Time to crank up the Travel Blog after the winter layoff. This year’s trips start with 48 hours in Edinburgh.
I already know Edinburgh pretty well – I had the good fortune to spend 9 months working here in, I think, 2000 when I was a Lotus Notes contractor. Rather than stay in hotels I took a flat while I was here, very central, in Wardrop’s Court just off the Royal Mile, and I remember that period very fondly. But that was 15 years ago and since then I really haven’t visited very often, and generally only on quick business visits. This time I have 48 hours in the city.
The visit has been triggered by an “offers” email from Premier Inn, as a result of which I was able to bag a room + continental breakfasts for two nights for a total of £88. Bargain! I immediately blew some of my savings by buying first class tickets to Edinburgh, although they were Advance tickets with benefits and if you close your eyes you can argue that the value of the complimentary food and drink that you get in first class is about equal to the difference between the first class price and standard class.
Anyway I arrived at just after 2 o’clock yesterday afternoon and immediately made my way to the Premier Inn. It’s a Typical Premier Inn, since you ask, which means that it’s a several cuts above basic-grade hotels. Perfectly good value enter ally, even at regular price, let alone for £44 a night. It’s also reasonably central; for those of you who know Edinburgh, it’s on Lauriston Place.
So having checked in and dumped my bags, I was immediately off out into Edinburgh, where – I walked. Just walked, refamiliarising myself with the city centre (both Old and New Towns) and spotting the differences. The Tram is new, of course, although it seems to fit into the city pretty well. There’s lot of development around the old St. James’ shopping centre just to the west of Leith Street – it always was rather dowdy-looking despite having Edinburgh’s branch of John Lewis. The World’s End pub is still there, along Canongate, but the pub next door, The Waverley, seems to have closed. We went there a few times – it was such an odd pub.
So I wandered and took pictures in the extraordinary sunshine – bright sun and blue sky all day. At one point I was all the way near the castle and taking pictures of it from the New Town; an hour later I was on Calton Hill taking pictures (into the sun) of the city from the hill, and of the Douglas memorial ( one of Edinburgh’s most-photographed landmarks) with the city beyond.
Later I ate in Ecco Vino on Cockburn Street. Not bad Italian with good wine at a reasonable price – £20 for a starter (soup) and main course (cannelloni) and a glass of wine. Then I went on to one of my old haunts – The White Hart in the Grassmarket. This is allegedly Edinburgh’s oldest pub (it claims to be 500 years old). It certainly hadn’t changed much in the 15 years since I last visited – good beers, music, and lots of great whisky.
Tomorrow I’m going to visit Falkirk. I want to see Falkirk Wheel, and also look at The Kelpies.
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