GO CITYBREAK: EDINBURGH:With its winding streets, cobbled alleyways and stunning architecture spanning the centuries, Edinburgh is a place that reminds you of its history at every turn, writes
ALEX MEEHAN
EDINBURGH’S world famous festival takes place in August each year, offering lovers of music, theatre, opera and comedy an unrivalled opportunity to indulge their interests without having to stray too far. Collectively known as the Edinburgh Festival, there is no single organisation behind the event – instead the Festival name has come to be applied to several arts and culture festivals that have come to be held at the same time each year.
The largest cultural event in the world – no public event sells more tickets other than the Olympics and the World Cup – the two main festivals are the Edinburgh International Festival, a celebration of classic and contemporary theatre, opera, music and dance, and the far larger Edinburgh Fringe, which showcases more contemporary comedy, musicals, theatre and dance.
Festivals aside, the city is worth a visit in summer when the weather is mild and the wind not quite as cutting: far more pleasant weather for walking. Scotland’s capital is built on an extinct volcano, creating a uniquely hilly city centre. Considering that Scottish food leans towards the hearty and comforting, a bit of exercise is probably not a bad thing while you’re visiting.
Like any historical city, Edinburgh has its fair share of cheesy ventures attempting to cash on in the 1.2 million visitors who turn up here every year. As you might expect, the streets of the old city are jammed full of souvenir shops selling tartan, whiskey and vacuum-packed haggis, and street performers dressed in period costume act out scenes from Bravehearton every second corner. But beyond that, there are some genuinely interesting things for tourists to see and do.
With its winding streets, cobbled alleyways and stunning architecture spanning the centuries, Edinburgh is a place that reminds you of its history at every turn – it’s impossible to escape the impact the past has had on its appearance and feel.
For a start, there’s the impossible to miss Edinburgh Castle. Perched high above the city with clear views in all directions, the castle is the city’s defining landmark. The ancient seat of the kings of Scotland, the castle (or one like it) has been located here since the 12th century, and even today it remains a brooding symbol of Scottish nationalism.
Originally a functioning military and domestic household, the castle is contained within high walls and surrounded by sheer cliffs on all sides other than on its east side, where the main gate and esplanade are located.
When the British crowns were amalgamated in 1603, the castle became more significant as a military garrison than as a functioning royal seat. Due to its symbolic importance, it has been captured, besieged and retaken numerous times in its history.
Today, it is one of modern Edinburgh’s most significant attractions, and with good reason. A visit to the castle offers a fascinating insight into how the kings and queens of Scotland lived in times gone by, and into how the modern Scots view themselves and their position within the United Kingdom.
Scotland’s crown jewels are on permanent display here, along with the Stone of Destiny, the large stone reputedly used to legitimise the coronation of the old kings of Scotland.
A tour of the castle should be on every visitor’s to-do list, but the site is more than just a tourist trap. It’s also a functioning military garrison, and is home to the Scottish National War Memorial, where the names of every Scottish soldier to die in both World Wars and in later campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq are recorded.
BUT THERE AREother attractions that can bring the past alive. For those with a morbid interest in the how medieval city handled its social problems, the Real Mary Kings Close is definitely worth a visit.
Made up of a warren of abandoned tenements, underground streets and spaces sealed up in the 1700s and only opened to the public in 2003, this underground area was supposedly where plague victims were quarantined to try to contain the outbreak that hit the city in 1644.
Today, costumed tour guides take groups underground to walk the close, and actors re- enact scenes from everyday life in the 16th century.
Elsewhere in the city, it’s possible to take a tour and learn about the exploits of Edinburgh’s most infamous but undoubtedly enterprising criminals, Burke and Hare.
Both William Burke and William Hare were Irishmen who emigrated to Edinburgh in the early 18th century; down on their luck, they hit upon the idea of selling corpses to Dr Robert Knox, the famous anatomy lecturer, who required bodies for his public dissection exhibitions.
The pair dug up and sold – or killed and sold – about 17 bodies in the space of a year between November 1827 and October 1828 before being caught. Hare agreed to testify against Burke in return for immunity, and Burke was hung in the Grassmarket area, just one of a line of rogues and miscreants who met their end in this part of Edinburgh.
