Stockbridge

Typified now by delicatessens and good bottle shops, Stockbridge is a pretty part of the City that’s definitely worth a visit. It’s The ‘Stock bridge’ itself was built in 1801 and spans the Water of Leith. The walkway upstream from here to Roseburn (near Murrayfield in the West end of town) is probably the most beautiful section of the whole course of the river, and well worth a mini-adventure. Here herons and kingfishers are often seen in their natural habitat, and it is an easy walk of 20 minutes or so to get to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, and the Dean Gallery, each of which house stunning collections of important works by modern masters.

On your way you will walk beneath the impressive Dean Bridge and through picturesque Dean Village. It’s easy and beautiful, hard to believe that you are in a Capital city.

Stockbridge is also close to The Royal Botanic Gardens, and is an ideal end to a trip there.

Tim’s Café

Toward the bottom of Stockbridge is a real gem of a café: Run by Canadian Tim, this is genuinely the best all day cooked breakfast you can get in Edinburgh. The place is small, only 6 tables or so plus window seats to watch the world go by. There’s a mellow jazz soundtrack, and it’s the sort of place you end up chatting with affable strangers. There are books and newspapers for you to pick through, great soups, toasties, sandwiches and the rest, and best of all a massive 30% saving for Dexplorers, which makes it something of a trump card!