Nine must-do highlights of Edinburgh, Scotland
By Penny Watson
The shop
Stay warm and woolly while donning your sartorial best.
Looking for a wee bit of Scottish tweed? There are shops aplenty selling Scotland’s famed and favoured woollens but few do it with the sartorial style of Walker Slater. The brand’s characteristic dual-fronted, two-level townhouse headquarters in the old town is top-to-bottom with tailored, quality tweed and wool jackets, hats and scarves in a wonder of pin stripe, herringbone and tartan. Designs and colours can be bespoke to suit individual style. See walkerslater.com
The hotel
The former historic bank has been reimagined.
The city’s latest and greatest hotel is undoubtedly Gleneagles Townhouse on St Andrew’s Square near Princess Street. Occupying a fabulously opulent former bank building, the hotel has played-up the heavily adorned ceilings and lavishly decorated spaces without bowing to anything fusty or twee (no tartan or lace doilies to be seen). Thirty three rooms have been decorated in trad Brit-style with tweaks for the discerning modern traveller – craft beers and spirits, house-made treats, a high-tech wellness centre and zero plastic. See gleneagles.com/townhouse
The gallery
Break up the historic sites of the old town with some modern art.
Contemporary art in all its forms is free to see at Fruitmarket gallery, a creative space in the city’s old town. Rolling exhibitions from local talent to international artists take over this urban-cool centre’s exposed brick and glossy white walls. Workshops, downloadable multimedia activities, and bookshop and cafe events are par for the course year-round. During summer, festivities are hammed-up with live music, artists in-conversation and poetry readings. See fruitmarket.co.uk
The restaurant
Youthful fine diner Heron is worth the splurge.
Top off an afternoon exploring the portside neighbourhood of Leith with a treat-to-self dinner. Heron is a casually cool fine dining restaurant that manages to show-off Scotland’s prized produce without being afraid to riff from tradition. Cumbrian coast oysters are splashed in grilled peach hot sauce, beef tartare is flecked with Japanese nori, scallops are dished up with pork belly and vinegared mushrooms. The service is impeccable, the atmosphere youthful and the price worthy. See heron.scot
The neighbourhood
Stockbridge is the city’s coolest up-and-coming neighbourhood with coffee shops, vintage sellers, greengrocers and delis finding nooks and niches in the shopfronts of lovely Georgian terraces. Golden Hare Books (goldenharebooks.com) has a curated selection of new fiction and non-fiction tomes. On Sundays, Stockbridge Market (stockbridgemarket.com) showcases local produce and gourmet takeaway including a cracking paella. A Space at Seventeen has a procession of independent designer pop-ups. End a day’s meandering at Smith & Gertrude (smithandgertrude.com) for cheese, charcuterie and wine pairings.
The castle
Hard to miss: Edinburgh Castle occupies a lofty hilltop perch in the middle of the city.Credit: iStock
You can’t miss Edinburgh Castle – its medieval walls and ramparts occupy the hilltop in the middle of the city providing dramatic ancient cityscapes from every angle. Its historic characters are legion – Mary Queen of Scots, Oliver Cromwell and Sir Walter Scott have all graced its rooms and contributed to its upheavals, both political and architectural. Explore the prisoner vaults, regimental museum, great hall and tower on foot with a guide or audio tour. During festival time, stadium-style stands grace the entrance for the annual Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, another must if you can score a ticket. See edinburghcastle.scot
The cocktail
Bubblegum-tinged The Leerie uses the ultimate smoky bubble garnish.
Lamplighters, the guest and members-only rooftop bar at Gleneagles Townhouse wins best-bar-by-far award with its lofty spot behind six glorious statues that peer off the roof of this former bank building. The cocktail list is fittingly fab and includes The Leerie, a white spirits, Italian vermouth and cranberry number topped with a balloon or ‘lamp’ that pops on first sip. Non guests can try it downstairs at The Spence, an equally fabulous restaurant. See gleneagles.com/townhouse
The walk
The Royal Mile trail starts at Holyroodhouse House.
The Royal Mile extends from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Hollyroodhouse (rct.uk/visit/palace-of-holyroodhouse), the King’s official residence in Scotland. Both are open to the public. In between, this ancient thoroughfare, lined with characteristic old terrace houses, churches, law courts and pubs, provides a feast of sights and activities including the Scotch Whiskey Experience (scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk), Tartan Weaving Mill (thetartanweavingmill.co.uk) and Scottish Parliament (parliament.scot/visit). Detour only slightly off the route for more off-beat attractions such as Mary King’s Close, a street entirely enclosed since 1902.
The viewpoint
Arthur’s Seat seen from Salisbury Crags.
On the city’s east, the bald velour green hilltop known as Arthur’s Seat beckons. This ancient extinct volcano stands at 250.5 metres and is accessible from all angles (although its easiest trail is from the east near the end of Royal Mile) for a gradually inclining walk to the top. From up here, see the city sprawling out below and Edinburgh Castle on its own peak more than a kilometre away.
One more thing
Seven festivals run in Edinburgh’s summer months from July through to August, with three of the longest running festivals celebrating their 75th anniversaries last year. Plan ahead for books, film, art, fringe and comedy. See edinburghfestivalcity.com
More
The writer was a guest of Gleneagles Townhouse hotel. See gleneagles.com
Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter
Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.