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EDINBURGH - STAY FOR LESS "£S"

EDINBURGH, Capital of Scotland since the end of the 1400's, is two distinct areas; the mixed up "Old Town" hemmed in on the Castle ridge & the planned "New Town" below, built from 1770 onwards to relieve the crowding above. It's a vibrant City which gives a colourful & exciting view of Scottish life & culture, with a special Arts Festival over August. To gain the most from your time in the City GB gives you the local knowledge on how to settle in & stay for less!

ACCOMMODATION is not a problem in Edinburgh with plenty of hostels but to be apart of the City life two hostels are offered & the best for comfort & facilities is in the "New Town" ie.

No 1 - Edinburgh "Eglinton" SYHA at 18 Eglinton Crescent, EH12 5DD tele (0131) 337 1120 Email: eglinton@syha.org.uk (West end of Princes St.) - £14 pn. b&b incl. sheets, 12 f & 18 dorms (£1 lockers on ground floor) separate. showers / toilets. The hostel has dinning room & well-equipped self - catering kitchen (microwave, fridge, crocks etc.) Two character lounge/chat rooms NON SMOKE, games room, TV lounge & open reception areas for sitting/ info etc. Well organised & good to relax & regenerate in!
Reserve - in the "Old Town", is Edinburgh Backpackers Royal Mile at 105 High St. EH1 1SG tele (0131) 557 6120 Email: royalmile@scotlands-top-hostels.com On the main Edinburgh Castle street, on first floor up some stairs - £12 pn. b only incl. sheets - 5 dorms , separate shower/ toilets - Self - catering/ general room (SMOKE)( microwave oven, crockery etc.) breakfast optional extra £2. An active & colourful hostel good for meeting backpackers, more active than No 1.

FOOD for self -caterers are not easy to find in the main City area as most super - super food markets, where you get vast range of guaranteed fresh produce at best prices, are located out of town but GB located two. For both hostels an "up market" super market, Sainsbury's, is hidden away in Rose St.,just off Princes St., opposite the Scott Monument. For No 1 hostel only is another super market, Somerfield's, in Dalry Rd. which, apart from the normal extensive range of foods etc., has fresh cooked chickens & meats.

TRAVELLING AROUND - to do your sight seeing in this compact City is more practical on foot but to get your initial bearings of the main sights there are many good "open top" bus tours at regular intervals, some "hop on/hop off" from £7.50. There is no metro system in ED so a local public bus route map is useful to be able to visit out of town places of interest eg. Queensferry Firth of Forth Rail & Road "world icon" Bridges & the Zoo.

"FREE" SIGHTS TO SEE AROUND EDINBURGH

1. Princes Street & Gardens - Originally a Loch which was drained to form this splendid centre walk
2. Royal Mile Walk - Castle to Palace on this high level cobbled street through the Old Town
3. National Gallery of Scotland - Renaissance to impressionism & Scottish artistic treasures
4. Scottish National Portrait Gallery - History of Scotland through portraits of those who shaped it
5. Castle Yard - Impressive City views, North to the Firth of Forth & South over the Borders
6. Carlton Hill - More City views this time the Castle ramparts also a copy Athens Parthenon
7. Peoples Story Museum - Story of people in ED. from 18thC. with original street excavations
8. Public Library - A place to rest out with daily newspapers & free Internet access
9. Greyfriars Kirk - ED's first reformed church (1620) & memorial to loyal dog "Bobby"
10. One O'Clock Gun - Alert for time check at 1 to hear the gun blast from the Castle battlements

Also look out for - Tartan Kilts, Bagpipes, Edinburgh Rock, Saltaire Flag & try a Whisky!!

CHARGE SIGHTS NOT TO MISS

1. Edinburgh Castle - Crown Jewels of Scotland, Stone of Destiny, Great Hall & more great views
2. Edinburgh Zoo - Many exotic & familiar animals including a penguin in the Norwegian Army?
3. Royal Museum - International treasure house incl. animals, engineering, Egypt & contemporary art

(Jock, Hamish, Roddy, Mary)