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TRAIN TRAVEL

The train has always been my favourite mode of transport. I remember the excitement I used to feel as a child when mum & dad would surprise us by saying we were going to visit our auntie & uncle who lived in Birmingham.

We didn’t have a car in those days so would all head to Stoke train station and hope that there would be a spare compartment in the carriage for our family of six. I also remember the disappointment if we had to share our compartment with a stranger Haha

Sadly the only time you get to see those trains nowadays is when Hercule Poirot is trying to solve a murder. It seems that the general standard of trains has dropped dramatically over the years. Cleanliness, wear and tear, and overcrowding have become expected rather than frowned upon.

Hence my surprise and delight at our TransPennine express train journey from Manchester to Edinburgh. The train looked brand new, really modern, and super-clean. The staff were lovely and Covid guidelines were being strictly adhered to. Granted, we did not get a compartment to ourselves as we would have done in the golden, olden days. Nevertheless, the journey was a real pleasure. I was almost sorry when we finally reached our final destination, Waverley station.

EDINBURGH

So here we are, back in one of our favourite cities in the world – Edinburgh. If you have never been before then get it on your must-visit list immediately. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

No matter what time of the year you visit it will always be bustling with tourists that come in their millions to experience all that this fantastic city has to offer. Edinburgh is known as The Athens of the North. This is because of the Greek influence that can be seen in much of the architecture.

Whether your visit is for a weekend or a longer stay there is so much to see and do here. The cobbled streets, architecture, history, castles, parks, pipers. festivals, churches, Calton Hill, Shopping, the Royal Mile, monuments, the royal botanic gardens, museums, traditions, ghosts, and legends are just a few things to keep you busy.

For this visit, rather than staying in the city centre which we have tended to do on past visits, we decided to explore a few of the many other districts in and around Edinburgh.

LEITH

For our accommodation, we chose the district of Leith. This is a port area about a 20-minute walk north of Edinburgh city centre. We like it here, it is trendy, less touristy and has lots of green space. Leith feels a much more authentic part of Edinburgh. There is a multitude of independently owned shops, bars, and cafes here which give it a great atmosphere. So much so that in 2018 Leith was named one of the world’s top 50 coolest neighbourhoods and I, for one, can’t argue with that.

For accommodation, Leith is also a cheaper option. We found this lovely 2-bed apartment in a quiet area, fully equipped for our long stay at a great price. Highly recommended!

You will find The Royal Yacht Britannia moored in the port of Leith. Once a floating Royal Residence and now a top tourist attraction where an admission price of £17 will grant you permission to go onboard and take a tour of this magnificent vessel.

For the shopaholics, there is the Ocean Terminal shopping centre. A large shopping centre. There are three floors of shops and restaurants. I’ve visited here many times over the years and am always surprised that this shopping centre never seems busy. There are many well-known names and a large Vue cinema but it always seems devoid of customers. I’ve no idea how it manages to survive. Having said that there is currently an ongoing project to extend the tram system to the port. This mammoth project looks near to completion. I hope it will then provide a real boost for businesses in the area.

The jewel in the crown of Leith is The Water of Leith walkway which is a beautiful walk popular with walkers, runners, and cyclists. The miles of tree-lined walkway follows the river through Edinburgh and Leith to its outflow into the Firth of Forth. 

NEWHAVEN

A 15-minute walk, out of Leith takes you to the small harbour town of Newhaven. The depth of the sea here was the reason a shipbuilding industry thrived from as far back as 1505. King James III and James IV had the largest ships of the time built here. One such ship was the Great Michael . This ship was built in Newhaven dock in 1512.

Alas, the days of shipbuilding here have long gone.  The harbour is now mostly used as a stop off point for cruise liners visiting Edinburgh and for the fishing boats that can be seen bringing in their daily haul.

On the harbour is a long walkway. This is lined with restaurants and a hotel to serve the many tourists that visit this area looking for a quieter destination than its more lively neighbours

There are signs all around this area of its long history. Including the remaining ruins of the walls of The chapel of St James that stood here from 1508. The area within the ruined walls was used by the Society of Free Fishermen as a burial ground between 1505 and 1848.

Newhaven has a real community feel to it. There are posters everywhere for local community events. Edinburgh has many parks but probably my favourite is here in Newhaven, the small but beautiful community park – Starbank’.

Starbank park contains a huge selection of well-kept plants, trees, and a large grass area. Standing right in the centre of the park is what looks like someone’s house giving the impression that the park is in fact someones huge garden that is open to the public. Maybe it is!?

Turn around to look the other way and you get magnificent views across the Firth of Forth. All this makes a stroll to Newhaven well worth the effort.

STOCKBRIDGE

Stockbridge is another of our favourite districts within an easy half-hour walk from Leith. The distance makes it easily accessible yet far enough away from the city to keep Stockbridge a local, rather than tourist area.

The area itself is very upmarket with an arty, bohemium feel to it. Its cobblestone streets and beautiful Georgian architecture help to make it one of Edinburgh’s most desirable neighbourhoods. 

