Edinburgh Capitals Sun 21 Jan, 6pm. £8 (£4). Murrayfield Ice Rink, Riversdale Crescent, 313 2977. The Capitals face off against Milton Keynes.
Edinburgh Rocks Sat 27 Jan, 7.30pm. £7 (£5). Meadowbank Sports Centre, 139 London Road, 661 5351. London Towers stand in the way of another Rocks victory this season.
Edinburgh Capitals Sun 28 Jan, 6pm. £8 (£4). Murrayfield Ice Rink, Riversdale Crescent, 313 2977. Slough Jets should be on the receiving end of some Capital punishment.
Musselburgh Races Tue 30 Jan, £7—£12 (£4). Musselburgh Racecourse, Linkfield Road, Musselburgh, 665 2859. Family race day with children’s entertainment. Hearts v St Mirren Wed 31 Jan, 7.45pm. £16 (£8). Tynecastle Stadium, Gorgie Road, 200 7201. Two of the country’s brightest managerial talents meet up as Craig Levein welcomes 'I’om Hendrie into his home. It’s been something of a rollercoaster season for Ilearts but if they can keep Colin Cameron at 'I‘ynecastle, a top six place should be assured. St Mirren have had a gloomy return to the top flight and just keeping space between themselves and Dundee United is their sole aim.
Other Events
Battle Cry From The Colonies Thu l8—Fri 19 Jan, Thu 25—Fri 26 Jan, 10am—4pm. £7 (£2—£5). Edinburgh Castle, 225 9846. Alba Adventure Company present this historical re- enactment which centres on a young Scot who left for the New Colonies in America, but is transported back to prison in Edinburgh Castle after siding with the rebels.
Popular Observing Fri 19 Jan & Fri 26 Jan, 7.30pm. £1. Royal Observatory Visitor Centre, Blackford Hill, 668 8405. View Saturn with its rings and Jupiter and its moons from one of the telescopes of the Royal Observatory.
Scottish Roots Sat 20 Jan, 2—4pm. £4 (£3). Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, 331 3234. Advance booking advised. 'Ihe Bathgate Hills at Cairnpapple Hill are the focus of this discussion hosted by Egyptian Roots. Whether the hill is a sacred space, its similarities to Stonehenge and its links to Wales are some of the topics to be covered.
Managin Traffic In Central
Edinburg Mon 22 Jan-Thu 1 Mar, 10am—4pm. Free. City Development Department. 1 Cockburn Street, 469 3509/3785. The Central Edinburgh Traffic Management Proposals will be on display illustrating the council‘s agenda for a cleaner and safer environment for road users in Edinburgh.
Silver - Style And Changing Fashions Wed 24 Jan, 10am—noon. Free. Huntly House, 142 Canongate, 529 4143. Study workshop led by Edinburgh’s Keeper of Applied Art, David Scarratt. Astronomical Journey of Discovery Fri 26 Jan, 7.30pm. £1. Royal Observatory Visitor Centre. Blackford Hill, 668 8405. View the observable universe through the centre’s six-inch telescope, exploring the moon, planets and stars. The evening is complemented by a presentation on a different topic each week, and this week Russell Eberst gives a talk on ‘The Night Sky in February".
Burns Supper Fri 26 Jan. 7.30pm. £5 (£2.50). Harry Miller Hall. The Pleasance, 332 2758. Traditional Burns’ night celebration led by Rev William Armitage.
Not So Bleak Midwinter Sun 28 Jan, l—3pm. Free. Hermitage Of Braid, 69 Braid Road, 447 7145. A guided ranger walk to discover the life flourishing deifite the chilly temperatures.
0| Town Guard Thu 1 Feb. 10am-4pm. £7 (£2—£5). Edinburgh Castle, 225 9846. Alba Adventure Company take you back to 1743 when rumours of a Jacobite rising were rife.
PERMANENT ATTRACTIONS
Caledonian Brewery 42 Slateford Road, 623 8066. £5. Tours
are Mon—Fri 11am, 12.30pm 8; 2.30pm.
The award-winning Caledonian Brewery, still going strong after 100 years, will let you into the secrets behind the crafting
of their fine ales. See On Your Doorstep.
Camera Obscura
Castlehill, Royal Mile, 226 3709. Mon—Sun 10am—5pm. £4.25 (£2.10—£3.40); family ticket £12. Pick up a pedestrian in your hand at this attraction, which gives visitors a real- time, 360° image of the city. The most recent addition to the venue is the Magic Gallery, giving hands-on experiences of the art of visual trickery. There is also an exhibition devoted to holographs and photography on the lower floors.
‘ City Of The Dead's Haunted
Graveyard Tours
Meet by St Giles Cathedral, Royal Mile, 556 1601. £5 (£4). Join this spooky tour if you dare, and you’ll be guaranteed all manner of paranormal frights, including the infamous McKenzie Poltergeist. You have been warned. Tours run daily at 8.30pm.
Dynamic Earth
Holyrood Road, 550 7800. Wed—Sun 10am—5pm. £6.95 (£3.95—£4.95); family ticket £18.50. With volcanoes erupting beneath your feet, a tropical rainstorm pouring down, earthquakes and tidal waves at every turn, the history of the earth has never been more interesting. Edinburgh’s latest visitor attraction uses stunning new developments in interactive technology to piece together the history of the planet, creating a thoroughly modern way to step back in time.
Edinburgh Castle
Castlehill, 225 9846. Daily 9.30am—5pm. £7 (£2—£5). Although much of the castle’s medieval character was lost when it was converted into barracks in the 19th century, continuing excavations aim to redress this. Other attractions include James IV’s famous cannon, Mons Meg, the One O’Clock Gun with its own exhibition, lots of military silverware and, of course, The Stone Of Destiny.
