With the thousands of shows, tens of thousands of tourists and the very very late opening hours in Edinburgh during the festival it’s nice to be able to chill out every now and again. Here’s my tips for recharging your batteries whilst in Edinburgh.
Have a cheap round of golf
If you are not a big golf fan or do not have the extraordinary amount of money it costs to play golf here, but want to have a little sample, Edinburgh has the solution for you. Situated off the beautiful meadows and next to the plush surroundings of Marchmount, ‘The Bruntsfield Links’ is the one of the oldest golf courses in the world founded in 1456.
It is a short golf course but has a full 18 holes that can be completed in well under ninety minutes depending on the size of your group. The golf course is actually free if you already have your own set of clubs and golf balls. The unofficial 19th hole: The Golf Tavern’ offers the hire of a clubs and golf balls, a meal and a drink all for 12 pounds. Make a day and quite possibly an evening of it!
Climb Arthur’s Seat
Not many cities can claim to have an extinct volcano in the middle of their city centre. Well Edinburgh has two! One of which the Castle now sits upon. The other is Arthur’s Seat which is visible from all over the city hovering 280metres above Edinburgh.
It’s one of the seven hills of Edinburgh and offers many different walks. Without question the best views are to the west overlooking Edinburgh Castle, the Old Town and the New Town. On a good day, the Ochil Hills beyond the Forth Road Bridge and the Firth of Forth can be clearly seen. It can be climbed within an hour, no matter what your fitness level and once you have reached the summit there is no reason to head down in a rush.
Take a stroll down Dean Village
For more than 800 years the Dean village milled the wheat that fed the city of Edinburgh. It is famous for its Arts & Crafts buildings postcard-like conglomeration of mews, cottages and mill buildings dotted around the lush banks of the Water of Leith, this time-warp is only 15 minutes’ walk from the West End. Enter the path via the fashionable neighbourhood of Stockbridge and go all the way to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.
Learn to Knit
Fabulous knitting shop K1 Yarns on Victoria Street near the Grassmarket is running workshops every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday in August, including Fair Isle knitting classes, beginners courses on knitting and crochet and a very handy class on how to knit socks. The American girl Jess who works there is a delight and if you do pop in say hi from me.
Take the Bus to Crammond
A 20-minute bus journey on the number 41 takes you way away from the city centre and out to Cramond village, a beautiful spot right on the Forth estuary. Head to the promenade for great ice-cream and try one of the tea houses (Scots love cake and double cream, so you’ll be in for a treat). If the tide is low you can walk to Cramond Island; if not take the path that follows the River Almond upstream for some green peace
Are you tired of cold and rainy weather? Grab lovely Last Minute Holidays In The Sun online and within minutes everything can be decided and booked.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Thanks for the mention! I’m always happy to meet new knitters!