132 Accessible Edinburgh: A Festival Guide Entertainment 133
are 29 steps down to the basement, and no accessible toilet,
but management are happy to have a wheelchair user on the
premises if they have companions who are able to carry them up
and down the stairs and remain with them while they are there.
Due to fire regulations, it would be best to call ahead to ensure
that the allowable number of wheelchair guests has not been
reached.
Royal Oak
0131-557 2976; http://www.royal-oak-folk.com; 1 Infirmary St; 11.30am-
2am Mon-Sat, 12.30pm-2am Sun; all South Bridge buses
This popular folk music pub is tiny, so get there early (9pm start
weekdays, 2.30pm Saturday) if you want to be sure of a place.
Sundays from 4pm to 7pm is open session – bring your own
instruments (or a good singing voice). The toilets are downstairs,
making this venue not wheelchair-friendly.
Sandy Bell’s
0131-225 2751; http://www.sandybellsedinburgh.co.uk; 25 Forrest Rd;
noon-1am Mon-Sat, 12.30pm-midnight Sun; buses 2, 23, 27, 41,
42, 45
This unassuming pub is a stalwart of the traditional music scene
(the founder’s wife sang with The Corries). There’s music almost
every evening at 9pm, and from 3pm Saturday and Sunday, plus
lots of impromptu sessions. It’s wheelchair-accessible and has
an accessible toilet.
The Caves
0131-557 8989; http://www.thecavesedinburgh.com; 8-12 Niddry St
South; bus 35
A spectacular subterranean club venue set in the ancient stone
vaults beneath the South Bridge, the Caves stages a series of
one-off club nights and live music gigs, as well as ceilidh nights
during the Edinburgh Festival – check the What’s On link on the
website for upcoming events. The main vault (The Big Room) is
fully wheelchair-accessible and has an accessible toilet. The box
office and bar at The Rowantree (0131-510 1080; 255 Cowgate),
a sister festival venue, are also fully accessible and have an
accessible toilet.
Wee Red Bar
0131-651 5859; http://www.weeredbar.co.uk; Edinburgh College of Art,
74 Lauriston Pl; buses 23, 27, 35, 45The art college’s Wee Red Bar has been around so long there’s a
danger the authorities will slap a blue plaque on it and declare it
a national monument. Wee, red and frequented, hardly surpris-
ingly, by lots of art students, it’s famous for the Egg (third Satur-
day of the month), a smorgasbord of classic punk, ska, northern
soul, indie etc that is still one of the best club nights in the city.
It’s wheelchair-accessible, but has no accessible toilet. Note that
the venue is short on space and can get very busy at weekends.
It is currently closed for renovations, so check before you go!Whistle Binkie’s
0131-557 5114; http://www.whistlebinkies.com; 4-6 South Bridge;
admission free, except after midnight Fri & Sat; 5pm-3am
Sun-Thu, 1pm-3am Fri-Sat; all South Bridge busesThis crowded cellar bar, just off the Royal Mile, has live music
every night till 3am, from rock and blues to folk and jazz. Open-
mic night on Monday and breaking bands on Tuesday are show-
cases for new talent. It’s listed as wheelchair-accessible on Yelp,
but we have no first-hand testimonial.South EdinburghCameo
0871 902 5723; http://www.picturehouses.co.uk; 38 Home St; all Toll-
cross busesThe three-screen, independently owned Cameo is a good old-
fashioned cinema showing an imaginative mix of mainstream
and art-house movies. There is a good program of late-night
movies and Sunday matinees, and the seats in screen 1 are big
enough to get lost in.
Although parking in this busy street may be tricky, buses stop
right outside the entrance. Two of the three screens are wheel-
chair-accessible, but each accommodates only one wheelchair,
so it would be wise to book ahead. Screen 1 has a hearing induc-
tion loop and certain screenings are subtitled; contact the venue
for details. There is a generously sized accessible toilet outside
screen 1.