Head west for capital treat
Andrew Hoyle finds plenty for all the family to enjoy on a stay in Edinburgh’s Haymarket area
Let’s hear it for Haymarket! This seriously central part of Edinburgh has plenty going for it for visitors and locals alike, and I recently found myself fitting both demographics, as I reside in the city but needed to decamp for a couple of nights to facilitate some plumbing-related home improvements.
Accompanying me are my wife and three offspring aged 16, 14 and 12, and we are occupying two rooms on the fourth floor of the vast Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh Haymarket, a couple of minutes walk from the train station and tram stop.
It’s something of a landmark as you approach the city from the west, especially in the evening when its illuminated red sign is visible from a distance. Our rooms are light, airy and as well proportioned as Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man (which is the hotel chain’s logo and features throughout). There’s tea and coffee, the beds are king size, there is a proper bathroom with Sea of Spa products and the decor is modern, with panels showing the city skyline.
We’re eager to explore the environs for real, however, and after a hearty breakfast (£15) head out on foot (car parking at the hotel costs £8 for 24 hours). Tourist attractions including
Princes Street, the Royal Mile, the Castle, and National Museum of Scotland are all easily achievable via Shanks’ Pony, but our first stop is the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art at 75 Belford Road.
After a short stroll along elegant New Town streets we’re immersed in the Andy Warhol and Eduardo Paolozzi/i want to be a machine exhibition at Modern 2, which features seldom-seen drawings and multi-hued prints by the US pop art master, opposite striking collages by his Leith-born counterpart (ends 2 June). Crossing the road to Modern 1, we view paintings and performance videos by Turner Prize-nominated artist Monster Chetwynd, among others, as part of the “NOW” series (ends 28 April).
All this culture has given us quite an appetite. The hotel’s Restaurant Vitruv offers popular fare such as burgers and chicken dishes, and provides room service, and the wider Haymarket area is positively awash with eclectic dining options. After a couple of preprandial pints of magnificent cask-conditioned ale at Thomson’s, arguably Edinburgh’s finest traditional pub and whose decor celebrates Scottish architect Alexander “Greek” Thomson (www. thomsonsbaredinburgh.co.uk),
we take a shortcut along rows of traditional colonies houses to emerge on Dalry Road.
Over the past decade or so this busy thoroughfare has turned into a foodie haven, with highlights including the cosy Xiang Bala hotpot, the casual Pizzeria 1926, and the well-established modern bistro First Coast. We’re in the mood for some tapas and mezze, however, and La Casa restaurant (http://la-casarestaurant.co.uk/) proves an inspired choice – the dishes of Mediterranean deliciousness we order disappear almost as quickly as the personable waiting staff serve them up.
The next day, to work off the likes of patatas bravas, albondigas, pollo con serrano y manchego and baklava, we take our towels and cossies along to Dalry Swim Centre (www. edinburghleisure.co.uk). This glassroofed gem of Victorian architecture reopened in January after a £1 million refurbishment, and it’s a wonderful edifice in which to finesse your freestyle or just splash around for fun (check the timetable online to avoid closure for lessons and club sessions).
After the swim, we keep walking in the same direction and soon come to Gorgie City Farm (www. gorgiecityfarm.org.uk). This wonderful working farm – which has pigs, cows, chickens, sheep and goats, as well as a pet lodge for smaller domestic animals, plus a cafe and shop – has welcomed visitors for almost four decades and was a regular destination for our two sons and daughter when they were much younger. It’s free, but donations are encouraged and deservedly so – it’s a unique asset to Edinburgh, one well worth supporting and we thoroughly enjoyed our trip down muddy memory lane.
We round off our break with a meal at Mia Italian Kitchen on Dalry Road, where reservations are recommended if you want to enjoy fine focaccias and perfect pasta and pizza, as we did (http:// mia-restaurant.co.uk). Outside the vibrant streets are still busy in an area that’s enjoying a real renaissance. Leonardo would approve. ■ Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh Haymarket, 1 Morrison Link, Edinburgh EH3 8DN. www.leonardohotels.com, tel: 0131-460 4600. info. royaledinburgh@leonardo-hotels. com. Rooms from £109 per night based on two people sharing.
The wider Haymarket area is awash with eclectic dining options