Rio Recommends: Open Streets
Open Streets: yay! Walking around Edinburgh’s old town without those pesky cars pumping fumes in my face.. and feeling like a king of wee dogs striding down the Royal Mile!
Edinburgh Council, I salute you on behalf of other dogs and our two-legged friends given the freedom of the city, at least for a few hours.
Our walk kicked off in the Holyrood car park and we headed by the Palace and up Canongate where we were greeted by a flow of people walking and cycling. Further up there were even people playing badminton!
Our first stop was the new Loudon’s cafe bar which my editor wrote about ahead of its opening in February. The cafe, tucked behind Canongate in the New Waverley development, is pretty spacious – about the size of a tennis court – and I heard that it was starting to get busy. Wait till the HMRC offices open across the square. The cafe will be full of tax officers! I hope Loudon’s is keeping its books up to date!
Ma and Pa enjoyed bacon rolls, filled with plenty of meat which I quite fancied, but Ma said it might upset my tum, so I stuck into the usual tray of biscuits and a bowl of fresh water. I heard Pa (in between reading the papers and writing up something on his laptop) saying the menu looked like a good lunch choice when he’s down this way.
This area is taking off as one of Edinburgh’s exciting new neighbourhoods and should soon be buzzing. I noticed that Bruce Taverns, owner of Whistlebinkies, Stramash, The Villager and the Royal Mile Tavern (among others) is taking a unit.
We left Loudon’s and headed up Market Street, past the new(ish) row of shops and eateries in the Arches and then beyond the new hotel and cafe that stood on the gap site next door to the City Art Centre. My pal Adam will be manager of the new Gordon Street cafe in the Market Street hotel (a bit confusing, that, but I’m sure they’ll get used it).
Then up Cockburn Street, also traffic free, and popped in to see my two-legged sister Harriet who works in one of the shops. A man was doing wheelies on a mountain bike down the street. Not something you’d normally see around here. And a man in the High Street was blowing bubbles. Some were as big as me. I thought I’d get caught up in one and fly away!!
Then it was back down the hill to enjoy more of Canongate’s open spaces.
Next day I got my photo in the Daily Mail (courtesy of Pa’s DB Media Services and Edinburgh Elite Media). Top walk!
Loudons, New Waverley, Canongate, Edinburgh: Wifi, breakfast and lunch. Newspapers. (4/5)
Walk from Holyrood car park up Canongate, via New Waverley, Market Street, Cockburn Street, High Street, return via Canongate. The council will be running Open Streets on the first Sunday of each month. (4/5)
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