A 24 hour Edinburgh escapade

‘Edinburgh is a sort of Gothic fairy tale city, and it can be a Gothic horror city as well.’ – David MacKenzie.

Up Scott Tower

I am perched atop the highest viewing platform of the Scott Tower and I can see most of Edinburgh laid out below me.

It’s like a toy city with wind-up cars and ant-like people scurrying around their daily business. I say perched because there is a powerful breeze whistling past and, despite the stone balustrades, I feel it is threatening to blow me over the edge.

With a shiver, I turn to face a different part of the city. From my vantage point, it is easy to see how beautiful Edinburgh is, with its Gothic architecture and blackened sandstone buildings that are dominant as far as the eye can see. Despite my short time in the city, I feel I’ve already covered off quite a lot that I want to see.

Now, it’s 2pm and I’ve got three hours left before I catch my train home. This thought, and another gust of wind, pushes me back down the narrow stone spiral staircase. It’s a struggle to force my way down and to start with, my shoulders briefly touch both walls. Finally, the stairs widen sufficiently and I pace back down to ground level.

Getting the lay of the land

Getting above a landscape helps to bring it into perspective. It provides the beginnings of understanding about how everything fits together and functions. Briefly, one is removed from participating and thrown into a spectator position. In a new environment, this opportunity is especially useful. It’s possible to pinpoint landmarks, plot routes and get a lay of the land.

In total, I have nine hours in Edinburgh, but my adventure actually began hours before my arrival in Edinburgh. It begins the night before, at about 11pm, as I queue with a ticket to board the Caledonian Sleeper at Euston Station.

Catching the Caledonian Sleeper

The atmosphere at Euston is relaxed at 10.30pm on a Friday. The commuters have all gone home, their trains carrying them safely out to the suburban lives they’ve built themselves and return to each evening after a busy day in the office. Many of the shops and fast food outlets are closed or closing, business over for the day, ready to start all over again tomorrow. The concourse is free of crowds, with only a few stragglers keeping an eye on the train departure boards overhead, or walking purposefully towards a platform. The revellers and party-goers. The workers who stayed late in the office and are only now heading home. Station staff.

My train is already showing on the departure board, although it doesn’t leave for another hour. Passengers can board already, however, so I walk down the ramp into the bowels of the station and head for the platform. I hand my ticket over to a uniformed train official, who inspects it briefly before ushering me on down the platform to my carriage.

The first UK sleeper train!

While I’ve travelled on many sleeper trains, this is my first in the UK. I feel a flutter of geeky excitement as I board.

The staff member who greets me with warm Scottish tones is friendly and welcoming. She asks me whether I want tea or coffee in the morning and informs me that the train will arrive at Waverley at 7.30am tomorrow morning. I must disembark by 8am. She then delivers the best news: I have my two-berth compartment to myself, as the train isn’t busy.

My compartment layout is similar to most sleeper train compartments I’ve seen. There’s an upper- and lower-berth, a small sink hidden under a drop-down plastic table and a charging socket. The switches for the lights and air-conditioning are above the bed and there is clean white bedding. There’s a small overnight package containing an eye mask, ear plugs and soap. Some pamphlets contain information about the train, its route and destinations along the way. A nice touch. After unpacking the few items I’ve brought along with me, I get an early night.

I normally sleep reasonably well on sleepers. The rhythmic clack of wheels on metal track lulls me, but my sleep is broken overnight by some heavy shunting when the train splits to take different routes. It’s hard to drop back off, and when morning arrives, my eyes are prickly and dry from tiredness.

As I leave the train at Waverley, I feel a little sad that the experience is over so swiftly. I immediately promise myself that I’m going to take the only other night train that runs in the UK  – the Night Riviera to Penzance in Cornwall. I also decide that I’ll take the Caledonian Sleeper again sometime. I’ll go further north, stopping off at Fort William to get a peep at the Highlands and giving myself the opportunity to spend a little longer on the train.

An Early Start

It’s far too early at 8am for most shops and cafes to be open. I decide to walk the length of the Royal Mile while it’s still quiet and hike up Arthur’s Seat. It’s an ambitious plan, especially since I’ve not eaten since 7pm the night before. Additionally, I don’t have much water and my sleep was fitful at best.

Despite this, I am grateful for the opportunity to experience Edinburgh in the early morning, before other tourists have started to clog up the streets. My only company at this time are a few delivery drivers ferrying stock from the back of their lorries to the doors of various shops. A breeze rolls a discarded beer bottle down one street with a clink and a clatter. It provides a hint of the night before, the revelry that may have occurred given that it was a Friday.

By the time I reach the bottom of the Royal Mile, the clouds have thickened overhead. The sky is dishwater grey, threatening rain. Arthur’s Seat looms ahead. I begin the ascent but realise early on that I won’t reach the top. I try to push myself forwards with internal reminders of what I’ve achieved in the past. I’ve climbed Snowdon, completed multi-day hikes and even trekked in the Himalayas.

Arthur’s Seat – nearly…

It’s no use. My lungs are on fire and I’ve forgotten my inhaler. I’m really hungry now. I lack both energy and water to tackle the end of the climb. Admitting defeat, I pause on a grassy outcrop about two thirds of the way up and take in the view from there.

