opposite end of the the Gardens. There you can get a cup of coffee, some lunch or some ice-cream and your little ones can run around the play park! We spend a lot of time there!
