I originally wrote this for my work colleagues at Apple Computer in Sydney, Australia, where I was working for a few months as part of a round-the-world trip. That's why I've got an Australian e-mail address (it'll be valid at least till October 1995, by the way).
If I had the opportunity to take someone as a guest on a sort of personal tour round Scotland, this guide lists some of the places I'd want to show them.
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The capital of Scotland and rightly so because, so they say, it contains more pubs per square mile than any other place in Europe. All the obvious touristy things to do in Edinburgh are clustered around the 'Old Town', which is loosely defined as the area down from where the castle sits on its volcanic plug of a rock down to Holyrood Palace at the bottom of the Royal Mile. You could spend your whole stay and lots and lots of money without straying from this fairly compact area. However, here are some slightly alternative suggestions:
Get yourself a copy of 'The List'. This is available in most newsagents and comes out every couple of weeks. It's the local 'What's On' guide, and covers Glasgow as well. Being an very biased Edinburgh person, I realise that Glasgow is a far inferior city and can't offer anything approaching what Edinburgh can. A Glaswegian would hotly contest this, of course! But anyway, 'The List' will tell you what's going on in both cities, and you can make up your own mind.
Having procured your copy of The List from the local John Menzies (highly prolific Edinburgh chain of newsagents), my recommendation if you're searching for a guid (good) Scottish experience is to check out a ceilidh. This is pronounced 'KAY-lee' and is a Gaelic (pronounced 'GAlik', not 'GAYlik' - that's the Irish version) word which usually in practice means an evening event where you can go along and try your hand at Scottish Country Dancing. These dances have names like 'Eightsome Reel', 'Military Two-step', and 'Strip the Willow', and are phenomenally good fun. They're actually taught around Christmas time in most schools in Scotland so most of the locals have at least a fair idea of what they're doing. It's not a problem even if you've never tried these dances before, though. At any ceilidh there's always a good mix of total beginners to fully kilted experts, and actually a moderate degree of confusion adds to the fun. I went to a ceilidh once full of people who all knew exactly what they were doing, and it was reeeaaally boring!
Arthur's Seat is another volcanically produced landmark which lies in the middle of Holyrood Park, next to the palace of the same name. The jagged volcanic rock at the summit has been worn smooth and shiny by the action of hundreds of years of feet! The top of Arthur's Seat is a great place to go on a nice day, and it's an pretty easy walk up (you can even drive most of the way if you want to cheat!) From here you get a fantastic overview of the city from the Pentland Hills in the south (look for the lines of the dry ski slope), through the Forth rail and road bridges in the west, and right up to the Kingdom (as the locals like to say) of Fife, across the Firth of Forth to the north. Something else which always strikes me when surveying the city from this vantage point is the fact that there are very few nasty high-rise buildings in the city. Almost all the ones which do exist are owned by Edinburgh University. Scumbags.
I mentioned the vast quantities of ale-vending establishments which flourish in this area. Here are a few of my favourite ones - I haven't got all the addresses, but you could look them up in the phone book:
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Preservation Hall, Victoria Street * Good jazz and blues.
The Royal Oak, Infirmary Street * First impressions on entering this pub may be that it's one of these places where to feel welcome, you have to be male, over 50, and belong to a family which has drank at that pub for the last 16 generations. However, this is not actually true and if you're prepared to brave your way in you'll get a great chat from the locals. The best thing about the Royal Oak, however, is the impromptu folk music which seems to spontaneously spring up. People just wander in carrying a fiddle, or a guitar, and jam away with whoever else happens to be around! It's excellent!
The Cavern, Cowgate * Actually there are several places in the general Cowgate area where you can catch the likes of grunge, punk, and really heavy stuff. Anything which is too loud and offensive for the Preservation Hall. There used to be a really bohemian joint in the Cowgate called La Sorbonne, but it was apparently closed down because of all the trouble which happened there. There was, however, one band called Michael Jackson and a Fistful of Arseholes who were too offensive even for La Sorbonne! Apparently the management unplugged them half way through their set and kicked them out!