SCOTLAND OFTENgets short-changed when it comes to its food, with bad haggis and deep-fried Mars bar trotted out as examples of its culinary attractions. But that's certainly not the case in Edinburgh, which is arguably one of the UK's hottest gastronomic cities, and which has plenty to offer foodies.
In fact, it’s home to more Michelin-starred restaurants than anywhere in the UK other than London, and chefs such as Tom Kitchin, Dominic Jack and Martin Wishart have put the city on the radar of visiting diners.
Jack trained alongside Kitchin and recently opened his own Castle Terrace restaurant at the foot of Castle Hill. Awarded a Michelin rising star award in this year’s guide, the restaurant is hotly tipped to gain a full star next year, but right now it offers fantastic value in high end Scottish gastronomy.
Jack is serving Scottish Mediterranean fusion dishes such as risotto organic Scottish spelt with crispy ox tongue and veal heart, ravioli of wild salmon in consommé, ham hock with pea and bacon, rabbit in caper sauce and highland lamb and beef.
There’s more to eating out than Michelin stars – and Edinburgh has no shortage of fantastic bistro-style restaurants tucked away down its many side streets, offering great value to people not bothered by fussy food or looking for something quick and simple – but when a city boasts several Michelin star restaurants, it often lifts the quality of what’s served everywhere.
When a chef is trying to gain a star, they have to be at least as good as everyone else who has one, and preferably better. They also need to offer better value, to encourage people in the door, and that’s what chefs such as Jack are doing in Edinburgh – his seven-course evening tasting menu at Castle Terrace costs £60 (€68) while a three-course lunch is priced at £20 (€23).
Festival highlights culture comes to Edinburgh in August
With more than 3,000 arts and comedy events taking place in Edinburgh in August, the city will be almost constantly bathed in the glare of cultural highlights during the month.
The Edinburgh International Festival, dedicated to classical music, opera, dance and theatre, takes place from August 12th to September 4th, while several of the public interviews and talks at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, from August 13th to 29th, are already sold out.
In terms of the sheer number of events, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the largest of the festivals, featuring an eclectic schedule array of stand-up, sketches, musicals, plays and live chat shows .
Edinburghfestivals.co.uk, Edfringe.com and Edbookfest.co.uk have comprehensive listings of what’s on, but here’s a selection:
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Jon Richardson: It's Not Me, It's You, Pleasance Dome, August 20th-28th. Comedian Jon Richardson reads extracts from his new book, It's Not Me, It's You– an exploration of some of the possible reasons why he's been single for eight years.
Shappi Khorsandi: Me and My Brother in Our Pants, Holding Hands,Pleasance Courtyard, August 3th-28th. Iranian-born, UK-based Khorsandi delivers engaging stand-up routines about family life with a kind of deceptive innocence not uncommon to female comedians.
BUGhosted by Adam Buxton, Pleasance Courtyard, August 25th-29th. One half of comedy duo Adam and Joe presents a show about the evolution of the music video – expect the odd in-joke from the jingle-tastic BBC 6 Music show Buxton co-hosts with Joe Cornish.
Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards, Pleasance Courtyard, August 28th. Featuring every nominee in this year’s Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards, this event will showcase both the best show and best newcomer nominees.
Edinburgh International Festival
The Qatsi Trilogy, Edinburgh Playhouse, August 13th-15th. US composer Philip Glass, whose movie scores have won Oscar nominations, brings his ensemble to Edinburgh to perform the soundtrack to the Qatsi trilogy of films by Godfrey Reggio, shown here over three consecutive nights.
Philadelphia Orchestra, Usher Hall, August 30th. Chief conductor Charles Dutoit leads the “Fabulous Philadelphians” – an orchestra founded in 1900 – through a two-hour programme of 20th-century works, taking in composers such as Stravinsky, Ravel and Rachmaninov.
Edinburgh International Book Festival
Andrew O'Hagan - The Magic of Civic Memory: Making Scotlands of the Mind, RBS Main Theatre, August 22nd. The author of Personality and Be Near Me will give a lecture on shared memories and national consciousness.
Julian Baggini, RBS Main Theatre, August 22nd. Baggini is the man behind the Twitter @microphilosophy account, but he was making philosophy accessible long before the social network existed. He discusses his recent book, The Ego Trick: What Does It Mean to Be You?
– LAURA SLATTERY
Edinburgh where to . . .
