8.30pm and Sat 9.30am—1pm.
The George Hotel in George Street is a much loved and most Edinburgh of hotels.
Leith used to be a separate fishing village. but is now joined on to the city. Much renovation work has been done to make it more attractive but a casual visitor is still likely to be accosted by ‘ladies ofthe night'. The members of the oldest profession plying their wares to pay for their next ‘fix‘.
The Dean Village Situated below the Dean Bridge off Queensferry Street. this again used to be a separate entity - now increasingly popular among the city‘s Yuppie population.
Mllne’s Court incorporating Patrick Geddes Hall is at the top ofthe Royal Mile and is Edinburgh University’s prettiest halls of residence. 8848 can be had there from £13.70 per night.
Edinburgh's only reasonable restaurant off Charlotte Square remains unidentified. We think it may be French.
The National Gallery of Scotland on the Mound is small but infinitely worthwhile. Works by Rembrandt, Van Gough. Monet. Degas and many others. Mon—Sat 10am—5pm. Sun 2—5pm (Times vary during Festival). Free.
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Belford Road has been compared favourably with The Tate. Artists include Picasso. Hockney and Matisse. Mon—Sat 10am—6pm. Sun 2-6pm. Free. Waterstones Bookshop 1 14 George Street is open seven days a week and until 10pm on weekdays. Few better places in the city to shelter from the rain. although you may end up spending money you hadn‘t intended The Royal Scottish Museum Chambers Street. has wonderful exhibits ranging from a whale‘s skeleton to the History of Science. Mon-Sat l0am—5pm. Sun 2—5pm.
ISLANDS Cramond Island This is
an island to walk to. accessible
within two hours either side of low
tide (tide times available daily in The
Scotsman. add one hour to Saturday
times for Sundays). It is a bracing 1
mile walk across cockle sands from
Cramond (on the west side ofthe
city. bus no. 41 to (‘ramond from
George Street. but a no. 18 going
' back) but offers genuine countryside
when you get there.
j According to the narrator on the
ferry. Inchcolm Island is the driest
é place in Britain. left in sunny
. isolation as clouds gather on either
side ofthe Forth. It is very well kept.
with a 12th century abbey in good
repair (open Mon-Sat 9.30am—7pm,
Sun 1.30—7pm) and lots ofgrassy
spots for picnics. Risk the spiral
| climb up the abbey tower for a good
view of the Forth. Boats (Maid ofthe
Forth) leave Hawes Pier. South
Queensferry daily at 1pm and 3pm. The crossing takes 30mins. passing
l— _ . .- .
66 The List 8—2] August
the main conduit for the king
INSIDER’S GUIDE
under the steely span of the Forth Railway Bridge. and gives approx 1 hour 30 mins on the island. £3.75 adults. £.75 children (3—14 years) Details of boats from John Watson ()31 331 1454 or the Abbey Custodian. Dalgety Bay (0383) 823332.
Buses to South Queensferry: Eastern Scottish from St Andrews Square bus station. platform D. stand 16. nos 41 & 43—48.: get offat Dalmeny Station and there is a signposted lane).
., ICE CREAM Lucas Cate 34 High Street. ? Musselburgh 665 2237. Mon—Sat 9am—l0pm. Sun 10.30am—10pm. If
you‘re really keen on ice cream. and
9 even if you're not you could well be
5 converted. it is worth making the trip 5 to Musselburgh. east ofcity
3 centre.For as little as 25 pence you
can have a comet full of home—made
strawberry. coffee. cassata etc. or 5 water ice. And ifyou really get to
like it. it is also available in litre tubs: £2.05—£6.30 (1—4 litres). Cafe also serves salads. quiches. snacks, pie and beans etc.
Buses to Musselburgh: Eastern Scottish from St Andrews Square bus station. platform D. stands no. 13. 14. 15. every 5/10mins. INFORMATION Waverley Market. 3 Princes Street 557 2727 (adjacent to
I; BR Waverley Station) Mon—Sat , 8.30am—9pm. Sun 11am—9pm. Tourist information and
accommodation bureau.
