O/T Edinburgh

jakarta said:

I sure you are right but I really don't know Glasgow anywhere near as well as Edinburgh. I worked for a Consultancy that did a fair bit of work for RBS (building surveys and other environmental work) and of course that is where their HQ is so on the whole that's where I went.

The few times I went to Glasgow it seemed very grim by comparison. And don't get me onto Aberdeen!

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El Presidente said:

Fancy the festival next year, is it worth it or full of too many trendy liberals?

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Mr Banana said:

Can you go for festival month or are you thinking later in the year?

If you start at Waverley, the Fruitmarket Gallery and Coburn Street are always nice.

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Cosmic Joker said:

Went to Edinburgh on a long weekend for the Scottish real ales festival last July. Brilliant city, outstanding architecture and setting and lovely people. Great pubs and bars, of which more later. Only downside is it's so touristy it's getting almost as pricy as London.

Stayed at the Haymarket Hotel, which is an OK budget hotel made out of terraced townhouses only a block away from Haymarket station (the second Edinburgh station which is west of the City Centre). . Not much phone reception in the basement rooms. Went up by train and back by Easyjet to Gatwick. If you book up early, Virgin East Coast do some very cheap advance tickets on weekdays, mine was £25 from Kings Cross to Haymarket.
@studio160 is dead right about the views from the train, they are stunning where the train hugs the coast from past Morpeth to some miles beyond Berwick. Try to get window seats on the right hand side of the train northbound / left hand side southbound. After that, there is lots of forest and valleys until Dunbar and the Edinburgh suburbs. The southern part of the route, by contrast is fairly uneventful until you get to York station. The vale of York with its white horse is very nice. Further highlights are Durham old town and cathedral as seen from the Durham viaduct and the Tyne bridges and Newcastle station. The trains themselves are all rather old now but still comfortable enough for a four hour journey. If the train continues north of Edinburgh it will be a diesel HST (and will call at both Waverley and Haymarket), if it terminates at Edinburgh Waverley it will be a 1990's electric. New trains have been ordered to replace both of these but still won't be ready next year. The fastest trains all leave Kings Cross on the hour, don't bother with the ones which leave at half past.


Whether you ascend Arthur's seat or not, a short steep walk up to the top of Calton Hill - at the east end of Princes Street - and the Nelson Monument is highly recommended for stunning views all across the city and out to Fife.

There are loads of restaurants to choose from, although they don't seem to stay open as late as in Brighton or London. If you like Thai, I can recommend the Passorn Thai Brasserie on Hanover Street, in the New Town towards Queen Street Gardens. We went there two nights out of three, because it was so good on the first night. For very good pub food as well as great beers and whiskies our other evening meal was at the Abbotsford in Rose Lane, just west of St Andrew's Square. In the same area and very close to Waverley station a couple of must-visit historic pubs are the Guildford Arms, West Register Street and just behind it is the Café Royal. The Guildford Arms has the best ales and is less pricy, but the Café Royal has to be visited for its stunning stained glass windows and Victorian plasterwork.

For places in the Old Town, to the south of the station there is a steep set of steps leading up out of the valley. Halfway up these is the Halfway House, an amazing little tiny bar with lots of character, so you can slake your thirst on the way up to the Royal Mile. Also does traditional food. Once you've seen the Castle and all the other touristy buildings, more sustenance is close at hand with the Bow Bar in Victoria St or descend to the underbelly of the city in Cowgate for Brewdog. For better craft beer than Brewdog, head west through Grassmarket and West Port to the Hanging Bat in Lothian Road. Along this walk there are some excellent, if fleeting, views of the less seen rear side of the Castle Rock, which is impressively vertiginous. A bit further west in Morrison street is Thompsons, a great traditional pub with excellent whisky selection. To get back to the centre, the tram from Haymarket to st Andrews Square is very good and you can get a cheap all day ticket for buses and trams if you don't want to walk everywhere. The tram is also the best way to reach Murrayfield or the Airport.

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Doonhamer7 said:

Edinburgh is a great city - lived there for 4 years as a student. Best hotel is the Cally (Caledonian - at end of Princes Street), which is 4/5* and is superb - as a luxury we stayed for 2 nights a couple of years ago out of season and got great deal through one of those websites - it was worth the extra money ( I think off the street it would cost £450/night but we paid less than half that) Family room was bigger than my student flat, it was the best breakfast ever by miles and staff service was everything you expect. For things to do you have to do the castle, be on the ramparts at 1pm when the gun is fired, the Museum of Scotland on Chambers street - just off royal mile, real Mary kings close is worth a visit, walk from castle the whole royal mile down to Holyrood, avoid princes street , shop on George street, loads of places to eat and drink ( Rose street allows a full round of golf 18 pubs!). Deep fried pizza is available in every chippy I went to in Edinburgh - great after a few pints with a bottle of irn bru, never heard of deep fried mars bars until I moved to England.

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Driver8 said:

I go there quite a lot on business. I stay at the Apex which is pretty nice and 5 mins from the main station (Waverley). Edinburgh is pretty compact and you can walk to most of the attractions.

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Westdene Seagull said:

Nice hotel ( as are most in the group ) but whatever you do, don't use a card to pay !!!!!!

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