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TRAVEL
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MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 M.E.N.

Perfect, Knight and day

PAU
PA
AUL BAKER
samples the
delights of the
Scottish capital
on a bright winter
weekend away

AKING a trip to Scotland

in winter might not
sound like every
travellers dream, but if
you catch the weather
just right, it can be a beautiful way to
spend the weekend.
So it was when my girlfriend
and I journeyed to the Scottish
capital, Edinburgh, recently,
under clear skies and low winter
sunshine.
Always fans of that wild and
beautiful land to the north of
Englands borders, this was a first
visit for us since last summers
narrow No vote saw Scotland
remain part of the United
Kingdom.
Eager to see if the feel and
hospitality of this country had
changed at all since the historic
referendum we journeyed out early
on Saturday morning up through
mist-clouded Cumbria and into
Scotland where snow
was still lying fresh on the hills.
A blue sky with perfectly-crisp
winter weather greeted our arrival
in Edinburgh and would stay
throughout the weekend.
We were staying at The Knight
Residence on Lauriston Street,
in Edinburghs historic Old Town
with its higgledy-piggledy array of
intertwined streets that all seem to
lead eventually to the base of the
citys famous castle.
Its an apart-hotel and offers guests
the opportunity to stay in a luxury
furnished apartment plus many of
the benefits of a hotel. So you get a
daily concierge service from 7am
until 11pm, coupled with your own
private flat in which to luxuriate
during your stay.
The complex has a private car park
and 28 serviced apartments with
one, two or three-bed options. We
stayed in an extremely comfortable
spacious two-bedroom City
apartment.
Having an apartment to call home
for the weekend, rather than just a
hotel room, gives you the freedom
to relax and tailor your time in
Edinburgh more easily.
The city is certainly picturesque
and well-suited for those who like
strolling the streets and seeing what
surprising and fascinating buildings,
sights and people are just around the
next corner.

Twilight settles over

Edinburgh and, below,
the Waverley Gardens

NEED TO KNOW
PRICES at The Knight
Residence start from around 80
per night for a one-bedroom
City studio apartment.
The two bedroom City
apartments start from around
110 per night, though prices can
vary considerably depending on
the day and month.
Visit www.theknightresidence.
co.uk for more information.

We sampled buffalo burgers from

a farmers market, strolled through
graveyards where JK
K Rowling picked
up some of the more unusual names
for her Harry Potter characters,
and mingled with tourists from
around the world taking photos of
themselves in the courtyard, atop the
castles volcanic hill.
Edinburgh Castle is also the start
of the Royal Mile, a wonderfully
charming high street-like route
which runs from old fortress along to
Holyrood Palace, about a mile away.
Here the tourists throng to the strain
of bagpipes, checking out the many
tartan shops, whisky stores and
street performers along the way.
The Mile is no quieter at night
when ghost tours criss-cross the
narrow lanes where grave robbers
Burke and Hare once sold their
wares, while merrymakers hop from
pub to bar along the historic street.
During our stay we dined both on
the Royal Mile and in an area known
as The Grassmarket. The Mile has all
manner of restaurants, from Asian
and Mexican to Scottish cuisine, and
a variety of fine dining options.
The Grassmarket is more cafcentric, with little Italian restaurants
and some great places to stop for
breakfast, brunch or coffee and cake.

Price-wise, the eateries on the Mile

are much more expensive, though
the quality is good. The Grassmarket
is less pricey but no less tasty and the
atmosphere bubbly.
If youre more interested in the
pub culture, there are inns and
ale-houses on pretty much every
street. We decamped to an ale house
half-way down the Mile called The
Mitre, where we sampled a pint of
Heavy a delicious ruby-coloured
Scottish ale before being recommended to seek out a delicious local
speciality heather-honey beer,
only available in a rough-and-ready
establishment called Bannermans.
You just cant beat local knowledge.
If you visit Edinburgh, make
sure theres loads of space on your
camera because youll constantly
be snapping away. The city seems
to be laid out on a number of levels
so there are often things to look at
both above your head and below
your feet. Couple this with its sense
of history and stunning architecture
and you have a place that is superb
for photography.
On our second day we ventured
out of town to climb Arthurs Seat.
The volcanic peak is about a mile
east of Edinburgh Castle and, at 822ft
high, offers superb views across the

Established in 1947, the Edinburgh International Festival

sees
the citys population escalate from 400,000 to a million

city and over to nearby Leith and the

Forth estuary beyond. Its well worth
the climb.
Even the steep route we took was
not too much of a struggle thanks
to a stepped and well-travelled
pathway. However, the summit can
be more-easily reached via a car park
and short climb perfect for families
with children.
Our apartment at The Knight
Residence was certainly a welcoming
place to return to after a busy days
sightseeing. Quiet, warm and cosy
with five-star luxury across every
room little wonder it was named
Best Hotel in the UK
K by online travel
company Expedia in 2013.

A lounge area in one of the

furnished apartments at The
Knight Residence, Edinburgh

The spacious and inviting lounge

had a big widescreen TV (the
bedrooms have TVs as well), a
Blu-Ray player and a music system
which was wired into the bathroom
too, in case you want sounds while
you bathe.
Theres also a dining area and a
separate kitchen with washer/dryer,
fridge, microwave and full-size oven.
The chance to self-cater could make
The Knight Residence particularly
appealing to families and business
visitors. Theres even a welcome pack
left in the kitchen for you with teas,
coffee, milk, cereals, bread, jams and
orange juice and that did us fine for
the weekend.
When you add in the friendly and
knowledgeable concierge staff, there
really wasnt anything we could fault
about our accommodation.
If you get the weather, Edinburgh
is absolutely perfect city-break
material.
And, even if the rains do come,
there are galleries, theatres and
exhibitions galore that we didnt
have time for.
And anyway, with accommodation
as pleasant as ours, we could have
just stayed indoors and still had a
superb weekend.