It’s only taken me a month to write this blog, but it’s been a month of covid, then a cold, then busy weekends with weddings, dog shows, Swiftogeddon, and more so please forgive me… However, I’m still basking in the afterglow from possibly the best weekend of my life. And that includes my future wedding day. I’m of course talking about the day I got to see the one and only Taylor Swift at the Eras Tour.
From the day an 11 year old Beth found Teardrops on My Guitar on Youtube and obviously had to record her own version of it, I’ve been a Swiftie. However, the North East never really had the luxury of receiving Taylor, so seeing her live seemed like a million miles away, a feat I’m sure my dad was sick of hearing about. So, when the Midnights presale was available, of course I immediately leapt to ensure we had a chance of sweeping tickets. Somehow, we were successful, but that was only half the battle…
York
We decided to make a weekend of it, however, if you’ve ever tried to book hotels in a Swiftie filled city, you’ll know it’s practically impossible, and/or ridiculously expensive. After looking at train fares, it was miles cheaper to get the train from York than from Leeds, giving us a fantastic excuse to have a stop at one of our favourite hotels, The Grand.
The Grand
The Grand, York, is a five-star hotel located about 5 minutes from the train station. There’s many-a-facility including a cookery school, a spa, and multiple restaurants. Doormen collect your bags upon arrival, and guest relations are on hand to support with any enquiries.
We’ve previously stayed there just after the first lockdown when staycations were the hype. We loved it and thought the hotel was stunning and fully intended to head back. Included in your stay is a 1 hour slot within the spa, it’s a lovely spa but not very big so in my opinion, 1 hour is more than long enough. View our room tour here >>>
Following the spa, we headed to The Rise, the more casual of the 2 restaurants. However, don’t let that fool you into thinking that the food isn’t exquisite. We had the Whipped Goat Cheese to start, followed by the Lobster and Chicken Mac & Cheese for me (I am a Mac & Cheese fiend… not great considering cheese makes my stomach ache), and the Pan Roasted Duck Breast with a side of Savoy Cabbage for Nathan. Despite the fact I was incredibly full, my dessert stomach kicked into gear and I went with a Mille-Feuille to finish.
Following a lovely sleep, we were up bright and early, and in full glam walking through the streets of York ready for our 8am train up to Edinburgh.
Train
Our train journey was a Swiftie dream. No surprise, it was packed. However, we’d anticipated this and opted for first class to ensure we got our breakfast and a seat, at minimum. This was no ordinary First Class experience though, as we were surrounded with friendship bracelets, music, and Swifties. I did feel sorry for the train guards who were rushing up and down this packed train. However, I hope the general positivity on the train kept their spirits high!
We befriended a group on the way, in fact, my months of prepping friendship bracelets had lead to this moment as they hadn’t actually finished any yet, so our 2 hour journey was spent helping put their bracelets together.
Edinburgh
The giddiness hit as soon as we arrived in Edinburgh. The city was flowing with glitter, iconic Swiftie references, and just a general feeling of collective euphoria. Genuinely the same feeling I think we’d get going to Barbieland…
Accommodation: Easy Hotel
Officially rebranding my blog to Beth’s (Not so) Boujee Adventures. Edinburgh accommodation hunting was not easy. As I’d fully intended to get tickets for Wembley, I’d booked accommodation for London only. When we secured Edinburgh tickets, it was too late… Hotels were full or at least £600 per night.
Believe it or not, we’re trying to be more economically clever since we’re selling our house. Therefore, Nathan convinced me to go “budget” at a solid £250 for the Easy Hotel. You can see how that went down here.
As travellers with accessible needs, this hotel was unfortunately not the one. No lift, no space, and don’t judge me, you get what you pay for, but no comfort! It did the job for a place to sleep, however, next time I’ll pay the £900 for a 5 star hotel (I wish I was joking…). I’m sure after the amount I whinged, Nathan thought the same.
Food & Drinks
On a more positive note, I LOVE Edinburgh. Particularly for the restaurant and bar scene. This was a flying visit, so not much chance to explore. However, we made reservations in advance for Brewhemia and Chaopraya before the show. We knew it would be a long one so food was vital.
Brewhemia
Shout out to my pal Reece for this recommendation. Back in Covid times, we took a trip up North with no plans and needed places to visit. Brewhemia was one of those he suggested. The city was much quieter at that time, and many of the bars still closed, so I don’t think we’d fully grasped just how big it was.
I met up with 2 friends who’d spent the night in the city before and drank to get ourselves ready for a night of dancing (with our hands tied) and singing our little hearts out.
When we’d booked we hadn’t realised they were hosting a Taylor Swift brunch, but I wish I had! The whole place was full of cowboy boots, sparkly dresses, and glitter. All weekend they had live musicians, singing Taylor’s songs, obviously, a glitter bar, a friendship bracelet station, and themed cocktails. LOVED IT!
Chaopraya
Buzzing off a mix of pre-gig excitement and cocktails, we headed to Chaopraya. I’ve never visited before, despite having one in Leeds. However, I will definitely be going back!
The setting was gorgeous, we ate inside but the restaurant has rooftop views, paired with sleek and modern interiors. We were in a rush to get to the stadium, however, next time I’ll be going the whole hog with 3 courses.
