Things to do with 18 yr old nephew around Edinburgh?

[Usernumber12356]

My nephew is coming to stay with us for 6 weeks in June and July. I'm looking for suggestions for things we could do. We don't have much money so free or cheap things would be good.

Our kids are younger and still in school so I've got 4 weeks to fill for him on his own before they break up and I finish work.

He likes science and engineering, practical things. He's not massively fit or interested in the outdoors. He doesn't know anyone his age here and we don't have any friends with children his age. So it will either be him on his own or with dh and I for all of June

I've asked what sorts of things he might like but he says he doesn't know. We've had a bit of a family emergency which is why he's coming to stay with us so he's a bit stressed. I want to have plenty of suggestions up my sleeve for if he's bored or needing distracting.

We'll go to the museum on Chambers Street, probably places like the mining museum in Newtongrange, the trains at Bo'ness, I suspect he'll like that sort of thing more than Holyrood Palace for example. Or are they all quite babyish? I don't know any 18 yr olds.

Some walks along the beach, walk out to Cramond Island, Calton Hill, but I think the tower with the time ball thing is closed right now? I think he might have found that interesting. Arthur's Seat.

I know there are lots of activities like Hillend, the new surf thing out at Ratho, but I don't know how much he would enjoy those things by himself and I'm not really up for surfing myself. And I guess they're pricey.

Any suggestions for quirky museums or exhibitions we could go to?

I'll be working 2.5 days each week so I'm hoping he'll be happy to go into town by himself and walk around maybe, I'll suggest he has a walk up the Royal Mile, maybe the Water of Leith.

All suggestions welcome. Thank you!

Treasure hunt around obscure things in Edinburgh where he has to send you pictures of it when he finds it: “something Armenian” usually burns a bit of time!

Atlas Obscura is good for Edinburgh - lots of weird stuff to find and most of it cheap or free.

the goblin ha’ down in Gifford is interesting - think you can still get in but it’s a bit rural version of urban adventuring.

the death gallery in the national museum is interesting and surgeons hall museum is good if you’re into the grim and ghoulish.

There’s a board games cafe down at the bottom of leith walk which is friendly and they do open session games - think the one on Lauriston place does similar. Shouldn’t be too dear.

Edinburgh leisure does good deals for kids/students for exercise stuff (although doesn’t sound like his thing).

If he’s Scottish and has free bus pass it’s time to go on a bus safari - through to Glasgow to Kelvingrove in time for the organ recital or to visit the transport museum; across to Dunfermline to see the abbey; up to Dundee to visit the home of the Beano (Dundee also has a good museum). If you can’t make it, set quests with photo evidence so you get to join in from work.

Send him out to buy you really obscure vinyl from an actual physical record shop - there are loads in Edinburgh so he can hunt around them for it (even better if it was never actually pressed as an LP ;-))

food: give him a budget, the internet and make him design and cook the evening’s dinner.

Bit pricier but I’ve heard really good things about Mary Kings Close, the mystery guide treasure hunt book for Edinburgh and the national museum of flight out at east fortune.

The surgeons hall museum in Edinburgh was amazing.

Why don’t you see if he can get a part time job at one of the festivals? He can earn a wee bit of money.

Dynamic earth or whatever it's called now?

Oh gosh how lovely of you!

I was going to recommend checking out the games place on Leith walk as well - Ancient Robot Games. Just found it recently but I believe they do games nights regularly. If he's into role playing games there are some groups around too.

Do you think he'd be interested in doing some volunteering? What's he doing during the year? Could be a good chance to get some work experience in maybe? I know our local food bank sometimes needs holiday cover for regular volunteers but there are other options too.

There's all the stuff at St James Centre but nothing particularly affordable to be honest.

We had a fab walk up Arthur’s Seat with our 18yo. He loved wandering around the town. Any events going on - sporting or cultural? Maybe cinema? Edinburgh dry ski slope? Might be way off but maybe a day trip across the Firth to Perth - perhaps go to the races?

