The Luxury Travel Magazine
The Luxury Travel Magazine
Edinburgh is a city of many compelling visitor attractions, and it would be easy to confine a visit to the city to staying within the area of the legendary Royal Mile, the historic thoroughfare extending from the ancient grey sandstone castle perched majestically on the top of Castle Rock, all the way down to the Palace of Holyrood, the royal family’s residence when visiting Scotland’s capital. Yes, plenty to see and do within that mile. However, those with an interest in royalty would be well advised to take a 20-minute drive northward to the port of Leith, on the Firth of Forth, Edinburgh’s maritime gateway.
It is here, nestled into the quayside, that the late Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite residence now sits, the once well travelled Royal Yacht Britannia, decommissioned in 1997 and now a static, multi-award winning visitor attraction (voted Tripadvisor’s No 1 UK attraction 2023). Most of the interior of the ship remains as it was when commissioned in 1953, two years into the late Queen’s reign.
After crossing the gangway, as visitors progress through the ship, they experience not only every facet of royal life on board, but get to know the hierarchy of the staff and crew, from the Captain’s elegant and comfortable quarters – en suite bathroom with full bath included – to the cramped bunk beds of the junior seamen, which not so long ago replaced their hammocks. A far cry from Queen Elizabeth’s and Prince Philip’s (separate, but adjoining) bedrooms, located at the top of the ship away from the prying eyes of crew, but thanks to the floor to ceiling glass windows, we now have full viewing access to.
The royal quarters combine a surprising spaciousness, such as the 96 capacity dining table for entertaining state visitors. Much of the furniture comes from Queen Victoria’s own royal yacht, and we see the large individual storage rooms for china, silverware and glassware. Yet its country house furnishings give an air of homeliness, thanks to the instructions given by Queen Elizabeth to her interior designer Hugh Casson. The Queen herself stated that it was on board Britannia that she felt most relaxed and at home, and despite being normally undemonstrative in public, was reported to have openly wept at the decommissioning ceremony.
But don’t be deceived – there are not many private yachts with a carport for a Range Rover, which the royal family used on their annual summer holiday cruise exploring the Western Isles. Most of the items on display are the original artefacts on loan from the Royal Collection Trust.
The Royal Yacht does have its own tea room, not suprisingly as, when Her Majesty was at home in any of any of her residences, she considered breaking off work for a leisurely afternoon tea as sacrosanct, even when taken alone. However, I was directed by the Royal Yacht’s team to take my afternoon tea at their sister ship Fingal, moored less than half a mile along the quayside.
Fingal was never a royal yacht; its days of service was ferrying lighthouse keepers to and from their isolated places of work, as well as delivering much needed supplies. It was bought by the trustees of the Royal Yacht Britannia, and after a £5 million refurbishment, opened its doors as a luxury hotel in 2019. Despite the intervening pandemic, in 2024, Fingal was voted No 1 Luxury Hotel and No 1 Small and Boutique Hotel by Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best. It was also voted Hotel of the Year Scotland by the Automobile Association, and Pride of Britain’s Hotel of the Year.
Fingal has 22 guest ‘cabins’, some duplex, each named after one of the lighthouses the ship serviced. The President’s Suite is named after HRH The Princess Royal, who was at one time President of the Northern Lighthouse Board, and stayed in that very room on her visits to the lighthouses under her watch. Contrasting with Britannia’s chintzy look, its décor palette reflects Scotland’s moorland earthiness, with textiles created by Scottish designer Araminta Campbell. A corridor to the rooms lined with glass sides straddles the vessel’s former engine room, displaying its huge pipes and turbines, while smaller maritime features inform bathroom, door and wall fittings.
And so to tea. Their afternoon tea has become a leading feature of the hotel and a great favourite among locals. At first the hotel’s food and drink offering comprised a cocktail bar with snacks. This evolved into a casual dining restaurant offering sophisticated bar snacks, such as oysters and a chacuterie board. Post-pandemic, the restaurant introduced a full dinner menu, sourcing local Scottish ingredients.
Afternoon tea is served between 12.30 pm and 3.30pm, as the hotel does not offer a lunch menu. However, lunch will not be missed. Starting with a small cup of hot tomato and red pepper soup as an amuse bouche, the two-tiered tray of savouries soon followed. On the top deck (of course I will use maritime terminology): mini tartlets of haggis and potato; felafel and baba ganoush with pomegranate; and beetroot royale, horseradish and dill. Bottom deck: finger sandwiches of peppered beef pastrami with celeriac remoulade on onion bread; Heatherfield smoked salmon with crème fraiche on a brioche bun; as well as various vegetarian fillings. After the buttermilk scone course, the patisserie included a passion fruit and cocnut meringue; a Hukambi chocolate and quince choux; an Amalfi lemon dome and a Granny Smith apple mousse on a buckwheat biscuit.
21 different teas were listed on the menu, some with a surprising local Scottish twist. For example, have you ever tried Highland Whisky Tea, a collection of teas blended with a local single malt whisky? Neither had I. Despite my anticipation, I found it to be an ‘acquired taste’. I preferred their Highland Rooibos, especially to accompany the dessert items, tying together a honey-sweet rooibos and the flavours of raspberry leaf, blueberry, lavender and rose. Their exclusive handcrafted Fingal blend delightfully balanced Ceylon, Assam and Yunnan teas.
Assistant Food and Beverage Manager Matty Tomaszewski proudly explained that the introduction of tea blends extends to Fingal’s cocktail menu, as their Fingal Blend Tea is incorporated into their own brand gin, and strongly brewed tea is used to enhance the flavour of their cocktails bitters.
A stay at Fingal and a visit to the Royal Yacht Britannia is a wonderful way to combine the delights of Edinburgh’s great city with views across the impressive Firth of Forth. And in case you are wondering what a ‘Firth of Forth’ is: it is the estuary of the River Forth, and firth is a Scottish adaption of the Norwegian word fjord.
