Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
much further north). Near the station is the
Scottish national rugby stadium: Murray-
field. Dalry is slowly being gentrified.
Tollcross & West End
Edinburgh's theater
district and conference center are located
in the area west of the castle. While the
West End neighborhoods near Shandwick
Place are rather exclusive, the district of
Tollcross might appear a bit rough by con-
trast. However, it is rapidly changing, with
redevelopment moving it upmarket.
Marchmont
A kilometer or two south of
High Street, this suburb was constructed
between 1869 and 1914, offering new hous-
ing for people who could no longer afford
to live in New Town. Its northern border is
the Meadows. Sometimes visitors go south
to this neighborhood for affordable B&Bs
and guesthouses.
Bruntsfield
This suburb to the west of the
Meadows is named after Bruntsfield Links.
Now a residential district, it is where James
IV gathered the Scottish army he marched
to its defeat at Flodden in 1513.
Church Hill & Morningside
South of
Bruntsfield, Church Hill has the area nick-
named “holy corner” because of the con-
centration of churches at the junction of
Bruntsfield, Colinton, and Chamberlain
roads. Morningside is probably the poshest
old suburb in the city, with leafy streets. If
you venture this far, be sure and visit the
historic pub Canny Man.
Calton
Encompassing Calton Hill, with its
Regent and Royal terraces, Calton skirts the
so-called Pink Triangle. Edinburgh has a
lively and engaged gay population, which
focuses socially on an area from the top of
Leith Walk to Broughton Street. It is not,
however, a dedicated gay district such as
San Francisco's Castro or Christopher
Street in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. It
is just part and parcel of this lively area with
its bars, nightclubs, and restaurants.
Leith Walk
Not precisely a neighborhood,
but the main artery that connects Edin-
burgh's city center to Leith. Off it are Easter
Road (home of Hibernian Football Club)
and the districts of Pilrig and South Leith.
An honest cross-section of Edinburgh can
be seen during a walk down Leith Walk.
Leith
The Port of Leith lies only a couple
of kilometers north of Princes Street and is
the city's major harbor, opening onto the
Firth of Forth. The area is currently being
gentrified, and many visitors come here for
the restaurants and pubs, many of which
specialize in seafood. The port isn't what it
used to be in terms of maritime might; its
glory days were back when stevedores
unloaded cargoes by hand.
Newhaven
Newhaven is a fishing village
west of Leith. Founded in the 1400s, this
former little harbor with a bustling fish
market was greatly altered in the 1960s.
Many of its “bow-tows” (a nickname for
closely knit, clannish residents) were
uprooted, like the Leithers, in a major gen-
trification program.
5
All-Day Tickets & Edinburgh Pass Cards
Lothian buses in Edinburgh offer all-
day tickets, which are handy if you
plan several rides across town. For
unlimited travel, the price is £3 for
adults, £2.40 for children. Another way
to both get around and get into some
30 attractions that charge admission
(although many attractions are free) is
the Edinburgh Pass. It is priced on a
sliding scale depending on the number
of days you wish to use it. For example,
a 3-day adult pass is £51.50 and a
3-day child pass is £33. The pass gets
you onto tour buses and boat rides.
For more information call
&
0845/225-5121.
