Leith - A Funky Weekend

It’s where the makers of Grand Theft Auto come from, The Proclaimers and Irvine Welsh, plus the ad agency who sell you Irn Bru. Oh, and they have their own cricket team.

To the denizens of Leith, it’s a “city within a city” which is a slight exaggeration of status and relationship vis-à-vis Edinburgh, but since it stopped being simply “the docks”, the working girls moved out and the sailors went elsewhere, followed by slum clearance and some spectacular architectural regeneration, there’s certainly a degree of civic pride attached to the place now. Not to mention ad agencies, media companies, and designers flocking to the lofts and converted warehouses. It’s become the home of Edinburgh’s best restaurants, cool bars, and a vibrant nightlife wholly separate from the rest of the city. And it’s twinned with Rio de Janeiro.

It’s only a short journey from the centre of Edinburgh but few visitors ever make it down Leith Walk. Possibly because nobody could ever pronounce it’s most famous tongue twister: “The Leith Police Dismisseth Us” (Go on, try it). But in a couple of years a swish new tram system will connect Leith to the outside world and the secret will be out.

The main weekend guide to Edinburgh explains how to get here, a fast train to Waverley Station followed by a taxi (£8) or the No 22 bus (£1). Arrivals on a budget at the airport can catch the Express Coach into the city centre or take a more leisurely approach on Lothian Bus No 35 which eventually saunters through Leith itself. An hour and a half later. Taxi from the airport is about £30.

OK. WE’RE HERE.

Leith now has its own Festival in June, mainly music of the indie variety but also comedians, theatre groups and exhibitions. Not quite Edinburgh Festival status yet, but for a week in summer they create a noisy party, so noisy they decided to twin themselves with Rio’s world famous carnival.

The rest of the year it’s a place to explore new places, new sounds and new ideas.

This is one of the indie music outlets from Leith and this is the blog from the advertising types at the Leith Agency as to what they think life is like here. This local blog describes the change taking place in the once notorious Leith Walk. And if you’d like some history, read this.

Wandering around Leith should begin and end at The Shore. This is where the new bars are, the best views of the new architecture, and a relaxed happy atmosphere on afternoons and evenings as the sun goes down. Set off along Bernard Street where new shops and galleries are springing up, turn right up Constitution Street which if you walk far enough becomes Leith Walk, the boulevard that leads you south to Edinburgh city centre.  

STAY WHERE?

There’s only really one place to stay in Leith, and that’s The Malmaison. It’s the original property in a modern chain that grew under the auspice of Scottish hotelier Ken McCullough, a bright and breezy city centre affordable hotel that was a little bit naughty – Chateau Malmaison outside Paris was the home of Napoleon’s mistress. McCullough sold out some years ago but the group continues to expand.

This Edinburgh hotel's a former seaman’s mission, an echo of the old Leith, and was converted to provide a funky bar, brasserie and cool modern bedrooms. Its arrival signalled the notion that Leith was changing irreversibly, but that you don’t have to knock everything down to make way for the new. The place is still packed with cool young things, and the addition of a summer barbeque on the terrace outside provides an extra catwalk.

The bar is still shiny black surfaces, comfortable chairs and stools, with an efficient staff who handle the party atmosphere well. The best rooms have views over the water.

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL, 1, 2, 3…

(1)    The arrival of HMY Britannia to Leith after it was decommissioned (the Queen reportedly cried over this) allowed the population of Britain to see what they’d been paying for all these years. The Royal Yacht Britannia was always a very private place, and cameras rarely strayed inside. Suffice to say that a giant fireplace came as the biggest shock, so after that the homeliness of the Royal Family’s residence afloat all makes sense. It’s probably Leith’s only really serious tourist attraction and is actually worth the trip out to the Ocean Terminal complex of cinema and shops to clamber aboard and nose around.

(2)    The Scotch Malt Whisky Society premises at The Vaults should certainly be on everyone’s cheerful list of things to do in Leith. Their selfless dedication to the celebration of Scotch Malt Whisky knows no bounds. It includes walking tours of whisky buildings, tutored tastings, dinners, ceilidhs, more tastings, and generally whisky galore. It’s not actually a tourist attraction but a society with members whose common interest happens to be malt whisky. Their website explains all.

(3)    Irvine Welsh’s “Trainspotting” shone a light into the dark corners of Leith in the early nineties, a degenerate urban nightmare of heroin addiction, lawlessness and violence. That’s largely all disappeared now, so much so that the tourist board has even tacitly blessed the “Trainspotting Walk” around Leith which takes in such delights as ‘sick boy’s pub’, the scene of the ‘worst toilet’ ever, and various other locations in a combined walking/bus tour. Kicks off from the famous Port o’ Leith pub and the organizer Tim Bell can be contacted on 0131 555 2500 for bookings.

