Wanderlust: Edinburgh - Part 2

Edinburgh, but not as you know it. Exploring Scotland’s capital off the beaten path.

A couple of weeks ago I published Part 1 of my trip to Edinburgh, which provided a thorough overview of where I stayed, ate and relaxed, and a map of all locations. Follow the link below to read it. Now, as promised, it's time to cover a detailed rundown of my itinerary, and as an additional bonus, I’ll include some very helpful maps and insider tips towards the end too.

Wanderlust: Edinburgh - Part 1

Although it’s now almost two months since I visited Scotland's beautiful capital, I am still thinking about my time there regularly, as I am still in awe of the experience I’ve had. So do read on, if you would love to discover the less touristy side of the city, make a note of some fantastic hidden gems, and be utterly captivated by the almost endless amount of wonderful nature this city has to offer.

Travel itinerary - 48 hours in Edinburgh

First things first, at the end of every day’s itinerary, you’ll find a map showing the day’s route and all the places of interest mentioned. However, all cafes and restaurants visited are mapped in Part 1 of this Edinburgh series. It didn’t make sense to duplicate things and makes the below maps look less cluttered too. I hope you’ll find the maps useful, no matter if you prefer to put your own schedule together, or if you’re someone preferring a bit more guidance. Together with the written itinerary, I hope this will provide you with all the detail you may need to visit Edinburgh off the beaten path, but I would like to highlight: Though I did stay around 48 hours in Edinburgh, those were broken up into 2 half and 1 full day. So should you wish to follow my route, you may need to amend the itinerary to suit your particular stay.

Now, let’s explore…

DAY 1 - Afternoon: New Town - Inverleith Park

My journey began on a sunny June afternoon, when I arrived at Edinburgh Waverley, the city’s central station, which is perfectly centrally located, right off Princes Street, Edinburgh's main shopping street. Here you will find all the well-known high street brands, such as H&M, Marks & Spencer, Boots and many others. It is also the street overlooking Princes Street Gardens, two beautifully maintained adjacent public parks, and it is from here where you can get a stunning panoramic view of the Old Town as well as Edinburgh Castle, both dating back to the Middle Ages. 

None of this was on my to-see list this time around however. I wanted to experience another side of the city and so, making my way along bustling Princes Street, briefly taking in the views and snapping a few quick pictures, I made my way to Stockbridge where I booked my accommodation, a room at a beautiful Airbnb, approximately 30 minutes from the station. As it was a gorgeous day, I saw myself walking past the bus stop that would take me there to see more of the city by foot.

Turning north off Princes Street, I got my first proper peek at Edinburgh’s New Town, which, alongside the Old Town, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the 1990s. Interestingly, the New Town is not so new, having been constructed in the 18th and 19th century, but walking through the streets it certainly becomes apparent why it received such a significant status. The perfectly formed rows of the beautifully preserved original neoclassical and Georgian terraces are simply stunning.

Turning west, passing Circus Place and Royal Circus, streets which surround lush private gardens, forming a shape which reminds me of a wrapped sweet, I got my first look at Stockbridge, a vibrant neighbourhood with a surprisingly quaint village vibe, rather than a capital city feel. Given that my bag started to feel heavy by this point, I made my way all the way down the main high street Raeburn Place to my accommodation, knowing I will explore this part of the neighbourhood later.

Once I dropped off my bag, freshened up, and spent a bit of time chatting to my super welcoming Airbnb host Abi, it was time to see a bit more of Edinburgh, and grab some dinner. Having received a recommendation from Abi to visit Inverleith Park, this seemed the perfect place to explore on this gorgeously mild evening full of sunshine.

With 54 acres of parkland, Inverleith Park is considered the largest urban park in Scotland. It includes playing fields, used as recreation space as well as for various sports, a children's play park, tennis courts, ball court, fitness circuit, and much more. You can also find gorgeous tree-lined walkways, a sizable boating pond, a flower garden, and a wild flower meadow, and that even despite a quarter of the park being given over to allotments and small gardens. 

I entered the park around Inverleith Pond, the south west side of the park, which has been upgraded to now include an attractive wetlands water garden, which I explored via the various wooden walkways. I then headed north to explore the rest of the park, making sure to stop on the north side of the pond to enjoy the stunning views of the city skyline.

Leaving the park through the south side of the Sundial Garden, I made my way down to the Neighbourhood Market to soak up the last bit of sunshine, enjoy a couple of pints, and have some dinner, before it was time to return to my Airbnb to get some rest for a full day of exploring ahead.

Day One Route

DAY 2: Water of Leith Walkway - Dean Village - Stockbridge - Royal Botanical Garden

Ready to start the day’s adventure, after my delicious breakfast at Söderberg, I headed south-west to the Scottish National Galleries of Modern Art, which during this trip would be where I would start exploring Edinburgh off the beaten path by following the Water of Leith Walkway. The stretch I decided to do - National Galleries to Leith - is approximately ⅓ of the 12 mile route. When walked in full, the walkway is leading all the way from Balerno in the west to Leith in the east of the city.