Arthur’s Seat is the thing to do. It’s pretty special to have an actual mountain in the middle of a city. If he likes it then maybe the Pentlands will be a good free resource that he could do on his own.

Toppings bookshop would be a good browse if he's bookish and curious. Cinemas as well, there’s a good choice of those. Other than that it's a good city all round for a wander – nice and safe and nothing's too far away, even the seaside at Portobello, it's all walkable. If he's not massively independent it could be an excellent summer project to help him become so.

Definitely the Surgeons Hall museum and for day trips, what about Jupiter Artland or the Alpine coaster if you or your partner would go with him? Visiting Glasgow/St Andrews etc might be something he’s happy to do himself via public transport and he will probably be happy exploring the city by himself a lot of the time with plenty of interesting things to see and do

Lots of free walking tours start on the Royal mile

Something like Leith men's shed maybe if he's into engineering and how things work?
Falkirk wheel
Even if he's not fit and into outdoor stuff he might enjoy the gym? Pure Gym is no contract membership.
Would he help with your kids e.g. pick up from school for you?
home - Volunteer Edinburgh
Local cricket club matches are free to watch
I'm sure Portobello wheelchairs were looking for summer staff or volunteers. There's also someone runs Keep porty Tidy who arranges litterpicks and does graffiti cleaning / repainting type work who might value some help.

Some brilliant ideas, thank you.

I'm hopeful he'll have some ideas of his own, or be happy just wandering around, but I want to have some suggestions in reserve if he needs some encouragement or distraction.

I've never heard of Atlas Obscura. I want to go off and find some of those things myself!

Blood and guts tour. Start and finish at the museum of surgery.

Prestongrange Museum is good for a wander outside if you think he's into mining/industrial type stuff. 26 Bus goes right there so it's a good trip to kill a morning/afternoon https://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/prestongrange-museum-p251071
Train to North Queensferry and walk back over the bridges is always nice

Museum of Flight at East Fortune. A day trip to North Berwick on the train or bus. Nature reserve at Aberlady Bay (see if you can spot the X Craft subs from WW1 at low tide) which you can reach by bus. A historic Scotland pass to give cheaper access to the Castle, Blackness Castle and inchcolm Abbey (includes boat trip to the island). Buy the Secret Edinburgh book for other options

My (younger) boy loved Camera Obscura and Dynamic Earth. At the latter you get a year’s membership with your ticket. We will go back to the surgeon’s museum when he is a bit older. North Berwick is a nice trip.

The graffiti art in Colinton Tunnel is pretty cool, and you can go a walk along that part of the Water of Leith before/afterwards.

It’s Camera Obscura, not Atlas Obscura. Get him an Edinburgh leisure card and he can use the council golf courses maybe?
not easy to get part time work, my 17 year old is currently job hunting, but there might be volunteer opportunities. My Aussie backpacker cousin of a similar age recently just went “walk about” He walked the Water of Leith, he walked into town and down the Royal Mile to Hollywood ( an alternative would be an open topped bus tour?)
He got a bus to Loch Lomond and explored the loch. He did a Hairy Haggis tour one day up into the highlands. The underground city is an absolute must.
or, you know, 17 year olds sometime just like to chill in bed for half the day, playing on their phones then ordering an Ubereats McDonald's for their tea!

@cryinginthechapel Camera obscura and Atlas Obscura both exist and are two very different things.

Geocaching?

Ah. Never heard of it. Just googled it and it’s a website showing interesting things to do in various places around the world?

Let him chill a bit too though. Good internet connection will help!

I think some part time work, volunteering or an internship would be great for you all - it will take his mind off any family crisis and hopefully boost his self esteem, and take the burden off you of entertaining him.

or, is Pokémon Go a thing? There’s also a great board game cafe on Leith Walk, and elsewhere in the city, I think,