78 Accessible Edinburgh: A Festival Guide Sights 79
In the afternoon, take a bus to Blackford Hill, and spend an
hour or two exploring the walking trails here and in the neigh-
bouring Hermitage of Braid, and climb to the summit of the hill
for a glorious late-afternoon view across the city to the castle,
the Old Town skyline and Arthur’s Seat.
Book well in advance to be sure of a table at Aizle (p102), and
check the listings to see if there’s a show on at the Festival The-
atre (p136). If it’s a sunny summer evening you might prefer to
indulge in outdoor drinks at the Pear Tree (p126).
If you want to explore a classic Scottish fortress without ne-
gotiating the crowds at Edinburgh Castle, head for the photogen-
ic Craigmillar Castle on the southern edge of the city.
Craigmillar Castle
Craigmillar Castle Rd; adult/child £5.50/3.30; 9.30am-5.30pm
Apr-Sep, 10am-4pm Sat-Wed Oct-Mar; buses 21, 24, 33, 38,
42, 49
Dating from the 15th century, the tower house of Craigmillar
rises above two sets of machicolated curtain walls. Mary, Queen
of Scots took refuge here after the murder of Rizzio; it was here
too that plans to murder her husband Darnley were laid. Look for
the prison cell complete with built-in sanitation, something some
‘modern’ British prisons only finally managed in 1996!
The castle is 2.5 miles southeast of the city centre. From the
bus stop on Old Dalkeith Rd, walk 500m up Craigmillar Castle
Rd. There’s one accessible parking space next to the visitor cen-
tre. There is a ramp into the visitor centre and on to the castle
grounds, but access into the castle itself is hampered by 10cm
step. The five different levels of the castle are all reached via
stairs. The accessible toilet is about 120m from the visitor centre.
The visitor centre in Hermitage of Braid nature reserve ex-
plains the history and wildlife of the glen, and has details of near-
by nature trails.
Surgeons’ Hall Museums
http://www.museum.rcsed.ac.uk; Nicolson St; adult/child £6/3.50;
10am-5pm daily Apr-Oct, noon-4pm Mon-Fri Nov-Mar; all South
Bridge buses
Housed in a grand Ionic temple designed by William Playfair in
1832, these three fascinating museums were originally estab-
lished as teaching collections. The History of Surgery Museum
provides a look at surgery in Scotland from the 15th century –
when barbers supplemented their income with bloodletting,
amputations and other surgical procedures – to the present day.
The highlight is the exhibit on Burke and Hare, which includes
Burke’s death mask and a pocketbook made with his skin.
The adjacent Dental Collection, with its wince-inducing col-
lections of extraction tools, covers the history of dentistry, while
the Pathology Museum houses a gruesome but compelling
19th-century collection of diseased organs and massive tumours
pickled in formaldehyde.
Access to the museums is via the 3rd floor entrance, which is
served by a lift. All floors are accessible by lift, although there’s a
portion of the upper gallery that may not be accessed by wheel-
chair is wider than 66 cm. (Interactive touchscreen display items
in these restricted sections.) There are lowered counters for
wheelchair users, accessible toilets in the basement and assis-
tance dogs are welcome.The Meadows
Melville Dr; all Tollcross, South Bridge busesThis mile-long stretch of lush grass criss-crossed with tree-lined
walks was once a shallow lake known as the Borough Loch.
Drained in the 1740s and converted into parkland, it’s a great
place for a picnic or a quiet (st)roll – in springtime its walks lie
ankle-deep in drifts of pink cherry blossom, and there are great
views of Arthur’s Seat. There’s an accessible toilet in the north-
east corner of the park.Stockbridge
Stockbridge is a bohemian enclave to the north of the city cen-
tre, with an interesting selection of shops and a good choice of
pubs and neighbourhood bistros. Originally a mill village, it was
developed in the early 19th century on lands owned largely by
the painter Sir Henry Raeburn, who gave his name to its main
street, Raeburn Pl.
The best way to arrive in Stockbridge is by making your way
along the Water of Leith, starting from either Dean Village (10
minutes) or the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (25
minutes). Explore the side streets and browse the shops before
walking along the cobbled lane of St Bernard’s Row, then Arbore-
tum Ave and Arboretum Pl to the Royal Botanic Garden, and plan
to spend a couple of hours exploring its many attractions. Don’t
forget to grab a coffee at the garden’s Terrace Cafe (p108) and
soak up the view of the castle.