34,37,47,48). Never one to miss a trick, I was quick to remind Nick that he was due to get the drinks in, and that he had made vague mumblings about buying champagne in the Balmoral. We were both in agreement as to the quality of the Bollinger, and the free peanuts weren’t bad either.
With all thoughts of champagne quaffing and train spotting quickly extinguished, we headed for the Royal Mile and to the comforts of the Jolly Judge (James Court/Lawnmarket, 24). Hidden on one of the many closes that lead off the Royal Mile, it has a rather quaint interior as well as some outdoor seating in a courtyard which attract the springtime sunshine.
Just up the road, Ensign Ewart (Lawnmarket, 24) lacked the luxury of outdoor drinking but was nice enough nonetheless. Claiming to have been in existence in one form or another since 1690, this pub has all the hallmarks (and clientele) of a tourist trap. The pints of Black Sheep were welcomed but necked quickly – it was time to get back out into the sun.
And so we arrived at the Castle Arms (Johnston Terrace, 24) for more outdoor drinking. A tavern popular both with young folk frequenting the nearby youth hostels, and also with those who stay a little closer to home, the Castle Arms boasts a lovely outdoor area on Victoria Terrace. This area offers fantastic views over Victoria Street and the end of the Grassmarket – an ideal location for a spot of people watching on a sunny afternoon.
A Kurdish restaurant is located next door – we only narrowly managed to avoid making further investigations into the extremely appetising aromas which eminated from it. Has anyone been? Is it worth visiting?
The following Tuesday, local musician Alex Cornish entertained the good citizens of Edinburgh with a collection of tunes and an attempt to flog some branded mugs and coasters. Incredibly, one daft, enthusiastic punter actually fell for his sales pitch and bought a mug. Make your own jokes. Here’s what Alex had to say about The Caves (Niddry South Street/South Bridge, 3,5,7,8,14,29,30,31,33,35,37,47,48):
“The venue we played last night [Tuesday] is a very cool place. Edinburgh has a load of cavernous underground cellar type venues, and this was one of the bigger ones. In fact, they also do “ghost tours” there, with people dressed up and making children cry etc. In fact, in our backstage room was a door, which was locked, which children walked passed on their ghost tour. We discovered that if you bang on the door as they walk by it causes a great deal of distress…”
Until the next time...
CUMULATIVE PUB COUNT: 140
