A Scots company has had to put on extra tours to meet demand after offering Harry Potter style bus experiences in Edinburgh.
The Red Bus Bistro company began offering its Wonderful Wizarding Tours to fans of the magic franchise in December last year.
Their vintage double decker bus visits places of interest that inspired the book and film franchise including the Balmoral hotel where JK Rowling finished her last book, the Elephant House cafe where the ideas and books began, Victoria Street, the inspiration for Diagon Alley and other spell binding sights.
Owner Alison Simpson and her team also have included a themed afternoon tea including delights like chocolate frogs, jelly beans, I Can’t Believe Its Not Butterbeer cocktails and Sorcerers Sandwiches.
The tour which lasts ninety minutes was originally trialled last year on Thursdays and Fridays but now Alison has added a Saturday to the schedule and will run the services at 6pm.
She said: “Our wizarding tours have been very popular amongst tourists and families alike. When we began at the tail end of last year we were testing the water and now realise everyone loves a bit of magic in their lives. We can take up to forty people per bus.”
“We have employed an actor turned wizard to deliver our unique tour content and we offer quality bespoke food and drink for our customers.
We’ve even got an offer on just now where every child (under the age of 15) eats free with two adults. We charge £37 per adult and we are constantly evolving how we deliver our experience.”
She added: “We can’t wait to tie in with any upcoming conventions and school holidays. Our Red Bus Bistro offers different experiences for a whole range of customers, including afternoon tea and gin tours, hen nights, party evenings and more sedate sightseeing trips.”
Excerpts of this article have since appeared in the Scotsman
