Sunday Morning in Edinburgh?

Noelsagan

My missus and I have booked a few days in the Travelodge in Edinburgh in June for a cheap break.

We're arriving on a Sunday but the way the flights worked it was a fair bit cheaper to get an early flight which will get us into the city around 8.30am.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to fill a Sunday morning in Edinburgh? Is there a farmers market or any alternative to Sunday newspapers in a coffee chop? We'll have bags with us so one of the walking tours doesn't really appeal.

Any suggestions appreciated

Cheers

Noel

welda

You don't say which T/Lodge you are booked into (there are eight) you will be offered good info if you state which one, less bother dragging baggage around say the Botanic Gardens?

:beer:

Usagi_2

Usually TLodge etc will let you leave your luggage with them in a secure room, even if you can't book in until later. It is worth checking.

Edinburgh Farmers market is a Saturday morning, but there should be plenty of other things open after you have dropped off bags... I think the castle opens around 9.30ish if I am remembering right. Depends what you want to do?

Noelsagan

welda wrote: »

You don't say which T/Lodge you are booked into (there are eight) you will be offered good info if you state which one, less bother dragging baggage around say the Botanic Gardens?

:beer:

We're staying in the Central one in the old town.

Usagi wrote: »

Usually TLodge etc will let you leave your luggage with them in a secure room, even if you can't book in until later. It is worth checking.

I've never known a Travelodge that offered a left luggage facility and I've stayed in quite a few. I'm resigned to having our bags with us, although it'll just be carry-on cases.

Decluttering

I think there might be a big car boot sale on in the centre on Sunday mornings, might be a bit frantic for the start of a holiday though!

alisonb1965

If you are getting the bus from the Airport then get off at St Andrew Square and there are left luggage lockers where you can drop off your luggage for between £2.50 and £3.50 for 3 hours. Then you can explore minus the luggage.

Alternatively if you don't want to leave your luggage you could take one of the many bus tours that operate from Waverley Bridge. That way you can get the guided tour straight away.

Mary Kings Close is an attraction not to be missed and the Edinburgh Dungeon is also good.

lilac_lady

The best way to see a city is by bus tour (as above). The Edinburgh one is very interesting. I hope you enjoy your stay.

Sparkle80

I've stayed in a few travelodge's lately that let you leave your luggage, but charge £5 for a locker - might be worth asking yours before you go to see if they have this facility (if you don't mind paying the £5 of course).

Enjoy Edinburgh, you will love it!

alanrowell

Car Boot Sale in the bowels of the Omni Centre car park perhaps.

dktreesea

The car boot sale is a 20 min or so walk away from the old city travelodge. If you come out of the travelodge, and turn north, up the hill to the canongate, turn left and at Nicholson st/South Clerk St/ South bridge (it's one continuous road, that changes it's name all the way along) turn right(north) and cross the bridges to princes street. At the junction turn right (so away from the shops, and then cross over the top of Leith Walk (first on the left) and turn left (north) down it. I say cross over the road first because the car boot is on the east side of the road. proceed down the hill, crossing over the first and second street. Just before the large roundabout, opposite the back entrance to John Lewis, there's a building which just have two lifts and stairs. Take the lifts down to level "-4".

This car boot doesn't start until 8.30am, literally. No one is allowed to set up before the hooter goes bang on 8.30am.

Once in the car boot, if you feel like a coffee or a break, there's a different centre of lifts (if you come out of the main lifts, and take the second "fork" left, you come to these lifts) which goes up into the Omni centre. there are a couple of good coffee shops there. Wetherspoons (Lloyds/Playhouse - another one which keeps changing its name), if they have finsihed renovating, is at the front of the complex, on the right hand side as you come from the lifts back towards the front of the complex. They serve a good value Scottish full breakfast for less than £4 a head. And have cheap and nice tasting coffee. They open at 8am.

Bus tours? Mmm. I prefer the unofficial ones. I recommend going to a Lothian buses travel shop (there's one on the east side of Hanover Street, just off Princes Street) and buying a weekly ticket. then just take a couple of buses to the end of the line and back again. Can just stay on the bus - there's no need to get off and wait around at the other end. In any event, some of these buses run every 4 minutes or so.

The Botanic gardens are nice. From the old town, (anywhere along south bridge and on up that same street) take the No 8 bus. It stops right outside the botanics. Just ask the driver - they'll know where to let you off.

If you don't mind take away and fancy fish and chips, on the canongate (so go up the street the travelodge is on, (going north) but turn right (east) at the canongate) theres a fish and chip shop on that road, takeaway, called Benes, on the south side of the road.

There's also an even better (imho) one on the Royal Mile (continuation of canongate going west along it, but on the south side of the royal mile. I can't remember what it is called, - it's near the Fringe Festival offices, but it's quite yummy.

On the Royal Mile, the Camera Obscura is interesting.

Copjunk2

You could go to the Modern Art Galleries on Belford Road. If you got off the airport bus at Haymarket it wouldn't be too far to walk (10 to 15 minutes). The cafe opens early at the Gallery of Modern Art at 9am - you have to go in round the back as the actual gallery doesn't open until 10. If it's a nice day you can sit out in the cafe garden. There are also cloakrooms so you might be able to off-load your bags once the gallery opens. You can also go for a walk along the Water of Leith from the bottom of the garden and follow the sculpture trail. There are 2 galleries, the Dean Gallery is across the road but the cafe there doesn't open until 10. They used to run a minibus to take you to the other National Galleries in the town but I can't see any mention of it on the website.

http://www.nationalgalleries.org/visit/complex/2:118:3/