JENNERS Princes Street and corner ofSouth St David Street. 225 2442 Mon—Sat 9.30am—5pm. Edinburgh's major department store. a sort of ‘Harrods ofthe North‘. When it was
built in 1893. it was one ofthe biggest
department stores in Britain. ‘endearing in its detail‘ with its pairs ofcaryatids in pink stone. Inside there is a mock Jacobean central well. a vast galleried affair which each Christmas. encloses some 45 feet of tree. purchased from the Buccleuch Estate in the borders. On the second floor there is a good food hall. (in Harrods green) and cafe’
: (see last issue of The List). ' LEITH Old photographs ofthe
Boundary Bar in Leith Walk show a white stripe running across the room. the old boundary line between Edinburgh and Leith. They were amalagamated in 1920. before which Leith was a flourishing and substantial commercial town in its own right. It even had its own
5 licensing laws which were different 3 on either side of the line. Leith is the old port of Edinburgh. much
neglected for many years. but
currently being revived. restored and rediscovered (hence the
. refurbished King‘s Landing flats. and wine bars on the waterfront)
with the help ofthe Scottish Development Agency. The docks, although much in decline are well worth a visit and an old luxury steamer once belonging to the Guinness family is moored there, soon to be converted into a floating bar and restaurant. Leith Walk, once
between Leith harbour and Holyrood Palace. the main artery connecting Leith and the city centre has ‘some good Georgian fragments, but is otherwise chaotic'. LUNCH Lunch possibilities expand interestingly during the Festival. To get the full flavour ofthe Festival try The Fringe Club. Teviot Row. Bristo Square (end ofGeorge IV Bridge) 667 2091. Fri 8—Sat 30. 10am—3am 7 days (£2 for the day; £12 season ticket). Something of the hub of the Fringe. it usefully gets round the licensing laws by being a club. For good food try the Carvery and for real refreshment you can even have a shower. As last year Crawfords are doing the catering at the Assembly Rooms 54 George Street and the Fllmhouse Bar and Restaurant. Lothian Road which has changed hands this year. is good. Non—festival. but popular is the Doric Tavern 15 Market Street. which you may find both busier and pricier than last year. but still very good. and Blancos 9—11 Hope Street. not cheap. but they do serve French cafetieres ofcoffee. Ofthe pubs. try the Cate Royal. 17 West Register Street. for its excellent opulent interior (lunch is of the salad-quiche-pie variety — rolls only on Sats) and when it closed on Sundays try the Claret Jug beneath the Howard Hotel. 34 Great King Street. where there is less opulence. but more comfort and very good bar lunches. Guaranteed non-festival and for one of the best value lunches for the kids in the centre oftoWn is the Royal Museum of Scotland
- Chambers Street. Don‘t be put off by
the scaffolding and the fact that it‘s closed. nip round the back to the entrance in Lothian Street and you will find it open Mon-Fri 10am—5pm. And if you really want to get away to some peace. try the Royal Botanic Garden. where the Tea Room next to Inverleith House is open 7 days 10am-5pm. and you can sit outside. MORNINGSIOE ()n the north side of the city. the are is most notable for its ‘refained‘ Edinburgh ladies. who in the late 19th century outnumbered the men by two to one and summed up by No. 6 Morningside Place. the former home of the Misses Balfour. maiden aunts of Robert Louis Stevenson. His self-carved initials are inscribed on a cupboard.
MONEY Scotland has its own banking system and prints its own notes — in three different designs for emphasis. They are all legal tender in England. but you do get some funny looks. . . Barclays Bank only have one branch in Edinburgh in St Andrews Square where they are obliged to have their cash point inside their (listed) building and which is therefore only accessible during banking hours. They have however recently pacified their cash-stricken customers by making a reciprocal banking arrangement with the Bank of Scotland. Account holders ofeither bank can use cash points of both. However, if you cash a cheque within either bank, the 75p handling fee still applies.
NIGHTCLUBS Those to look out for are: El oamhalache Cafe Royal Bistro. 17 West Register Street (upstairs). Thursdays 10am-2pm. £1.50 members. £2 non—members. Modern decadence in Victorian opulence. Non-chart, some salsa, many people, tiny dance floor. Very good of its type. Goombay Beat
f Barbados Suite. 3 West Tollcross. Fri. Sat. Sun 10.30pm—4am.
£1.50—£3.00. Reggae disco. Texas Bermuda Triangle. Coasters
7 Complex, 3 West Tollcross. Sundays
10.30pm—4am. £2. Soul. funk, jazz. Outer Limits West Tollcross. Fri, Sat, Sun £2—£3. Disco. 26 Aug Villa Wills. 29 Aug Hazel Dean — Hi-NRG. bop. Also see rock listings for details of live bands.
NIGHTEATS After the exertions of the above. take advantage ofthe fact that some of the bakeries bake through the night on the premises and will sell you fresh bread and rolls still warm and straight from the oven. Oven Fresh Bakery 147 Morrison Street 229 6470. Handy for Coasters. The back door at the side ofthe building is open from approx 11.30pm right through the night until the shop opens at 5am. (On Saturdays the shop stays open from 9.30am through till 5am Sunday morning). First out of the oven are bran scones and bridies (nearest English equivalent is a Cornish pasty); rolls available about 2am; bread is the last thing to be baked. Also cakes. Beware — a ‘mince pie‘ is something savoury in Scotland, not just a sweet Christmas
confection .William Anderson (Bakers) 39 St Patrick Square 667 3866. First out of the oven are scones and rolls. Pies and bridies later. All baked on premises and open all night from midnight (not Saturday nights). OPERA HOUSE Basically. there isn’t one. It has been much discussed and much dismissed and on its proposed site. the Hole in the Ground behind the Royal Lyceum in Castle Terrace, you will find instead the less substantial Elephant Tent. enclosing the Zap Club and a score ofdifferent acts. ‘
OPEN AIR For outside eats, try Le Sept 7 Old Fishmarket Close. off High Street 225 5428. Good French-ish food on attractive flowery patio. Almost outside: the very pleasant conservatory at The Waterfront Winebar. 1c Dock Place, Leith 554 7427. Overlooking the Water of Leith it would be an excellent place to be in a rainstorm and serves good fishy food. For open air theatre see Ouad below. and a possible roof top appearance by the Nasty Dog Theatre Co at the Bedlam Theatre (to be confirmed). Also Holyrood Park on Fringe Sunday. 17 Aug, 1—5pm, and street theatre everywhere.
PALACE Holyrood Palace Mon-Sat 9.30am—5.15pm. Sun 10.30—4.30pm. £1.40. (child 70p). Holyrood, once less of a Palace. more ofa royal guest
, house attached to the abbey is still
the official residence of the British Royal Family. When the court first came to Edinburgh, it initially
settled in the castle, but by the 16th