Edinburgh Zoo
Corstorphine Road, 334 9171. Daily 9am—430pm. £7 (£4—£5); family ticket £20—£24.50. Widely accepted as one of the finest zoos in Britain, there‘s plenty here to while away an afternoon, or even a whole day if you take your time. The penguin parade at 2.15pm is a must and the newly-built African plains afford a fantastic view of the city.
listings EDINBURGH llFE
ON YOUR DOORSTEP Eve
Us Scots love a drink, so where better to find out a bit more about our favourite old habit than at the Caledonian Brewery. Situated in the West End on the other side of Haymarket, the Brewery has remained in its location since 1869, unchanged by the goings-on of the modern world. Co-founders George Lorimer and Robert Clark opened the ’Caley' — as it is locally known — at a time when
rything you ever want to know about the CALEDONIAN BREWERY r; .5
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Edinburgh flourished as host to some of the country’s leading brewers, boasting 41 breweries. Some 132 years later, two World Wars gone by and the closure of 39 of these breweries, the Caledonian still stands.
The tour starts in the Visitor Centre, a Victorian-style dining hall where large boards give a written and illustrative history of the Brewery from its opening to more recent events such as the near disastrous fire of 1998. The boards, as the tour guide points out, have been made by staff at the Brewery themselves, which stands to reason as the Caledonian has a personal feel about it.
Next stop the Brew House. For those of you who don't know much about the brewing process, this is where the infusion of malt and hop flowers take place (whatever that means), and it all seems to happen in three impressively large direct-fired open coppers — the last of their kind in this country. Not very 21st century, I hear you cry, but this is what is fascinating about the Caledonian — it continues to use traditional methods of brewing.
The tour ends in what is known as 'one of Edinburgh’s best kept secrets', or more formally the Sample Cellar, where those who have made it to the end of the tour without passing-out because of the fumes of the Brew House, can sample a
range of Caledonian fine cask ales.
Despite the traditional philosophy of the Brewery it is still thriving today — its very own Deuchars IPA was the first Scottish beer to win the British Beer Festival in 1999. It has two major annual events: a Beer Festival in June, which last year had an impressive 4,000 visitors over one weekend, and the Blues Festival in
August.
Tours are fairly short in length, but be prepared to stay a while as tour guides know how to talk and are rightly filled with enthusiasm for this tremendous
brewery. (Mike Findlay) Fun factor 4/5
Informative 4/5 Value for money 4/5
Added extra If the fumes aren’t enough to get you high, you can taste the drink
in the Sample Cellar.
How to get there Situated about 400m along Slateford Road, the LRT service 44 runs approximately every 10 mins from Princes Street.
How much is it? £5
When are the tours Mon—Fri 11am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm. Extra tours can be
arranged by phoning in advance.
Caledonian Brewery, 42 Slateford Road, 623 8066, www. ca/edon/an-
brewery. co. uk
Gorgie City Farm
51 Gorgie Road, 337 4202. Daily 9.30am—4pm. Free. Bringing country life to the heart of the city, this working farm houses a host of farmyard animals including ponies, pigs and goats. Other facilities include a children’s play area, cafe and workshop, wildlife garden, farm tractors and an interpretation centre, plus a full programme of supervised activities for children and adults.
Medieval Torture Exhibition
45—47 Niddry Street, 557 4700. Daily 10am-10pm. £1. If thumbscrews and jawbreakers are your thing, then drop into this Edinburgh attraction, featuring the latest and greatest in medieval torture devices and instruments of humiliation, including the enigmatically-named ‘Scavenger’s Daughter’. Afternoon tours £5, evening tours £6.
Museum Of Scotland
Chambers Street, 247 4219. Mon, Wed—Sat 10am—5pm; Sun noon—5pm; Tue 10am—8pm. £3 (£1.50); children
under 18 free. Devoted solely to the history and heritage of Scotland, the building contains five thematically- arranged exhibitions, moving from pre- history, through the Industrial Revolution, to the present day.
Royal Botanic Garden
Inverleith Row, 552 7171. Daily 9.30am- 4pm. Free. A sea of tranquillity in the hubbub of the city, the Botanic Garden is home to a wealth of flora from all over the world. The glasshouses give you the opportunity to check out tropical plants as well. The site also hosts art exhibitions, horticultural courses and various countryside events, including daily guided walks in the summer. For details of temporary exhibitions, see Art Listings, page 76.
St Giles' Cathedral
Royal Mile, 225 9442. Mon—Sat 9.30am-5pm; Sun 1—5pm. Founded in the 11005, this church has witnessed executions, riots and celebrations. With spectacular stained glass windows, ornate stonework and guided tours, it’s a good starting point for exploring the Royal Mile, or, if you’re feeling in need of
spiritual rejuvenation, go along to one of their regular services or music events.
Writers' Museum
Lady Stair’s House, Lady Stair’s Close, 529 4901. Mon—Sat 10am—5pm. Free. A treasure-house of items relating to three of Scotland’s most famous writers: Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott.
OUTSIDE THE CITIES
Kelso Races Fri 19 Jan, 12.50pm; and Thu 1 Feb, 1.40pm. £7-£15 (accompanied children free; OAPs and students £4). Kelso Racecourse, Kelso, 01573 224767. A great day out featuring National Hunt horseracing at the Kelso races.
Scottish International Badminton Masters Mon 22—Tue 23 Jan. Free. Inverclyde National Sports Training Centre, Burnside Road, Largs, 01475 674666. The Scottish masters featuring men’s singles and doubles, women’s singles and doubles and veterans.
Annual Burns Supper Thu 25 Jan. Burns National Heritage Park, Murdoch’s Lone, Alloway, 01292 443700. The annual Burns supper at the National Heritage Park.
18 Jan-1 Feb 2001 THE LIST 81