EdinburghSeasons » Lothian Road

Edinburgh On A Budget.

Karlie MacGregor — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:58:32 +0000

If you are feeling the pinch after Christmas but want to take a city break it is important to know that visiting Edinburgh does not have to cost an arm and a leg. There is an array of cost effective accommodation options for the more thrifty visitor to the city and there is plenty to do in Edinburgh that does not cost money.

While many of the attractions Edinburgh benefits from are free to enter, Edinburgh is a beautifully historic city, with buildings of various ages. Walking the famous Edinburgh City streets such as the Royal Mile, Princes St, cost nothing and are a sight to behold. Strolling through Princes Street Gardens and along Lothian road into the Grassmarket and back along up Victoria street armed with a guide book will equip you with a great afternoon of knowledge of the city and it’s famous inhabitants. Most every street has a story and the small ‘Close’s’ are creepily fascinating. Located along the Royal Mile you have the famous Heart of Midlothian where you stop and spit upon it for good luck!

If the weather turns and you need to shelter, The National Museum of Scotland is free entry and the inside attractions will delight visitors of all ages. The Museum was recently refurbished and reopened late last year. It has proved to be a big hit with visitors from all over the world. The Musuem of Childhood hosts an array of childrens toys thorugh the ages and always brings back fond memories. The Meadows Park is also a great area to visit and wander among the green open spaces of Edinburgh. As previously mentioned, Princes Street Gardens are beautifully kept and lovely to wander, located at the West End of the gardens you will find the famous Carousel. Edinburgh benefits from some great centrally located hostels, all clean and friendly. All are situated close to the main attractions and city centre transport. Another option for the fun loving and adventurous among you is Couch Surfing. Edinburgh is part of the innovative couch surfing scheme. Couch surfers are a small global community of the CouchSurfing network that welcome travelling strangers into their home for free via the Couch surfing member list. Safety is of paramount importance to Couchsurfers and you should read the site fully before making your decisions to join. all information is provided on the CouchSurfing site with references.

Which ever way you choose to enjoy Edinburgh, we are sure you will!

Edinburgh’s Best Pubs

Karlie MacGregor — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:51:00 +0000

Edinburgh is a town steeped in history, strolll through Edinburgh and you will find yourself on cobbled streets full of charm and character but it’s not secret Edinburgh’s best ‘character and charm’ is to be found within it’s public houses and bars.

For Edinburgh locals and visitors alike, the lively, friendly and relaxed atmospheres of these establishments make your visit to Edinburgh highly enjoyable.

Edinburgh benefits from several areas of entertainment, located along the centre of the city. Lothian Road, The Grassmarket, the Royal Mile, Rose Street, George Street and the streets running bewtween them all have a constant stock of . You could possibly visit Edinbugrh many times and never go to the same bar twice, There is a certain amount of comfort to be found in finding your favourite bar and we ran a small survey via facebook to Edinburgh residents, to find out their hidden gems and the reasons why. Their answers are not surprising, we love these bars too!

A firm favourite is Elements on Rose street, located between Princes Street and George Street. (formerly Brecht’s Bar for any previous visitors.) Having undergone refurbishment three years ago, it looks very modern on the outside but has retained it’s cosy interior. The warmth of this bar takes me back to my student days, where I hung out with friends after classes, although I did not study in Edinburgh! A full cocktail list will help get your evening off to a merry start and their menu will helpfully line your stomach. For the excessive among us their brunch menu will also aid you back onto your feet.

Next up is The Amber Rose on Castle Street, located between Princes Street and George Street. Always a good night out, The Amber Rose is one of those small from the outside but big on the inside bars. Benefiting from some good and reasonably priced deals on drinks, this bar has the atmosphere of a real local pub despite it’s central location. You will usually find it full with Edinburgh residents. The dimly lit and dark wooden interior add to the atmospheric ‘old world pub’ theme.

BrewDog Bar in the Grassmarket is a new addition to Edinburgh and has firmly found it’s place on the vibrant Edinburgh nightlife scene. Nestled down in the lively Grassmarket area of Edinburgh, Brewdog Bar has a little something for everyone. Their mission statement is to provide all kinds of beer from all over the world, and they do just that. Brewdog attracts a different kind of crowd and is more than a trendy wine bar than a typical Grassmarket beer house, but beer house is what it is. Go, see and enjoy!

Shakespeare’s on Lothian road is a firm favourite for serving good old fashioned pub food. The burgers in particular are great and they run special offers during the week to suit different budgets. It serves most Ales and Beers as well as teas and coffees and located rather centrally, built close by the theatres The Usher Halls and The Traverse, Shakespeares has a lively entertainment calender. Typically showing all the top sporting events, though if you head there on a Saturday, you are able to sing on the karaoke, or watch others. Again stocked with locals, Shakespeare’s is a great Edinburgh night out.

Bramble Bar on Queens Street is our last but definitely not least favourite city bar. Always lively yet relaxing, Bramble is a friendly place to head to for a bit of Edinburgh hospitality and charm. Bramble is well known in Edinburgh as a cocktail bar and attracts all types of people. Enjoy watching your drink being made at the bar, it is almost as much fun as drinking it. Almost. As well as the uber friendly staff, the lighting and music help to create a welcoming ambience to Bramble bar, making it a place you will revisit.

With thanks to http://www.flickr.com/photos/global-jet/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/spiderdog/ for photographs.

Lothian Road

George Burnett — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:23:39 +0000

At the far west end of Edinburgh’s city centre, Lothian Road provides a major vein for the movement of traffic and culture, with independent cinemas and three of Edinburgh’s major performance venues.

Some brave cyclists on busy Lothian Road in Edinburgh, approaching Princes Street

Taking a left turn off Princes Street, one first passes the well-regarded high end Caledonian Hotel on one side and the cemetery at the end of Princes Street Gardens on the left. Continuing along, there are a number of small businesses, pubs, restaurants and hotels as you head toward some of the mainstays of Edinburgh cultural life: the Traverse Theatre, Usher Hall, and the Lyceum Theater on the left-hand side of Lothian Road, and the Filmhouse on the right.

[image credit: chdot]

Business And Pleasure Meet on Lothian Road

Scattered between these cultural landmarks are restaurants ranging from Pizza Hut to Oriental Fusion and cafes, with knick-knack shops and sports stores as well. Small grocery store chains and high street drugstores like Boots also have a presence on Lothian Road, which is the best route out to Fountainbridge’s cinema and entertainment complex from the centre of the city.

Major companies, such as Standard Life Insurance, occupy some of the buildings on Lothian Road, which has a much more modern feel than many areas of Edinburgh which are geared toward more historic recollections. Lothian Road also offers easy access to the Grassmarket’s pubs and cocktail bars, and a simple, direct route out to the Tollcross, Bruntsfield, and Morningside areas of the city.

Evening traffic on Edinburgh's Lothian Road

[image credit: Lilo Lil]

As the jugular of Edinburgh’s West End, Lothian Road blends the new and old, offering spectacular views of Edinburgh Castle and easy access to many of the city’s more useful bus routes. Although the street begins with the high-class but somewhat stuffy Caledonian, it quickly acquires a hip, young professional vibe which makes it popular with those in their twenties and thirties.

Tourists on their own may want to try and avoid Lothian Road during late afternoons on Fridays and Saturdays, when rowdy Edinburgh residents seeking the area’s club and pub nightlife may make travelling down this road a less than pleasant experience. Lothian Road’s charms are diverse and enticing.