The only sounds are the wind rustling through the grass and the occasional bird call. My only companions are early morning dog walkers and joggers, who are powering uphill with red faces and expressions that suggest they’re enduring, rather than enjoying, their daily exercise.

Breakfast Time

It’s 9.30am now and my stomach is reminding me that I want breakfast. Luckily, once I’m back on the Royal Mile, it’s not long before I stumble across The Edinburgh Larder. I am fortunate. It seems people normally have to book to get a table, but as I’ve come in solo, I will be squeezed in with another lone diner.

I order the Larder Veggie Breakfast and a flat white and read my book while I wait. The breakfast is delicious, with vegetarian haggis and a potato scone adding a new and different dimension to the plate. Outside, it’s started raining, fat heavy drops coming slowly at first, but quickly becoming a deluge. People scuttle past with umbrellas up, hoods pulled low over their faces.

At the Mercy of the Elements

Having only nine hours to explore as much of Edinburgh as possible means that some sacrifices do need to be made. I choose to bypass Edinburgh Castle, overrun by 11am with thick, impenetrable crowds. However, I do pop into St Giles’ Cathedral before heading downhill towards the National Museum of Scotland. I hadn’t planned on visiting the museum, but it’s still raining and I don’t really want to spend the entire day outdoors getting soaked through.

My interests being as they are, I focus my attention almost entirely on the section of the museum dedicated to natural history. I enjoy wandering about, but keep an eye on the weather and seize the opportunity to get back outside as soon as I notice that it has stopped raining. I stroll along the streets and get a feel for Edinburgh, stopping to take photos when the urge takes me. Eventually, I find myself at the entrance to Scott Tower and decide to pay the £7 entry fee to climb to the top, where I enjoy my brief interlude as a spectator over the city, rather than a participant in its goings-on.

After Scott Tower

I walk up past Waverley and skirt around the edge of Calton Hill. It’s another grassy open space, with stone monuments erected to remember Napoleon and several other important historic figures. The sky is steely grey again, the clouds hanging menacingly low. A few drops of rain spatter my jacket, but I forge on in the naive hope that the rain will hold off until I’m safely on a train back to London.

There are groups of tourists taking photos. Umbrellas going up, bright against the green and the grey. Without warning, the rain comes again. Within minutes, I’m soaked through. My jeans run with water, my shoes squelch miserably and my waterproof does an ineffective job at keeping my phone dry.

By the time I’m back at Waverley, I’m drenched. Cold, but not miserable, I head into the station in search of some safe haven where I can order coffee, grab something to eat and hopefully dry off. I’m hasty and settle on the first place I see – a Starbucks.

A Wait at Edinburgh Waverley

There is something about a Starbucks. It’s not somewhere I frequent often. It serves creamy, sugary drinks masquerading as coffee and over priced toasties and squares of cake that never taste as good as they look. It’s handy for internet if you’re in a foreign country with no data and the brand provides a slice of familiarity, but it lacks soul.

I find they’re too often full of teenagers who don’t yet know what real coffee is. They’re seeking somewhere to hang out other than home. If you’re at an airport or train station, as I am right now, people sit nursing their Triple, Venti, Half Sweet, Non-Fat, Caramel Macchiato for several hours whilst they binge on the free WiFi before proceeding on their journey. That, by the way, is a genuine drink order you can get at Starbucks. Yeah, I’m not really sure what it is either.

Today, I’m the guilty party nursing my drink longer than would normally be appropriate. I read my book instead of using the WiFi though. I eat a soggy and flavourless cheese toastie and sip my peach iced tea, eking it out as long as possible. My train leaves in less than an hour. It is still raining outside but I feel I’ve had a satisfactory taste of Edinburgh. I will come back in the future. For now, I will sit and wait for my train.

The Train Home

My East Coast mainline train running from Edinburgh to London Kings Cross departs right on time at 5pm. We speed along, eating up the miles. I enjoy the moment where, without ceremony, we pass over the border and re-enter England.

I have the enthusiasm of someone who enjoys a long train journey. I’ve stocked up with snacks and am armed with a book should I tire of looking out of the window. The track is close to the coast for much of the run down to Newcastle. My gaze never draws away from the landscape flashing past for long.

We go through Newcastle, York and other major northern destinations. I’ve never been to any of these cities – I have sorely neglected visiting the north. The station at Newcastle is above the city. I see rooftops, the river and a few iron bridges spanning the water. It looks inviting and different to how I imagined it. At York, dozens of race-goers board the train, dressed up in dresses, heels and shirts and ties. They fill the train, raising the noise levels, but most, if not all, disembark at the very next stop. I overhear someone saying that they’re having a night out there.

The journey takes approximately five hours. As we approach London, the sun is sinking below the horizon and going out in a blaze of glory. It’s been raining in Scotland but it looks like the weather has been fine in the capital today. Typical. We roll into Kings Cross bang on time and I’m home twenty minutes after that.

I’ve been away exactly 24 hours from start to finish.

I took the Caledonian Sleeper overnight from London Euston to Edinburgh Waverley. This train takes approximately £80 upwards for a standard class sleeper berth (rather than a seat). The train travels overnight and departs London Euston at 11.50pm. On the way back, I took a Virgin East Coast mainline train from Edinburgh Waverley to London Kings Cross. This took approximately 5 hours and cost me £40. Altogether, my train tickets came to £120 for both trains. Other expenses included eating out and paying entry to Scott Tower.