Edinburgh

[Kathy]

What would people recommend to do/see/eat on a long (bike-free) weekend to Edinburgh?

Ta.

[blackpuddinonnabike]

Walk up Arthurs Seat.

For eating, what sort of food and price range? And when? (there might be summat on, though we're long after the usual festival type stuff)

[Polar Bear]

Get along to EBC and rectify the situation sharpish...  

Or, raid BPOAD's shed and borrow his bikes 

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Me, Anth, Ariadne, Kyuss...

I gave Hummers lots of good recommendations earlier this year. Let me see if I can find them.

ETA: nope, I must have cleared out my outbox (always a good idea after a visit from Hummers). You could ask him if he's kept them.

There's loads to do and plenty of places to eat. Give us more of an idea about what you're after.

[kyuss]

There's loads of art galleries if that's your bag. My favourites are the Dean, the Gallery of Modern Art and the Fruitmarket. If you fancy doing the usual touristy stuff the castle is worth a look if you've never been before, and the Mary King's Close tour is meant to be pretty good.

The views of the city from Calton Hill are worth the trek up there. The German Christmas Village will be opening up soon and there will be the ice rink in Princes Street Gardens.

I'm a carnivore so the most of the places I can recommend are probably useless if you're a veggie, but McKirdy's serve the best steak you will ever taste, and Monster Mash do great bangers and mash (and have a vegetarian option too).

Apart from that you could probably just call the Edinburgh posse and we can all go get hammered.

[Pingu]

If you're around on 29th November:

YACF Ecosse - end of year social - Edinburgh : Sat 29th Nov.

 

[blackpuddinonnabike]

Me, Anth, Ariadne, Kyuss...

Are you suggesting those as something to do, see or eat?

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Yes.

[epa611]

Me, Anth, Ariadne, Kyuss...

Are you suggesting those as something to do, see or eat?

In that order

[Cunobelin]

Go for a ghost tour!

Excellent fun.

[kyuss]

Me, Anth, Ariadne, Kyuss...

Are you suggesting those as something to do, see or eat?

In that order

To hell with that! I'm not going last.

[rogerzilla]

Arthur's Seat (or Arthur's Arse, as we re-christened it).

Calton Hill

You have to visit the castle, I suppose

Walk up or down the Royal Mile - tacky gift shop city

Outside bet: get the train to North Queensferry over the Forth Bridge and walk back over the road bridge.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Camera Obscura (actually, I've never been), the Whisky Heritage Centre (ditto), Our Dynamic Earth (the day I went, the rainforest wasn't working), the Botanic Gardens (lovely at this time of year), the former royal yacht Britannia, loads of museums and galleries, the Castle, Holyrood House, the Parliament, Calton Hill, Arthur's Seat, the Zoo (the penguins are excellent), John Knox's house, the Museum of Childhood, Mary King's Close, loads of ghost tours, Harvey Nichols, Valvona & Crolla...

Foodwise, I like La Favorita on Leith Walk, Monster Mash, Suruchi. Dogs on Hanover Street is supposed to be great - I've never eaten there but I used to love David Ramsden's previous place, Rogue.

[blackpuddinonnabike]

Dogs is SUPERB. You have to go Kirst, Ramsden has excelled himself.

For veggie there's David Bann's (but make sure you ask for salt on the table), and out of the centre THE best value restaurant in town is the Old Penang. We go so often that we've got to know the owners and I did their website for them for nowt. Truly outstanding food, and comes to £20-25 a head. Service can be a little slow, but then it's just a brother and sister team running the show.

Chop Chop on Morrison Street doesn't look much, but is a much more authentic Chinese menu than elsewhere and again is outstanding value. Best restaurant in the city, and one of the most expensive, is the Michelin starred 'The Kitchin' (not a spelling error, named after Tom Kitchin). Much better, in my opinion, than Martin Wishart, and don't even try to tell me the Witchery is good - the atmosphere doesn't begin to make up for what is really quite ordinary food.

[Regulator]

Be prepared to get lost.  Edinburgh is not exactly renowned for having good signposting...


I think it's a deliberate ploy by the shopkeepers.  With poor signage, people are forced to go into shops to ask for directions, whereupon they are prevailed upon to buy something.

Damned canny, these Scots... 

[blackpuddinonnabike]

Ooh, and kyuss is right about McKirdy's - damned good steaks. Though the new Glasshouse in Eskmills beside Musselburgh (closer to our house than McKirdy's) runs it very close.

I can't really think of any signposting in Edinburgh, but it's pretty compact and easy to walk around (if you like hills) with a good map. Driving in the centre is another matter, absolute nightmare.

[mr magnolia]

Come down to sunny Portobello and walk upon the beach.  Look across the water and pretend you're in the Highlands.  (ignore the tankers parked on the horizon)

photos

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

For veggie there's David Bann's  Much better, in my opinion, than Martin Wishart, and don't even try to tell me the Witchery is good - the atmosphere doesn't begin to make up for what is really quite ordinary food.

I can't believe I forgot David Bann's. It's fantastic. Black Bo's is good for veggie stuff too. I'd agree about the Witchery - fantastic gothic decor, mediocre overpriced food.

Don't worry about getting lost - no matter where you are, wherever you're going is up the hill.

[Kathy]

Thanks for all the advice. I've been to Edinburgh once before, and thought it was nice, but as I was there for a job interview, I didn't get to see much of the city.

As for food - we're happy little carnivores, so the steak place sounds nice. We could certainly meet up with people, but we're only up in Edinburgh for a couple of days, so do you promise not to get us rascally drunk and hungover? 

[blackpuddinonnabike]

Thanks for all the advice. I've been to Edinburgh once before, and thought it was nice, but as I was there for a job interview, I didn't get to see much of the city.

As for food - we're happy little carnivores, so the steak place sounds nice. We could certainly meet up with people, but we're only up in Edinburgh for a couple of days, so do you promise not to get us rascally drunk and hungover? 

We'll make sure Kirst isn't there... 

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

 

[Tiger]

There is an excellent and very reasonably prioced sauna and massage parlour in Murrayfield on the way to the airport. I have heard great things about the sandwich special.

[Hummers]

I gave Hummers lots of good recommendations earlier this year. Let me see if I can find them.

Restaurants - I'm a big fan of David Bann's on St Mary's Street - it's vegetarian but even meat eaters love it. It's a proper quality restaurant. If you google it you can get an idea for the menu. Avoid Ciao Roma, they're robbing bastards. Suruchi is my favourite Indian restaurant, and it's just next to my favourite Thai, the Ayutthaya. Favorita on Leith Walk is a great Italian and pizzeria with a more unusual menu than the usual Italians. I've just googled Rogue for you to check it's still open, and it's not, so try David Ramsden's other places. The Dogs on Hanover Street, the Apartment on Barclay Place, and if you like bangers and mash, macaroni cheese etc, Monster Mash on Forrest Road. We might need to roll you down the hill afterwards though. Black Bo's is another nice veggie place. There are nice seafood places down at the Shore in Leith, and a few good Indian places.

Good to hear that you keep you box clean and unencumbered.

H

[Cunobelin]

Ride a recumbent

[Mrs Pingu]

I think Tim & Kathy do more than enough of that at home