LET’S DO LUNCH

Cheap

The Clock sits at the corner of The Shore and Bernard Street dishing up tasty takeaways from bacon rolls to more substantial soups, salads and lunchtime specials. Newspapers are always provided and tea is always served in the pot with cups and saucers. The staff are bright, breezy, and greet every customer with a smile.

Not so cheap

Osteria di Domenico is one of Leith’s secrets. A back street (Sandport Street) inexpensive, cosy Italian that everybody loves, serving up daily pasta specials made on the premises. It’s small, dark, and lined with mirrors to give the impression of more space. It was run with love and affection by the owner, and is now in the hands of the offspring..

Not cheap but worthwhile

Two of Edinburgh’s spectacular fine dining establishments are now in Leith, Restaurant Martin Wishart and The Kitchin, the eponymous new eatery owned by chef Tom Kitchin. Both are award-winning, both have extensive tasting menus, wine lists to die for, and set lunch bargains at well under £30.

Martin Wishart’s previous premises, a grubby, dustbin strewn lane in the city centre, was a challenge to those of a delicate disposition. His smart new premises overlooking the water are a vast improvement.

Tom Kitchin’s transfer up from London saw him buy the crockery and cutlery from his old alma mater, Pierre Koffman’s La Tante Clare in Knightsbridge, and use it here in homage to his mentor.

WHAT’S YOURS?

The Port O’ Leith on Constitution Street may not be Leith’s finest pub, but it’s certainly its most colourful. This is old Leith but run with a firm hand by the redoubtable Mary Moriarty whose grace and demeanour belie a firm hand when it comes to the occasional disagreement in her small establishment. The clientele has changed over the years in many respects – age for a start, there’s a young music crowd in here now – but the thirst for booze seems undiminished. It’s got a warmth and overt friendliness that’s got rather lost along the way elsewhere which makes up for the dockside demeanour of some of the regulars.

Oh, and don’t dress up.

DINNER IS SERVED

The new kid on the block is Cafe Fish, a former down-at-heel boozer transformed into a bright and modern fish restaurant, white walls, brushed aluminium tables and bleached wood. It serves a two/three course fixed price menu (£19 two, £23 three) which features freshly caught West Coast fishy delights, hand dived scallops to start, or crispy squid or hot smoked salmon, followed by a cracking fish pie or whatever's fresh from the market. There's always a meat dish and vegetarian alernatives, proper desserts and local cheese. The couple who run it are rightly proud of their latest venture and it's hugely popular. Even the toilets deserve special mention, they're clean and new AND have a Dyson hand drier, which actually dries your hands. Whatever will they think of next!

Converted pubs are the order of the day around here and along the Shore there’s no shortage of choice for casual dining. The wood panelled Shore Bar  is the best, a real flavour of Leith, with fiddle and piano music drifting through from the bar, as a smiling staff serve up Scottish specials of fresh fish, venison and beef. Next door is Fishers which is just as good, in just as traditional a setting. Both have to be booked. Five minutes walk away is the perfectly satisfactory Kings Wark, a pub with grub - no booking, order drinks at the bar, but don’t let the heartiness of it all mislead, the food’s really good.

The newest addition is The Roseleaf (Sandport Place) formerly the Black Swan, where the chintz has been put back in and rose wallpaper, delicate rose china crockery, and actual roses inform the modish clientele who’re packing this place out that roses are back. There’s an extensive menu all day, from porridge and black pudding rolls at 10am, to nightly dinner specials on bookable tables.

DRIVE BY

For an hour or so…

A visit along the coast to Cramond is a worthwhile exploration. At the mouth of the River Almond, Cramond is a neat wee former fishing village that now hosts a few yachts, a tidy little Inn (with very good food), a shop selling excellent Italian Ice Cream and a causeway that – when the tide is out – allows you to walk out to Cramond Island for a few hours (don’t get stranded!). Various other walks too if you want to make a day of it.

All day…

Edinburgh Zoo is on the West Side of the City and is generally regarded as a premiere establishment among zoologists and the public alike. The penguins have been coming out for a walk for decades, and apparently the chimpanzees have got a new house.

Further reading
VisitScotland’s new “locals guide” and “Scotland the Best” by Peter Irvine. Nobody should ever visit Scotland without a copy.