Named after the famous cobbled streets of Edinburgh, Cobbles the Scottie Dog is ambassador for the latest family orientated open-top venture from Edinburgh Bus Tours. Richard Walter sampled the Cobbles’ Tour which started on 2 April 2022 to see what it has to offer.
Scotland’s Capital has many must see attractions for tourists and the best way to explore and get your bearings is by taking one of several open-top tours that operate daily throughout the year. Lothian Buses operates Edinburgh Bus Tours which offers regular departures from the centre of Edinburgh. Most are hop on, hop off services each carrying their own distinctive branding: City Sightseeing Edinburgh with multi-language commentary; the live-guided Edinburgh Tour covering Edinburgh’s Old Town and Georgian New Town; the Majestic Tour with multi-language commentary which visits the Royal Botanic Garden and Royal Yacht Britannia at Leith; and the half-day 3 Bridges Tour which offers a 90 minute cruise on the Firth of Forth in addition to the bus tour.
In CBW issue 1482 last year, Jonathan Welch tried out the Majestic Tour just after the easing of lockdowns when open-top tours of the city were starting to carry passengers again – many whom were on staycation breaks. With visitors from abroad starting to appear again as travel restrictions have been lifted, this month saw the launch of a brand new additional city tour offering a one-hour experience for £10, taking in sights such as Edinburgh Castle, the Grassmarket and the Royal Mile.
Sarah Boyd, Operations Director for Lothian Buses, outlined the problems that had been experienced during the pandemic. “Like many operators, the last two years have proved to be exceptionally challenging for Lothian. As international visitors slowly return to the capital and events begin to take place again, we have high hopes for a good summer on Edinburgh Bus Tours.
“Our coaching division, Lothian Motorcoaches, is also set to return for 2022 with its really popular two-day trips to Loch Lomond and Loch Ness. Both tours have always been a success with visitors and we are hoping to see this continue across the year.”
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The Cobbles’ Tour
So where did the idea for the Cobbles’ Tour come from? Gaynor Marshall, Communications Director for Lothian Buses explained: “As our digital team built the Edinburgh Bus Tours app last year, we had an idea to introduce a character to The Edinburgh Bus Tours family to serve as a brand ambassador and help to promote our five-star attraction to residents and visitors. Colleagues at Edinburgh Bus Tours then competed to name the kilt wearing character and ‘Cobbles’ was born.”
Sarah added “After seeing the popularity of Cobbles while out and about engaging with visitors and locals across the city last summer, we decided that this was a unique opportunity – we knew Cobbles was the perfect hook for a new tour!
“Our existing tours have always offered something for everyone and we pride ourselves on this. Our commercial colleagues recognised a gap in the market for a shorter, best value option for visitors who want to take a quick tour of the city and which builds on the popularity and fun experience of our Cobbles character – the new tour offers just that! Still covering main visitor attractions with bespoke commentary for upstairs and downstairs this tour really delivers something fun and is a bit different for customers.”
Gaynor explained that Lothian’s in-house marketing team had a lot of fun developing this brand and livery. “We knew we wanted something fun, family focused and funky, and that would stand out from the crowd,” she said. “This product adds a new layer to our existing tour offering and gives our customers another great option when visiting the city – especially those travelling with children.
“When looking at commentary for this tour, our Head Guide Scott and Tour Guide Gwen worked together to develop a different customer experience, really building on the personality of Cobbles. With the choice of commentaries offered, the team have made the tour unique, fun and entertaining while ensuring that customers see all the highlights along the route.”
I asked how the fairly tight timetable might be achieved during the Edinburgh Festival when there could be traffic delays. Sarah explained: “Operating in Scotland’s capital city is never easy – we work closely with City of Edinburgh Council and have measures in place to try to ensure that the customer experience is not significantly impacted.”
RICHARD WALTER
Taking the Tour
The City of Edinburgh Council has described the city’s iconic cobbled stoned streets (known as ‘sets’) as ‘adding significant historic and cultural value to the streets of Edinburgh and an important feature to our landscape.’ The new Cobbles’ Tour leaves from the suitably cobbled streets of Lawnmarket. Sarah Boyd explained the reasoning behind the departure point.: “Lawnmarket is a fantastic location with hundreds of visitors passing by on daily basis on route to or from Edinburgh Castle. By creating a departure point here we are catering to demand in this location while offering a different type of experience.