The Water of Leith Walkway is what completely changed my perception of Edinburgh. This is where I finally experienced the Edinburgh everyone else seems to love, and I never knew existed. I was amazed by how green the city is, and how, moments after descending the few steps to the river, you are submerged in nature and surrounded by the calming sounds of birdsong and flowing water, no city sounds in earshot.

Culturally, there is so much to explore along the river, such as the National Galleries of Scotland. The galleries are free to visit and consist of 2 sites, separated by a road, with ample outdoor and indoor exhibition space, showcasing works by Botticelli and Titian, modern art, contemporary portraits of pop culture icons, as well as a pretty fantastic collection of Scottish art, of course. Furthermore, the river is also home to Antony Gormley’s 6 TIMES statues, an installation of life-size cast iron sculptures of the artist's body. Starting at the National Galleries, the statues are dotted mainly along less visited parts of the city, which I particularly enjoyed, with the last statue to be found at Leith Docks.

Historically, the riverwalk does not disappoint either, especially between the National Galleries and Stockbridge, where I discovered Dean Village, St. Bernard’s Well, and various locations of interest in Stockbridge itself. Dean Village, a milling community from around the 12th century, is now a tranquil residential community and culturally significant as a record of Edinburgh’s industrial past. On this trip it certainly was the most touristy area I visited, filled with visitors and Instagrammers posing for pictures, which is not surprising given the picturesque setting. St Bernard's Well, not far from Stockbridge, is an impressive structure built to access the natural spring which is rumoured to have healing powers - emphasis on ‘rumoured’. The interior of the well is worth a visit, I have been told, but I did not have the chance to see it, as it’s only accessible to the public at limited times in the year.

Leaving the well behind me and reaching Stockbridge again, I was certainly in need of a break, so I stopped at The Bailie for lunch, an atmospheric basement bar with a classic-ish pub menu.

Continuing my journey of Edinburgh’s less touristy corners, I took some time to visit a few points of interest in Stockbridge itself, starting with the Potted Garden on Circus Place just across The Bailie. You will not find this little private garden on any map. It is however a local celebrity, and certainly worth a little moment to admire the abundance of beautiful flowers and the collection of plants adorning a small staircase leading up to the owner’s front door. Across the street from this impressive front garden is Circus Lane, another local gem. This cobbled picturesque residential lane, lined with terraced mews houses covered in flowers, dates back to the 19th century. It is simply a gorgeous and equally inspirational little place to take a walk on the way to The Colonies of Stockbridge, a historically and culturally quite significant group of streets in Edinburgh. Being the first of group of houses built in the 19th century by Edinburgh Co-operative Building Company as an experiment to provide working-class families with well-built and affordable homes, the project exceeded all expectations with houses now being listed due to their architectural and historic significance.

Rejoining the Water of Leith Walkway briefly along Stockbridge Colonies walking north-east, I reached the East Gate of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, my last destination for the day before my dinner reservation. Now, I have to admit, it was already a lot of walking for one day, so after seeing a very small portion of the gardens, I did spend quite a bit of time on the Gate Café’s beautiful balcony, resting and enjoying a pot of tea. However, I can say with certainty that from what I did see - the Rock Garden, Woodland Garden, and beautiful Chinese Hillside - I will have to return to explore more of the impressive 70 acres and more than 350 year old collection of plants. I could imagine spending the best part of a day there next time actually.

The day could not have ended at a better dinner location than Tom Kitchin’s gastropub The Scran and Scallie, where I enjoyed the tastiest meal, going absolutely content to bed that night.

Day Two Route

DAY 3 - Morning & Early Afternoon: Water of Leith Walkway - Leith - Stockbridge shopping

It was, very fortunately, another gorgeously warm and dry day in Edinburgh, so I put my walking shoes on one more time and started my last half-ish day of exploring by heading for breakfast at the highly recommended Pantry.

Given I’ve already explored the Water of Leith way up to Stockbridge Colonies and would be spending the best part of the day along the river, after breakfast, I decided to miss out a small section of it and rejoin the walk a bit further west at Warriston Road, not far from the next Antony Gormley statue on the list. So instead of walking that stretch along the river, I enjoyed a lovely stroll through the northern part of Edinburgh’s New Town and other beautiful residential areas, which gave me even more of a feel of life in Edinburgh, where more modern structures mixed with historic architecture are no rarity.

Taking a little time to admire Antony Gormley’s statue IV RIGHT, I continued my walk along the Water of Leith Walkway, which until you reach Leith is simply a really nice walk, where you will hardly meet a soul, allowing you to fully switch off, if that is what you’re after. The points of interest you’ll pass on the way would be the second to last of Anthony Gormley’s statues V LEFT, and, if you’re a Scotland’s Home of the Year geek like me, the show’s 2023 winner the Old Train House. If you’ve never watched the show, I highly recommend it. It's like going on a little trip to gorgeous Scotland in every episode, the properties are simply stunning, and the hard work the owners put into them is more than admirable.

