Loving Leith

     After our time in the Highlands we headed back to big city experiences in Edinburgh Our flat was actually Leith, a suburb of Edinburgh. It was an old cooperage with a lot of the industrial architectural elements remaining.

 We checked in as quickly as possible, in a hurry to get to a pub to watch Scotland vs England in a World Cup Qualifying game,although we had been assured that England ALWAYS wins. We had trouble finding a pub that we could get into as the ones showing the game were standing room only with people pouring out into the streets. Finally just before halftime we found a place that we could actually sit down and see the game. With only four minutes left Scotland had the lead; you could feel the excitement as the seconds counted down. Sadly, with one minute left England scored ending the game in a 2-2 tie. It wasn't a loss but it also wasn't a win. The once full and loud pubs were empty and quiet.

This is a very cool neighborhood with great restaurants and pubs along the river.Two of our favorite restaurants were the Ship on the Shore https://www.theshipontheshore.co.uk/ for really fresh seafood and live music and Kazban Mediterranean http://www.kezbanedinburgh.co.uk/. Both of these were close to our flat so we were able to park the car and walk to them. For pubs, Teuchters Landing is a must do http://www.aroomin.co.uk/teuchters-landing-bar-edinburgh/. Go for breakfast and be prepared to share the Full Scottish with at least one other person.


Leith is also the location of the Royal Yacht Britannia, the decommissioned vessel of the British Royal family. You can board the yacht and see not only how the Royals spent leisure and business time but also ho the ship was used in times of crisis such as evacuating refugees from Aden during their civil war. The casual elegance of the decor, plus the tea room made this a lovely place to visit on a cloudy and sometimes rainy afternoon .http://www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk/

It was easy to take public transportation into Edinburgh making this the perfect place to stay away from the noise and crowds of the city- a true hidden gem.