If you only have a day in Edinburgh: Scotland's capital is delightfully walkable

Cruise Travel, May-June, 2003 by Theodore W. Scull

Scotland's handsome capital city of Edinburgh, laid out in a series of parallel linear swaths, is a walker's paradise, and unbeknownst to most visitors, is located in a now dormant volcanic region, whose peaks offer outstanding views for energetic climbers.

In Edinburgh's historic timeline, Old Town represents its medieval origins with the initial settlement running downhill from Edinburgh Castle, a walled compound housing royal apartments and a military fortress, to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, a monarch's official Scottish residence. When Old Town's residential neighborhood devolved into a slum, the city planners laid out New Town in the elegant Georgian style of the late 18th century. A lovely vale of greensward called Princes Street Gardens separates the two towns, and several bridges span the shallow valley.

Travelers arriving by sea sail into the Firth of Forth to land at South Queensferry or Rosyth, or more commonly pass into the basin at Leith harbor, just three miles from central Edinburgh. Leith's port facilities underwent a major upgrade in 2001, and its main attraction, the former Royal Yacht Britannia, is now sited next to the Ocean Terminal, a multi-story complex of 60 shops and numerous restaurants. A self-guided tour of the yacht reveals the Royals' enviably comfortable, but hardly opulent, lifestyle at sea from the early 1950s until 1998, when the decommissioned royal vessel became too expensive to maintain.

Cruise ships dock at right angles to the Britannia, and a pedestrian walkway takes visitors inland along the Water of Leith, a meandering stream that ultimately links the port to Edinburgh proper. The former port-related buildings facing the Water have been attractively recycled into a very popular restaurant and cafe strip that draws locals looking for a night out.

But the main attraction is central Edinburgh, reached by a frequent public bus service into Princes Street, the commercial heart of New Town. A good orientation point is the pinnacled Scott Monument, dedicated to Scottish novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott, set in Princes Street Gardens. Climb the 287 steps for a view of the city and the surrounding volcanic knobs.

The handsome 19th and early 20th century commercial buildings lining Princes Street face onto Princes Street Gardens, a leafy respite from the swirl of vehicle and pedestrian traffic. At the corner of Princes Street and The Mound (a bridge street running toward Old Town), a floral clock is a most decorative feature, and paved paths lined with benches lead down through landscaped parkland. At the bottom of the depression, and virtually hidden from sight and sound, is the main railway line running through the heart of the city.

Located on The Mound is the National Gallery of Scotland with its outstanding collection of European paintings and five galleries devoted to Scottish artists. At the east end of Princes Street Gardens stands the monumental Balmoral Hotel, built atop the original North British Railway linking London Kings Cross station with Edinburgh Waverley, the city's main station (Waverly refers to a set of novels written by Scott). My first Edinburgh arrival came in 1964 aboard the Flying Scotsman, Britain's most famous steam engine and the name applied to the fastest express train linking the two capitals. When detraining at Waverley station, you are already in the heart of the city. Nearly all subsequent arrivals have been by train, apart from once by sea to the Port of Leith aboard Swan Hellenic's Minerva. At the west end of Princes Street and the Gardens lies the imposing Caledonian Hotel, built by the rival Caledonian Railway. The railway station below the hotel is now closed, and the nearest stop is Haymarket, a bit farther west.

Edinburgh Castle--sited high on a rocky outcropping, an ideal location for a serious fortress--can be seen from almost anywhere. The best view is after dark when it's floodlit. Before leaving Princes Street, have a look inside Jenners, one of the finest traditional department stores in the British Isles; I treasure my sweaters bought there years ago.

North and parallel to Princes Street are George and Queen streets, handsome wide thoroughfares designed to distinguish New Town living from the cramped narrow lanes and now quite charming courtyards of Old Town. Originally residential, George Street's townhouses are mostly occupied by high-rent offices, boutiques, banks, bars, and pricey small hotels. Note the balconied fronts, variety of cast-iron work, and graceful doorway fanlights. The four-block street terminates at St. Andrew Square at one end and Charlotte Square at the other. For a good look into what New Town living was like at the tail end of the 18th century, visit the National Trust of Scotland's furnished Georgian House on Charlotte Square's north side.

Queen Street runs parallel to Queen Street Gardens, below which is the New Town's present residential district. Townhouses line the streets, crescents, and squares--with some terraces descending quite steeply to the north. The woman who introduced me to my wife lived in one such terrace house at N.E. Circus Place, two blocks down from Queen Street. At the western fringe of New Town, the land drops down into the deep narrow valley carrying the Water of Leith. There are splendid short walks to take into Dean Village, a charming section of small restaurants and townhouses that ranges up the steep valley slopes. Returning to the Scott Monument, Princes Street heads eastward to Waterloo Place for steps leading up to Calton Hill with its splendid city view, City Observatory, and the classical-styled Nelson's Monument and the National Monument.