The frequent Cobbles’ Tours commence at 0900hrs, seven days a week. I chose to go on the 0915hrs one which was empty apart from myself for the whole trip. However subsequent tours that day had good loadings and from Easter onwards it is very likely that even the first tours of the day will be busy. I decided to brave the upper deck on a sunny but chilly April morning. My driver Fay set off smoothly at exactly 0915hrs and I plugged my earphones in to listen to the recorded commentary. Five of Edinburgh Bus Tours’ ‘bought as new’ in 2016 semi-open top Wright Eclipse Gemini 3 Volvo B5TLs (230-234) have been given the Cobbles’ makeover in a distinctive yellow and tartan livery. I was pleasantly surprised how new and immaculate my vehicle 233 looked – inside and out. I was also impressed with the all-season seats which were hard but perfectly comfortable.
Within seconds of departure, the bus passed down Johnstone Terrace, towered over by Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Castle Rock (a volcanic plug in the middle of Edinburgh upon which the Castle sits) before descending into the bustling Grassmarket which was the city’s main marketplace in the 15th century. Sitting upstairs pays dividends as there are more fine views of the Castle which can be snapped if you are quick with your camera or camera phone. The commentary warned passengers particularly downstairs to watch out for the famous statue of Greyfriars Bobby before the bus does a loop heading back down George IV Bridge and the Mound crossing over Princes Street and up onto George Street before arriving at the Georgian end of the city. Fay paused outside Bute House, which is the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland. Each track on the interesting fact-filled commentary is activated individually at whatever location the bus arrives at. Gaps when traffic is heavy are filled automatically by a selection of Scottish music. There are also fillers less specific to locations that can be played should heavy traffic delays or diversions occur.
The tour progresses onto Queen Street before arriving at St Andrew Square where passengers have the option to transfer to one of the other Edinburgh Bus Tours if they so wish. The next segment of the tour covers the east end of Princes Street and from Regent Road offers fine upper deck views of the Nelson Monument on Calton Hill, the Scottish Parliament, Arthur’s Seat and many other must-see attractions. By now the chilling Edinburgh wind was starting to have an effect on me but the great sunny sights made up for any minor discomfort.
On diversion
According to the official tour map, the bus then heads down Abbeyhill, one of the oldest parts of the city, passing the Palace of Holyroodhouse and onto the Royal Mile. However, due to the current closure of St Mary’s Street for road works, my bus diverted by the very distinctive Scottish Parliament leaf-shaped building designed by Spanish architect Enric Miralles into Holyrood Park by the ancient volcano of Arthur’s Seat. Turning into Holyrood Road after passing the Dynamic Earth visitor attraction, passengers are offered a stop to explore these popular locations further. The tour continued on a slightly diverted route before returning to the start point via Chambers Street, home to the National Museum of Scotland, and George IV Bridge. Fay pulled into the bus stop at Lawnmarket dead on time and ready for the 1015hrs departure.
Value and choice
Whilst maybe not quite as comprehensive as the other slightly longer Edinburgh Bus Tours, the Cobbles’ Tour offers good value for money and takes in most of the sights that visitors to the Capital expect to see. With its colourful branding, it is bound to be particularly popular with families with young children and there is a Cobbles the Dog goody bag awaiting them when they board.
Sarah has high expectations for the future: “Our existing four tours continue to operate across this season and our team at Edinburgh Bus Tours is already working really hard to ensure that we continue to provide that five-star visitor experience for every customer that travels with us. With kids going free and great discounts for local attractions across the city, we are ready to make 2022 the best year yet for our customers!”
With the current uncertainty about soaring fuel prices and the requirement to aim for achievement of net zero emissions across the network, I asked if there were any plans to adapt or change future tours or vehicles to take account of these factors. Sarah said: “Lothian is actively participating in the City of Edinburgh Council’s 2030 Plan, which will see the Council becoming a net-zero carbon organisation by 2030. All vehicles currently used on Edinburgh Bus Tours were introduced in 2016, meet Euro VI standards and are ready to meet the capital’s low emission zones expected to come into force later this year.”
Finally, I wondered if Cobbles the Dog might be making any personal appearances over the coming weeks. “Cobbles is extremely popular with young and old and will be popping by regularly to surprise visitors and make lots of new friends across the capital over the summer season.” said Gaynor.
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