Side street walk with a note to city’s literary gentlemen

Rio Recommends: Sciennes and The Grange

A regular walking guide to dog friendly cafes and pubs

Edinburgh has such a rich cultural past that it isn’t difficult to come across a reminder of a famous event or individuals.

Our walk from the south east corner of the Meadows around this tip of The Grange took us up Causewayside, Sciennes and the largely non-descript side street Sciennes House Place (one end sadly defaced with grafitti).

Even here we found a little bit of history. Not one, but two of Scotland’s most famous sons – Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns – met there, commemorated by a barely noticeable plaque. There is no mention of any dog being present, though both men were dog lovers.

The meeting took place before Sir Walt took ownership of Maida  (1813-1824), the deerhound reported to be his favourite dog and which is seen gazing up at his statue in Princes Gardens.

It would be more likely that Burns’ Border Collie, Luath (Gaelic for “swift or nimble”) was there. The two were said to be inseparable, the pup always at his feet while he was writing . Luath was a main character in his poem The Twa Dog.

Onwards to Causewayside, a busy thoroughfare with a smattering of pubs and only in Edinburgh could you find an antiques shop described over the front door as “suppliers to the impecunious gentry”.

We popped into No 1 The Grange, where a couple of dogs were already making themselves at home in the lounge-style bar. Ma and Pa had their usual bacon sandwich washed down with coffee and the staff made me feel at home with a bowl of water.

It turns out that No 1 The Grange sits on a corner and actually has two addresses on account of one half once being a plumbers’ merchant.

From here there are any number of options to meander around the well-appointed streets skirting Sciennes before heading back to the Meadows.

Walk from the Meadows (south east) via Sciennes, Causewayside, Grange Road, Tantallon Road, Livingstone Place, back to Meadows (3/5)

No 1 The Grange (4/5)

Check out Rio’s recommendations on where to walk and grab something to eat and drink in dog-friendly bars and cafes

Follow Rio’s exploits on Twitter: @RioRecommends

Return to Daily Business News