I opted for the ‘Khao Soi Gai’ aka the Famous Chiang Mai Curry. One tip, it comes as slightly spicy, however, feel free to ask for a different level of spice if that’s what you prefer! For me, the ‘Spicy’ was just enough of a kick to feel satisfied without blowing your head off. The curry itself was soooo good, I could have eaten it all over again…
Nathan got the Gaeng Pah aka the King Prawn Jungle Curry. In his own words, “Incredible flavourful, despite having to pay for rice separately. However, it didn’t half blow your head off. In a good way.” A Yorkshireman if you’ve ever heard one…
Paired with a Tiger beer and a large Chang just to make everything taste even better!
Coro
An absolute tradition for us. Every time we’ve visited Edinburgh, we pair it with a visit to Coro Cafe. And then every time we over eat, feel sick, and vow that next time we’ll not order as much. But when you see the menu, you’ll understand.
Coro is a dessert cafe offering waffles, pancakes, crepes, cookie dough, cakes, and more. With pre-set options, and create your own, there’s something for everyone!
The last 2 times we’ve been, I’ve had the cookie jar waffles, a combination of different chocolate sauces, Jaffa cakes, Oreos, cookies, toffee sauce, and more. I definitely have eyes bigger than my belly as I got half way through and genuinely couldn’t eat any more. Nathan opted to create his own with waffles, white chocolate, bacon and honeycomb. An absolute rogue choice.
Taylor Swift
Getting to the gig wasn’t pleasant. However, after queuing for a tram and only 2 people successfully getting on at any one time, we opted to Uber which surprisingly wasn’t difficult at all!
I don’t think I need to tell you that Taylor was amazing. I genuinely have no words. As was Paramore (another teenage Beth dream, actually the first band I had tickets for but unfortunately couldn’t make the gig!). From crying as soon as Taylor came on stage, to crying during All Too Well, to crying during Style (my favourite song, don’t judge me), to losing my voice during the surprise songs… The Bolter x Getaway Car / All of the Girls You Loved Before x Crazier – we won!!
No doubt about it, the best night of my life.
My top tips if you’re attending the Eras Tour soon:
- Arrive Early: Whilst I don’t regret eating before we went, between transport, queues to get in, toilet queues, general navigation of a huge stadium, we missed part of Paramore despite getting there for 5PM. The Eras Tour is LONG, so support acts start early. If you don’t want to miss them, add an hour onto whenever you plan to arrive to make sure you have time to grab drinks/ get merch /take photos / go to the loos / find your seat / get a spot on the floor.
- Accessible Toilets: This may be specific to Murrayfield. However, in our section there was only 1 accessible toilet. With so many attendees, we knew there’d be many people trying to use the accessible loos, however, what we didn’t count on is people trying to skip the regular queues by jumping in the accessible ones. If this was you, please don’t do this!! Actually, it probably takes longer to get through the queue as these accessible needs mean things take longer…
- Dress Up but Dress for the Weather: The weather was pleasant that weekend, however, typical Edinburgh, it was really bloody windy. I was wearing a dress and felt quite covered, but I still had to leave during Folkmore to get a hoodie as I was unbearably cold. On the flip side, make sure to have water if it’s too hot! Nothing is worth getting ill for.
- Portable Charger: You probably know this already, but you’ll take a LOT of photos and videos and this will drain your battery. You’ll also likely need battery to get home, so please bring a charger and make sure your phone is fully charged.
- Check out Accessible Transport Options: Again, this is likely for a specific audience. However, we were fully prepared for a 2 hour queue for the tram. However, the stewards spotted Nathan in the crowd and highlighted that there was a lift to the platforms. They explained there may be a wait, but compared to the prospect of fighting the hordes leaving the stadium, this was a luxury we were willing to wait for. Have a look into local transport options and the accessible options available as this was such a pleasant surprise for us.
Tips for Edinburgh
Whilst this trip was more of a whistle stop tour, we’ve visited Edinburgh a few times between us and fell in love with the city. This was actually number 2 on my university options so would have made for a very different life now…
Things we’ve visited and loved in Edinburgh include:
- The Glasshouse: We stayed here last time and loved it. A Marriott hotel, it features views of both Carlton Hill and Edinburgh’s New Town. Our personal faves were the Snug bar and the Rooftop Garden which you genuinely have see to believe.
- Edinburgh Castle: This is an obvious one. You can’t go to Edinburgh and not visit the castle. I’ve never been inside, as the views for me are enough. You can see the castle from the majority of the city, however, I do think as a tourist you HAVE to make the trek up to see the city.
- Go for a Wander: Edinburgh is incredibly walkable. Get lost in the city and fall in love with the architecture. Make sure you visit the Royal Mile, Grassmarket, Princes Street, Circus Lane, and Dean Village.
- Drink Some Whisky: Any excuse… I am from the North, of course. Whisky never tastes as nice as it does in Edinburgh. There’s many a Whisky tour to take, however, we loved popping into The Devil’s Advocate for a drink.
- Greyfriars Bobby: If it’s not obvious, I love dogs. So, of course, knowing the story of Greyfriars Bobby, I had to go visit and have a cry whilst rubbing his nose. Tell me you’re not a dog-lover after reading up on it…
Thanks for reading! Whether you’re off to the Eras Tour anytime soon, just got home and wanting to relive the memories, or have no interest in Taylor Swift at all (why are you reading?!), I hope you enjoyed our little summary.
If you enjoyed, please do take a look at our BRAND NEW Youtube channel. We’ll be vlogging accessible yet somewhat boujee travel, and the Eras Tour was our first dip into giving it a go.
Looking forward to our next adventure very soon. Keep your eyes peeled, however, until then I hope your travels are filled with luxury and adventures!
Beth & Nathan
xo
