Stretching from Princes Street and Lothian Road out towards the city bypass and the airport is West Edinburgh, an indefinable sprawl of mostly residential streets, which on the surface appears to offer little to visitors. This part of the city was once its main engine room, with dozens of breweries and the water-borne trade from the Union Canal. The old industries have mostly disappeared and the area around Lothian Road and the West Approach Road, called The Exchange, has reinvented itself as Edinburgh's new financial district. At the west end of Princes Street is the start of Lothian Road, one of Edinburgh's bus- iest thoroughfares, which runs south to Tollcross. At weekends Lothian Road becomes a seething mass of drunken bodies pouring out from the many bars that line its route. Ironically, however, it is also very close to three of the city's main cultural venues: the Usher Hall, the Royal Lyceum Theatre and the Traverse Theatre. From Tollcross, Fountainbridge heads west towards the outlying districts of Gorgie and Slateford. On the way it passes the Fountain Brewery, one of only two breweries remaining in a city which once boasted more than 40. The brewery cannot be visited but its presence can certainly be recognized by the pungent yeasty whiff that permeates this part of Edinburgh for much of the time. SightsWest End to Dean Village The western extension of the New Town followed a couple of years after the eastern extension and spread southwest from Shandwick Place, along West Maitland Street to Haymarket, whose railway station was built in 1840 as the original terminus of the line from Glasgow, before it was extended east to Waverley. The New Town also spread northwest along Queensferry Street towards Melville Street, the most impressive thoroughfare in the West End. At its western end in Palmerston Place is St Mary's Cathedral, the second largest church in Scotland, designed by George Gilbert Scott in Gothic style, and featuring a set of murals by Phoebe Traquair. Queensferry Street, which heads west out of the city towards the Forth Rail and Road Bridges, crosses the steep valley of the Water of Leith along the 100-ft-high Dean Bridge. Below the bridge is Dean Village, a quaint former milling village straddling the Water of Leith, once separate from the city, and now a quiet refuge from the West End traffic. At the north end of Dean Bridge, to the west of Trinity Church, is Dean Cemetery, one of Edin- burgh's finest last resting places. The cemetery houses the graves of the likes of architect William Playfair, pioneering photographer Octavius Hill, and Dr Joseph Bell, who is said to have been the flesh-and-blood inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle's character Sherlock Holmes. It also contains many excellent examples of 19th-century sculpture. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art Belford Rd, T 624 6200, F 343 3250, http://www.nationalgalleries.org Daily 1000-1700, Thu till 1900. Free. The gallery is a 10-min taxi ride from the city centre, 15-mins walk from Haymarket station, or bus 13 from George St to Belford Rd. For details of the Galleries Bus which travels between this gallery, the Dean Gallery, the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. About 10 minutes' walk from Dean Village along the Water of Leith Walkway is the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, the first ever gallery in Britain devoted to 20th-century art when it opened to the public in 1984. The permanent collection features everything from the Impressionists to Hockney and, though it may be dwarfed by the likes of London’s Tate Modern, a few hours spent wandering round this brilliant collection is an extremely rewarding and thoroughly enjoyable experience. It is particularly strong on Expressionism, with works by Picasso, Cézanne, Matisse, Magritte, Mondrian, Henry Moore, Kandinsky, Klee, Giacometti and Sickert all displayed, among many other important names, includ- ing many contemporary Scottish artists. There are also frequent temporary exhibitions, and don't miss the excellent café, especially if the sun is shining. The gallery is housed in the former John Watson's School, a neoclassical building designed by William Burn in 1825, and the spacious grounds are dotted with sculptures by Paolozzi, Henry Moore and Dan Graham. The gallery makes the ideal day out, especially when combined with its sister gallery, the Dean, across the other side of the road (see below), and a walk along the Water of Leith. Though weak on new Scottish artists, the downstairs galleries feature a strong collection of 20th-century Scottish paint- ers, particularly the so-called Glasgow Boys – Steven Campbell, Peter Howson, Ken Currie and Adrian Wiszniewski – as well as the Colourists – Peploe, Cadell, Hunter and Fergusson. The upstairs galleries feature international art and