City of Edinburgh and Forth Bridges Helicopter Scenic Tour, Edinburgh

• See some of Scotland's most famous landmarks from the air
• On this 30 minute tour marvel at the iconic Forth Bridges
• Capture amazing images of the incredible panoramic views - cameras are a MUST!

The Edinburgh departure location for the scenic tours is conveniently located right beside Edinburgh airport, right opposite the Hilton Hotel (where I have been told you can grab a cheeky coffee or a bite to eat). I don’t drive so had hopped on to the tram to get there – the Ingliston park and ride stop is about a 5 minute walk away.

Upon arriving at the unmissable purple(!) portakabin, 20 minutes before my flight, I was greeted by the ground crew who checked me in, ensuring I had my boarding pass to hand. All passengers are asked to arrive at least 20 minutes before their departure time so the crew can perform a mandatory safety briefing. So, the 4 of us that were going up on the tour were gathered together to be given a very entertaining and informative safety briefing where we were invited to ask any questions. Then we were ready to go…!

The last tour had just landed and before we were loaded, the ground crew ushered off the customers who had been on their flight – all of whom had big smiles plastered across their faces!!

We were guided to the helicopter and met the pilot who was extremely reassuring and professional. We got ourselves strapped in and put on our headsets so that we could hear the pilot’s commentary and also speak to each other too. The take off was exhilarating – you shoot up to the sky within seconds. Typically the helicopter tends to travel at 100 – 120mph, at a height of about 1500 feet, so on this 30 minute tour you cover a lot of ground!

The pilot takes you over a number of recognisable landmarks including Murrayfield Stadium and Arthurs Seat whilst giving you some background information and pointing out things that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. We flew over the castle at an altitude that allowed us to see it in a way that it can’t normally be viewed; a birds eye perspective. Going over the Forth was awe-inspiring – seeing the iconic Forth Bridges from the air was incredible and really interesting to see the progress being made on the third bridge.

This is a truly unique way to view Edinburgh and the surrounding area. I can’t recommend it enough – I took hundreds of photos, cameras are a MUST!