Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange
All the major UK banks have
branches in central Edinburgh, with ATMs and currency
exchange; the main concentrations are in the area between
Hanover St and St Andrew Square in the east end of the
central New Town. Post o
ces will exchange currency and
there are also currency exchange outlets in Waverley
Station. To change money after hours, try one of the
upmarket hotels - but expect a hefty commission charge.
Hospitals and clinics
The Hospital Royal Infirmary, Little
France (
T
0131 536 1000) has a 24hr casualty department,
and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, 9 Sciennes Rd,
Marchmont (
T
0131 536 0000) has a casualty department
for children. Western General, Crewe Rd North (
T
0131 537
1330) provides a minor injuries clinic 8am-9pm. NHS24
(
T
0845 424 2424,
W
nhs24.com) offers 24hr health advice
and clinical assessment over the phone or online.
1
Internet access
Available at various places, including
New Wings, 71 Nicholson St, Southside (Mon-Fri
9am-11pm, Sat & Sun 10am-11pm;
T
0131 668 4777)
and Coffee Home Internet, 28 Crighton Place, about
halfway down Leith Walk (Mon-Fri 10am-9pm, Sat
10am-8pm, Sun noon-8pm;
T
0131 477 8336); the
latter offers 1hr free internet with a drinks purchase.
Left luggage
Counter by platform 2 at Waverley
Station from £8 per item per day (daily 7am-11pm;
T
0131 558 3829).
Police
Lothian and Borders Police have stations at 2
Gayfield Square (
T
0131 556 9270) and 188 High St
(
T
0131 226 6966).
Post
o
ce
8-10
St
James
Centre
(Mon-Sat
9am-5.30pm;
T
0845 722 3344).
East Lothian
East Lothian
consists of the coastal strip and hinterland immediately east of Edinburgh,
bounded by the Firth of Forth to the north and the Lammermuir Hills to the south.
All of it is within easy day-trip range from the capital, though there are places you can
stay overnight if you're keen to explore it properly. Often mocked as the “home
counties” of Edinburgh, there's no denying its well-ordered feel, with prosperous farms
and large estate houses dominating the scenery.
he most immediately attractive part of the area is the coastline, extending from the
town of Musselburgh, all but joined onto Edinburgh, round to the harbour town of
Dunbar
, birthplace of the famous naturalist John Muir. here's something for most
tastes here, including wide sandy beaches, the enjoyable Seabird Centre at
North
Berwick
and the nearby castles of
Dirleton
and
Tantallon,
the latter set in a vertiginous
clifftop location. Inland, at the foot of the Lammermuirs, is the county town of
Haddington
, a pleasant enough place, though the attraction nearby of
Glenkinchie,
Edinburgh's “local” whisky distillery by Pentcaitland, is likely to be a stronger draw.
North Berwick and around
NORTH BERWICK
, twenty-five miles east of Edinburgh, has a great deal of charm and
a somewhat faded, old-fashioned air, its guesthouses and hotels extending along the
shore in all their Victorian and Edwardian sobriety. he town's small harbour is set
on a headland which cleaves two crescents of sand, providing the town with an
attractive coastal setting, though it is the two nearby volcanic heaps, the offshore
Bass Rock
and 613ft-high
North Berwick Law
, which are the town's defining physical
features.
Scottish Seabird Centre
Harbour Lodge, 7 Beach Rd • Feb, March, Sept & Oct Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat & Sun 10am-5.30pm; April-Aug daily 10am-6pm; Nov-
Jan Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat & Sun 10am-5pm • £8.95 •
T
01620 890202,
W
seabird.org • Boat trips April-Oct daily (times vary; prices
range from £16 to £110 depending on itinerary)
Housed in an attractively designed new building by the harbour, the
Scottish Seabird
Centre
offers access to the gannets and pu
ns that thrive on the rocky outcrops in the
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT
NATIONAL GALLERY OF SCOTLAND
P.76
; EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL
P.102
;
THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT
P.71
; CAFÉ ROYAL CIRCLE BAR
P.96
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