Stay
Value: Hotel Ceilidh-Donia, 14-16 Marchhall Crescent, 00-44-131-667-2743, hotelceilidh-donia.co.uk. Located outside the city centre but close to Holyrood Park, the three-star Celidh-Donia Hotel is a good choice for anyone who wants to be within striking distance of the city, but is watching their budget. Prices from £50 (€57) to £120 (€136) for a double room.
Mid-market: Apex Edinburgh City, 31-35 Grassmarket, 00-44-131-300-3456, apexhotels.co.uk. With rooms starting at £86 (€98), a great location at the foot of Castle Hill and fantastic views of Edinburgh Castle, the Apex Hotel is a good place to base yourself. There are plenty of cafes, bars and restaurants on the doorstep, and it's within walking distance of all the main tourist areas.
Upmarket: The Chester Residence, 7-9 Rothesay Place, 00-44-131-226-2075, chester-residence.com. Made up of four Georgian townhouses in the west end of Edinburgh, The Chester Residence feature designer suites and apartments within walking distance of art galleries, museums, shopping, and the city's cafe and dining areas. Prices from £165 (€187) to £499 (€566) a night.
Eat
Value: Oink, 34 Victoria Street, 00-44-131-220-0089, grassmarket.net/oink.asp. It's hard to miss Oink as you walk up Victoria Street from the Grassmarket because it always has a large roasted pig in the window. It does one thing and does it well – free range pork, roasted each day and sold in rolls with a choice of sage and onion, apple sauce, haggis, chilli relish and crispy crackling for about £4.50 (€5.10). Get there early – it closes at about 5pm or whenever the day's pig is sold out.
Mid-market: Castle Terrace, 33/35 Castle Terrace, 00-44-131-229-1222, castleterracerestaurant.com. Newly established by Edinburgh native Dominic Jack, Castle Terrace has quickly established itself as one of the smartest new eateries in a city not short of fantastic places to dine. Trained in some of France's best three-Michelin-star restaurants, Jack is a talented chef, and his restaurant offers great value in high end French-influenced fine dining, with some distinctly Scottish twists. Lunch is a particular bargain at £20 (€23) for three courses.
Upmarket: The Kitchin, 78 Commercial Quay, Leith, 00-44-131-555-1755, thekitchin.com. Opened in 2006, Tom Kitchin's eponymous restaurant has made a name for itself as the place to visit for high-end fine dining in Scotland. Located on the waterfront in Leith, the focus is on seasonal produce, cooked in refined and classic ways. A six-course tasting menu costs £70 (€79).
Visit
The Real Mary Kings Close,2 Warriston's Close, High Street, 00-44-845-070-6244, realmarykingsclose.com. The Real Mary King's Close is a warren of abandoned tenements, underground streets and spaces closed in the 1700s and only opened to the public in 2003. Once at the heart of day-to-day life in Edinburgh and reputedly sealed up to protect the city from plague, today the area stands as a fascinating reminder of what life was like in the city in the 1600s and 1700s. Admission is £12 (€13) for adults, £7 (€19) for children.
Edinburgh Castle, Castlehill, 00-44-131-225-9846, edinburghcastle.gov.uk. Dominating the skyline in Edinburgh, it's impossible to miss the castle. A fascinating place to visit, the castle has been in position since before AD 600 and today is home to lots of interesting features and displays, include the crown jewels of Scotland and Stone of Destiny, a large block of sandstone upon which the kings of Scotland are traditionally crowned. Admission from £15 (€17).
The Scotch Whisky Experience, 354 Castlehill, The Royal Mile, 00-44-131-220-0441, scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk. A real treat for whisky fans, and genuinely interesting even for those not enamoured of the water of life, the Scotch Whisky Experience features a guided multimedia tour, a museum of more than 3,000 different bottles of Scotch, a tasting bar where a huge number can be ordered by the glass and a shop that stocks in excess of 300 types of Scotch whisky. Admission costs between £12 (€13) and £25 (€28), depending on tastings.
Get there: Flybe (flybe.com) flies to Edinburgh from Knock Ireland West Airport and Belfast. Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) flies to Edinburgh from Dublin, Cork and Shannon. Ryanair (ryanair.com) flies from Dublin.
Alex Meehan was a guest of flybe.com