A Short Guide to Edinburgh by Hermione Cameron
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From London to the heart of Edinburgh in just over 4 hours on a Friday afternoon: no rush hour, no getting to the airport, no checking in or queuing. Leaving a windswept London behind, we breezed onto our GNER train at Kings Cross station and once settled into our window seats, we found tea, coffee and biscuits winging their way towards us.
The First Class tickets were a treat and our carriage had the aged elegance you would associate with an Agatha Christie whodunit: homely upholstered seats, polished tables and tiny lamps emitting a honey glow, all of which added a certain air of mystery to our weekend away in Scotland.
As we headed north through Peterborough, York, Newcastle and Berwick, I took in the changing landscape zooming past: from the wide and low fields of East Anglia to the high hills studded with woolly sheep and the sea lashing the shoreline near Berwick, this was a fast forward lesson in geography.
Edinburgh’s Waverley Station is a great place to arrive in the city. Turn left out of the station and you’re heading to the Royal Mile, the historic road leading to Palace of Holyroodhouse, and the centre of the action during Edinburgh’s International Festival and the ‘anything goes’ Festival Fringe every August, one of the biggest in the world and surely one of the wildest and best for comedy. Turn right out of the station and you’re on Princes Street, the setting for one of the most famous New Year’s Eve parties in the world. But more of that later!
Our first night just had to be at the Hilton Caledonian Hotel. The grande dame of Edinburgh hotels is so elegant, assured and well respected, it regularly receives top marks from guests. Situated right on Princes Street, it’s easy to find and has magnificent views up to Edinburgh Castle. Tartan blankets decorated a deliciously comfortable bed and truffle chocolates and a bottle of wine greeted us on arrival.
We were staying at the Caledonian for a formal fine dining experience, so we spruced up and made our way to Pompadour Restaurant on the first floor. This proved a brilliant choice for our ?rst night in the city: relaxing with the ?oodlight castle in view, as Head Chef Kenny Coltman produced lemon sole and red mullet terrine, followed by roasted butternut squash tortellini, rump of boarders lamb and finally pear tart tatin with goats cheese ice cream, each course accompanied by a wine chosen to compliment the dish.
The Scottish capital is a city of beautiful architecture and superb galleries. More than 500 years ago, the Palace of Holyroodhouse was the home of one of the most romantic ?gures in Scottish history, Mary, Queen of Scots. The cousin of Queen Elizabeth I of England, she lived here 1561-67 and was married twice in the Abbey in Holyrood Park. Edinburgh is also home to the National Galleries of Scotland, five galleries of world-class art collections encompassing collections from the 14th-century to the present day. Then again, walking through Edinburgh itself offers so much to the eye.
As the sun went down we climbed to Edinburgh’s Disgrace, the affectionate name for the half-finished Pantheon monument on Calton Hill. It has one of Edinburgh’s finest views out to the Firth of Forth and all along Princes Street, from the memorial to novelist Sir Walter Scott to the sun setting in the West.
For our second night we headed to the boutique-chic Tigerlily Hotel which is causing a real stir on George Street. Helpful Bright Young Things are there to guide you to a sparkling cocktail bar, (all crystal, mirror, and cherry-red-lipstick lights), or settle you on sofas in front of a comforting fire in the silver drawing room area.
When Tigerlily opened, just ahead of the Edinburgh festival, it became the place to stay for the highly successful habitués of the comedy circuit. The feel is metropolitan and it certainly was fantastically busy during our stay. We took the tiny, almost secret lift to our room at the top of this renovated Georgian townhouse. The turquoise room was large, snug and peaceful, featuring goodies from The White Company in the slate tile bathroom with its walk-in double shower. Sheepskin rugs, alongside a King-sized bed, piled high with pristine white pillows with a flat screen TV and iPod at its foot, really added to the relaxed feel.
The following morning, after breakfasting on the best Eggs Benedict that I have ever tasted, we wandered to Stockbridge, north of the New Town to mosey around all the more unusual shops and then follow the river known as the Water of Leith to Dene Village and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art which is set in a wonderful park.
And for lunch? Well, if you’ve never heard of Cullen Skink you have to try it at the Blue Bar Café at The Traverse Theatre, on Cambridge Street. A traditional Scottish broth, it is a cream of smoked haddock soup, all chunky, filling and rustic, with leeks, onion and potatoes.
On our last night, we took a moonlit walk up to Edinburgh Castle, which hosts the massed-band displays of the Edinburgh Tattoo during August, but which looks appropriately remote in winter, ?anked as it is by very serious guards.
Velvet capes, top hats and even fangs may be left at the door of The Witchery by The Castle, the famously sumptuous Gothic hotel and restaurant just next door to the Castle which is pricey but definitely an event in itself. You may bump into ghoulish actors taking visitors on spooky mystery tours of the city as they always stop outside.
Edinburgh may be as steeped in history as it is shrouded in dramatic mists at this time of year but its fair citizens love a good party and there’s none better than Hogmanay (literally “the last day of the year”) for seeing the Old Year out and the New Year in.