The Venue, Calton Road * Costs a few quid (UK slang for 'pounds') to get in, but here you'll see some really good bands who aren't quite famous enough to gig at places like The Playhouse.
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Maxie's Wine Bar * (can't remember the name of the street) is quite nice, but my favourite is:
The Doric Tavern * Can't remember the name of the street, but it'll be in the phone book. Near to the junction of Waverley Bridge and Cockburn Street, anyway. It's a great little wine bar, and it's upstairs from the street level pub. Walk through the door to the right of the main pub and up the stairs.
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Check out The Canny Man's in Morningside. The decor is totally unique: it's filled to the ceiling with really weird antiquey things, the walls are papered with sheet music, and there's even a pram and a mannekin suspended from the ceiling. A little bit of a way out from the centre, but definitely worth a look.
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Well, you've got to check out the whisky when you're in Scotland ... haven't you? Good places to go to sample some fine whiskies are the Malt Shovel in Cockburn Street, or the Cumberland Bar at the Eastern end of Cumberland Street in the New Town. The Cumberland Bar's selection, in particular, is awesome! It used to me my local when I lived at 18 Dundonald Street! There's another place in Victoria Street called the Bow Bar, just down from the Preservation Hall. It's owned by the same bloke as the Cumberland Bar, and is similarly endowed with a wide variety of rather groovy beverages.
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The Shore area of Leith, Edinburgh's port, has become a bit of a Yuppie area in recent years. There are a lot of very nice bars in the waterfront area there, and they're actually not too yuppyish. I exaggerate! There's also an old ship/boat moored there called the Ocean Mist which has been converted into a restaurant.
Well, that's quite enough of pubs. You may find that after all that exercise country dancing and shinning up Arthur's Seat that you have worked up quite a healthy appetite! Here are some of my favourite places to eat in Edinburgh:
Chez Jules * I love this place! It's a French restaurant hidden down one of the little alleys (or 'closes' as they're called) off Cockburn Street. Very popular, so book ahead! It's a great favourite with the studenty crowd because not only is it inexpensive, but it also has a fantastic atmosphere and good food! Make sure you go to the original near Cockburn Street, because it's the best. My absolute number one favourite place to eat in Edinburgh. (Good grief, what a rave review! You'll probably hate it now I've said this!)
Pierre Victoire * Owned by the same bloke as Chez Jules. There are at least three or four Pierre Victoires around Edinburgh, and they're very well thought of, but just not quite the same as Chez Jules (biased, biased, biased!!)...
The Witchery * Up near the Castle on the Royal Mile. Pretty expensive, but the food's good and the restaurant's been designed on the theme of the ghosts and ghouls of Edinburgh's past. Can be interesting!
The Snack Shack * On Lothian Road. Some people reckon they serve the best takeaway pizza in Edinburgh, but I don't agree. I think that title should go to:
L'Alba D'Oro * An Italian take away down in the New Town just off Dundas Street. They also do magnificent Fish 'n' Chips.
The Rose Street Brewery * This is actually a pub which brews its own beer, called Auld Reekie. The name 'Auld Reekie' actually used to be the less than complementary nickname of the city of Edinburgh itself back when everyone used to use coal fires. It roughly translates as 'Old Smelly'. However, this in no way implies anything about the beer!! Anyway (not to digress too much), I used to be completely addicted to the Steak Pies they make here when I was at University. Myself and various friends used to come down a couple of times a week for a pie and a pint. Once we even had two complete Steak Pie meals each, one after the other! This was done partially because we were hungry, but mostly to astound Sandra, the waitress!
The best time to visit Edinburgh is during the Edinburgh Festival in July and August. It's the biggest Arts Festival in the world, don'tya know? Accommodation is best booked ahead during this time, however, or you may find yourself sharing a park bench in Princes' St. Gardens with someone who will not let you go to sleep till you give him enough money for his next can of Carlsberg Special Brew. |
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