Is there any more glorious sight exiting a railway station than that which greets the visitor at Edinburgh”s Waverley?
There are not many train stations whose vista lifts the heart ” Fratton anyone? ” but day or night, rain or snow, the view from Edinburgh will certainly make a first time visitor ” and even diehard regulars, stop and stare, serenaded by the seemingly permanent piper on the bridge.
A Unesco World Heritage site, the Scottish capital is a magnificent mish-mash of sandstone architecture, from the steepling Royal Mile to the incomparable Edinburgh Castle and as many shops and restaurants as you can shake a stick at.
At around ”11 ($22), entrance to the Castle is hardly cheap, but a thousand years of history works out at just under ”1 per century and is enough to keep any history buff pretty well occupied for a few hours, inspecting the Crown Jewels and being in the same place where Mary Queen of Scots married her second husband, Henry Lord Darnley.
Sitting right on top of Edinburgh Rock, the Castle completely dominates the city and, being visible from the cathedral of Scottish rugby, Murrayfield, it is easy to see why it occupied such a strong defensive position. A brisk stroll up the Royal Mile ” so-called as a succession of Scottish and English kings, as well as various European nobility trotted through to the nearby Palace of Holyrood House ” will also take the visitor across the site of the world famous Edinburgh Tattoo ” sold out yet again this year for its entire run.
The list of attractions is endless, National Museum of Scotland, Scottish Whisky Heritage Centre (where you can rather bizarrely savour a tour of whisky history from the comfort of a moving barrel), Arthur”s Seat ” an 823ft peak overlooking the city ” the Edinburgh Dungeons, the rather pricey Scottish Parliament ” just ten times over budget ” and on and on.
But apart from the obvious and legion attractions, what is Edinburgh actually like? The architecture of course is the most obvious and enveloping aspect, with its stone-washed buildings lending the place a warm glow, although the scrubbed look isn”t to every local”s taste ” some apparently prefer a bit of grime to lend authenticity and character.
And one grumble. Well no-where”s perfect, but whoever approved the row of ghastly-looking shops opposite the Castle on Princes Street, was clearly schooled in the Warsaw planning department, circa 1973. Set against the breathtaking panorama opposite is collection of motley architecture that jars so staggeringly, it beggars belief. But put your head down and cross the road, there”s plenty more to admire.
What really sets Edinburgh apart however, for the locals, is that it”s not Glasgow. Residents of both cities are fiercely proud of their origins, with those living awkwardly in the Central Belt between the two, often plumping for one or the other. At the risk of enraging Glasgow fans and despite its recent makeover, the city is very much the gritty, working-class, industrial heart of Scotland, while Edinburgh is a catalyst and focus for all things artistic and cultural.
Then there”s the accent. Listen to a Glaswegian in full flow about Rangers or Celtic and even the English would have to concentrate pretty hard. Ask an Edinburghian to wax lyrical about the great city rivals, Hibs and Hearts and the tone is at once softer. Take a listen to the classic Edinburgh Morningside accent ” a lilt that would have Glaswegians running to the hills ” and you have the essence of the main city.
Edinburgh as the capital of Scotland is pretty full with tourists, most obviously so at Festival time when most sensible residents escape or more cannily rent out their properties, but the town is bustling for most of the year too.
The annual Tattoo this year will also be supplemented by The Open (19-22 July), just up the road in Carnoustie and one of the world”s truly great sporting occasions. Even for non-golf fans, The Open is a gathering of the rich and famous, but is unique in that the public can get as close to the world”s top golfers as is possible without actually buying them a drink.
Scotland is also, well, Scottish. And since devolution, calls for independence have grown ever more strident, with the upcoming elections expected to deal a
bloody nose to the Labour Party and even hand success to the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP). Should it secure a mandate, the SNP says it will hold a referendum, although any precise date appears ever more foggy ” power has to be achieved first it seems.
If you”re English in Edinburgh, expect to be constantly reminded of the fact with Saltires ” the distinctive cross of St Andrews ” flying, constant references to ”down south,” as if it were at the ends of the earth, Sassenachs (the English), endless coverage of Scottish football ” Glasgow”s Sunday Mail recently devoted 21 pages to it ” and Andy Murray. Who is Scottish. And British for the Sassenachs if he”s winning. Oh, and plenty of references to the ”Auld Alliance” with the French, an unlikely combination if there ever was one.
But the Act of Union, whose 300th anniversary is next month, has never appeared so threatened. And just to remind the Scots of their interesting relations with the neighbours, on the walls of Edinburgh”s stunningly impressive National Museum of Scotland, is the stirring Declaration of Arbroath, whose most famous line is the rallying call for freedom fighters worldwide:
”For as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom ” for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself."
Follow that. And you can by jumping in a car, heading over the Firth of Forth admiring possibly the world”s greatest crossing in that magnificent homage to Scottish Victoriana, the Forth Rail Bridge and exploring the rest of this endlessly fascinating and historical country. Glasgow, St Andrews, Dundee, Aberdeen, Stirling et al, are easily reachable from Edinburgh as are a huge range of connections from the extremely efficient airport.
And finally, after years of wrangling, it seems that Edinburgh will actually have a rail-air link. Currently, train passengers sail serenely by ten feet from the runway on the Aberdeen-London service and are then forced to catch a bus back to the airport. The penny it seems, has dropped.