When I started approaching Leith, I got some lovely vistas of this beautiful neighbourhood and I’d especially recommend taking a moment by the river around Couper Street to take in the gorgeous view of Sandport Place and Leith Shore. From here it was minutes until I reached Leith, Edinburgh’s buzzing port district. Once Scotland’s main port of trade in the 18th century, Leith became officially part of Edinburgh in 1920 and now has long left its industrial past behind to transform into one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world¹, filled with creatives, top restaurants, and lively nightlife.

Originally, I planned having a bite to eat in Leith, but still being quite full from my tasty breakfast and realising there was simply quite a lot to see, I decided to prioritise exploring this part of Edinburgh instead. So I cannot recommend any eateries in Leith, however, I passed numerous really good looking restaurants and cafes, and next time I would certainly love to try Toast along Leith Shore, or The Sly Fox on Henderson Street, as both looked particularly inviting.

Given that one of my aims on this trip was to see all of the Anthony Gormley 6 TIMES statues, I first made my way to see the last one VI HORIZON, which can be found at the end of a dilapidated pier projecting into Entrance Basin at the northern end of Whisky Quay. My walk led me past Custom House and through Custom Lane, Leith’s creative hub for design and making, past Leith Farmers Market, running every Sunday and a feast for the eye and stomach I am told, over Rennie’s Lock Bridge and along Ocean Drive, where I could see quite a lot of development happening with high-rises being built and the Ocean Terminal shopping centre being refurbished. Once I walked to the end of Whisky Quay to admire Gormley’s last statue, I also got a perfect vantage point from which to admire The Royal Yacht Britannia. I will only later realise that this would be the best view I’d get of the ship without visiting the museum, as contrary to what I presumed, the Ocean Terminal shopping centre, despite its huge floor to ceiling windows facing Entrance Basin, does not really have any good views of the ship. At least not that I could find.

Leaving to explore Britannia to another time, I headed back to the centre of Leith through Commercial Street, and made sure to make a slight detour to walk through Commercial Quay. This is another one of Leith’s creative hubs, housing grand offices, as well as a relaxed artisan café, a popular micro brewery, and Tom Kitchin’s Michelin-star restaurant The Kitchin, one of the two star restaurants in Leith. The other one being Restaurant Martin Wishart, which I passed next having crossed Bernard Street Bridge and turned right, onto Leith Shore.

My exploration of Leith came to an end by making my way through Henderson Street to get to Leith Walk, the street connecting Leith to the centre of Edinburgh, and once again Leith proved its reputation in being the bustling and quirky part of town. Leith Walk has an endless amount of cafes, shops, creative spaces, and above all is full of life. I would have absolutely loved to stay for a little while to fully take in the atmosphere and explore some of the intriguing places I passed, but I wanted to tick one last item off my list in Stockbridge to round off my stay there. So I hopped on the tram, when in Edinburgh, and made my way back to explore Stockbridge’s independent and charity shops I heard so much about.

Spanning from Raeburn Place all the way to N W Circus Place, as well as St Stephen Street, Stockbridge’s shopping offer did definitely not disappoint. There is something for everyone, from jewellery studios, art shops, florists, delicatessen, boutique brands, vintage stores, to countless charity shops representing seemingly every charity there is. There were simply too many shops to explore in one visit, but I did manage to look around Cancer Research UK, British Red Cross, Caoba, and An Independent Zebra, which I all absolutely loved.

Having made my way all the way through Stockbridge’s high street one last time, I realised I've not really taken a rest since breakfast. So having a bit of time before I needed to head to the station, and the weather being too good of an opportunity to miss, I decided to soak up some last bit of sun while sitting outdoors at one of the cafes along Raeburn Place. My choice that afternoon was Artisan Roast, which to me seemed to have the most inviting outdoor setup, with little planters defining the comfy seating area from the rest of the pavement. As I was sitting there, I realised there couldn’t have been a better way to round off this gorgeous trip to Edinburgh.

Day Three Route

Helpful insider tips

To wrap things up, I thought I’d share below a few helpful insider tips I discovered when visiting:

• Good month to visit - Clearly June, the month I went and the weather and planting could not have been more perfect. Sunshine is not a given, of course, anytime you go, as the weather that far north is ever changing, but I can imagine July may also be a good time weather and vegetation-wise, and to avoid possible crowds before the summer holidays in August.

• Water of Leith audio trail - A fantastic collection of freely available audio tracks and videos to guide you along the walkway while providing valuable information about the river, its wildlife and special features.

• Luggage storage - I didn’t need to make use of it this time around, but if you do, at Edinburgh Waverley is a very handy luggage storage facility where you can leave your bags for a few hours or longer.

Thank you for reading this first instalment of my Wanderlust series. I hope you enjoyed reliving this trip with me and that it brings some inspiration for your next visit to Edinburgh. Happy travelling!

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Articles in this series:

1. TimeOut “The 40 coolest neighbourhoods in the world” October 2023: https://www.timeout.com/travel/coolest-neighbourhoods-in-the-world