Stockbridge Market is held every Sunday in Jubilee Gardens on the banks of the Water of Leith. It’s always busy and is a great way to pass a sunny Sunday afternoon meandering through the array of stalls. There is a great variety of artisan goods on offer including cheeses, jewellery, soaps, cards, and clothing.

The busy high street has more than enough variety of shops, bars, and cafes to keep you busy all day long. You will also find a shop for just about every charity you can mention here. I have to admit I am a sucker for a charity shop. Those in the most affluent areas such as this are always the best to pick up a great bargain.

PORTOBELLO BEACH

One Sunny Sunday we took a walk to Portobello beach. We walk everywhere, are fairly brisk walkers and it took us just over an hour to get there. If you prefer, the local bus service will also take you there quite easily. This is a really popular Scottish seaside getaway destination.

A visit to this lovely seaside resort is a great idea as a break from City life. There is a long stretch of sandy beach and a few brave people were even taking a dip in the sea. I am guessing the water temperature on the day would have been around 8 degrees – Brrrr!

For the not-so-brave, a victorian swimming bath is directly on the promenade including one of the few original Turkish baths left in the UK.

The day we were there the sun was shining brightly. There was a really nice old-fashioned, British holiday feeling to Portabello beach. Ice cream and buckets & spades were in abundance. There was even a punch and Judy show entertaining the kids, and more importantly, me. “That’s the way to do it”

Along with a large selection of cafes, bars, and the obligatory seaside fish ‘n chip shops along the prom. Also, there is a beautiful row of houses directly on the seafront. Guaranteed to give anyone a severe case of house envy

The small town of Portabello is also well worth taking time to enjoy, we loved our stroll, admiring the streets filled with Georgian and Victorian architecture. The High Street is bustling and there is plenty of park areas around to rest your weary feet before the long walk home. All in all, a grand day out – highly recommended.

OTHER CITIES

Edinburgh is the only Scottish city we have previously been to and we were eager to visit others. As we had more time to do so this month we managed a visit both Dundee and Stirling.

DUNDEE

Dundee is just over an hour’s train journey from Edinburgh. Due to its location, it is known as Scotland’s sunniest city. I imagine a city does not have to be too sunny to be in the running to nab that award!

When we asked some Scottish people their impression of Dundee. On the whole, it seemed quite negative. We set off expecting the worst but no such thing. We were pleasantly surprised to love it. It is a modern, vibrant city. Helped, I think, by the university which has its campus right in the centre of town.

Dundee has a V&A Museum which stands on the waterfront, a minute’s walk from the train station entrance. The V&A opened in 2018 . It is the only V&A in the world outside London and was designed by a well-respected and award-winning Japanese architect, Kengo Kuma.

The town is compact and full of the usual shops and eateries you would expect. Look out for the larger-than-life statue of Desperate Dan. A nod to the fact that Dundee is the home of DC Thompson, the publishers of the Beano & Dandy. There is even a ‘Bash’ Street here named after the famous Bash Street Kids!

Whilst wandering the streets we came across The historic ‘Howff’ graveyard. The land here is the garden of the former Greyfriars monastery, The monastery was destroyed in 1548 and Mary Queen of Scots then gave the land to Dundee. 

It’s a lovely oasis of peace within the city and contains some of the most important historical tombstones in Scotland including that of James Chalmers (1782–1853) who was the inventor of the adhesive postage stamp.

STIRLING

On arrival at Stirling, as with most people, we headed straight to the castle – The number one tourist attraction of the city. Unfortunately though, due to Covid restrictions, tickets for the day were only being sold online and they had sold out for the day so we were not able to go inside.

This was disappointing but from the vantage point of the castle entrance as far as your eye could see was rich green countryside so we were inspired to take a hike instead.

Our walk took us around the base of the castle treating us to some great countryside views. Stirling is a beautiful city but definitely not just because of its buildings, monuments, and attractions. Nature provides ii’s own beauty in abundance in this area.

The town itself is smaller than Dundee and felt less hectic. There are many things to see and do so we would definitely recommend it as a day out. Just be sure to book your castle tickets online in advance!

WHERE NEXT?

Edinburgh has always been one of our favourite cities and for this month we have really enjoyed descovering some of the surrounding areas. Its been a hectic month and it has flown by. But, as they say, all good things must come to an end so tomorrow ( 27/05/21 ) we are packing up again, saying goodbye to Edinburgh and hello to our new destination.

For June, we have taken a different path. For June, we have been booked to do a house/pet sit. This is the first of four that we have booked.

House sitting is a new thing for us. The idea was first mentioned to us last year. At the time we did not do any research. However, Our nephew is getting married in Cheshire in July and we were struggling to find an Airbnb near the wedding venue. This made us take a look at the world of house sitting and suddenly we found ourselves with four bookings!

From our initial enquiry the idea snowballed quickly. We have no idea how it will be. Only time will tell. Tomorrow we will be heading to the small town of Towcester near Northampton. We will be looking after a house and Mistletoe the cat whilst the owner is away. I will let you know how we go on next time – wish us luck!