the big names from Fauvism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism and Cubism, including George Braque and Picasso, Henry Matisse, a number of works by René Magritte, Joan Miró, Max Ernst, Duchamp and Giacometti and Pollock. Alongside these are the British greats like Francis Bacon, Helen Chadwick and Damien Hirst. The permanent collections are augmented by temporary exhibitions, details of which can be found in the free monthly Edinburgh Gallery Guide. Dean Gallery Belford Rd. Same opening hours as the Gallery of Modern Art. Café open Mon-Sat 1000-1630, Sun 1400-1630. Standing opposite the National Gallery of Modern Art, the Dean houses the Gift of Edinburgh-born sculptor, Sir Eduardo Pao- lozzi, which comprises his sculptures, graphic art and a recreation of his studio. But more than being just a shrine to the work of Paolozzi, the gallery also features one of the most complete collections of Dada and Surrealist art in Britain, acquired from the collections of Sir Roland Penrose and marmalade heiress Gabrielle Keillor. It includes all the main players of Surrealism: Dali, Ernst, Magritte, Miró, Man Ray, Tanguy, Delvaux and, of course, the great man himself, Picasso. The Dean also houses a large library and archive of books, manuscripts and correspondence from the Dada and Surrealist movements, as well as exhibitions of contemporary art, a shop and café. Though not as wide-ranging as its near- neighbour, the Dean is a surreal treat for modern art lovers. Water of Leith Visitor Centre, 24 Lanark Rd, T 455 7367, http://www.waterofleith. edin.org Bus 44, 44A. Apr-Sep daily 1000-1600; Nov-Mar Wed-Sun 1000-1600. Adults £1.90, concessions £1.20, family £5. Bus 28 or 35 from Fountainbridge. If the weather's fair, one of the finest pleasures this city has to offer is the walk along the bucolic Water of Leith. The Water of Leith Walkway follows the small river from Balerno, on the western out- skirts of the city, all the way to the docks at Leith – a distance of 11¼ miles (19 km). The section described here covers the most beautiful stretch, the few miles from the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and Dean Gallery to the Royal Botanic Garden. Starting from Belford Bridge, the path follows the Water of Leith as it slides gently through a peaceful, wooded valley. The river tumbles over a weir past a new housing development and then takes you into Dean Village, one of the oldest parts of the city and one of its most charismatic little crannies. Beyond Dean Village the walkway passes below the high-arched Dean Bridge, built in 1832 and designed by the great Scottish civil engineer Thomas Telford. About 500 yards further along is St Bernard's Well, an early 19th-century mineral spring that was thought to have health-giving properties. The Doric 'temple' on top was designed and built in 1789 by the painter and architect Alexander Naysmyth, a good friend of Robert Burns. Soon after, the path heads into Stockbridge, where there are plenty of good pubs, cafés and restaurants. The path continues at the foot of the steps, which lead down from Pizza Express, and after a few hundred yards stops at the next bridge. Here you have to return to street level and turn left, then immediately right on to Arboretum Avenue. On the right across the river you'll see rows of attractive little two-storey terraced houses known as The Colonies. Follow Arboretum Avenue as it heads up to a road junction, then cross the road and walk up Arboretum Road to the west gate of the Botanic Gardens. Leaving the Gardens by the east gate, on Inverleith Row, you can easily rejoin the Walkway and continue all the way to Leith. Cross the road outside the gate and turn right. Here, at No 8 Howard Place, is where Robert Louis Stevenson was born in November 1850. The Exchange The triangle formed by Lothian Road, the West Approach Road and Morrison Street, now known as The Exchange, is Edinburgh's new 'International Financial Centre', which basically consists of the starkly functional bulk of the Sheraton Grand Hotel, the ambitious Edinburgh International Conference Centre, designed by Terry Farrell and opened in 1995, Baillie Gifford's Rutland Court, the Clydesdale Bank Plaza, the Standard Life building and the truly innovative new headquarters of Scottish Widows. In stark contrast to the understated 'old money' of the neighbouring West End, The Exchange is notable for its brash, ostentatious wealth – a huge concrete and steel temple to Mammon, where drones and workers emerge at lunchtime to make calls on their 3G phones and have a smoke or a coffee in one of those ubiquitous chains. Those above them in the food chain sit in the sleek, chic Santini restaurant or perhaps pop into the fabulous new One health spa to work on those abs or work off some executive stress after a tough day at the stock-face. Union Canal Lothian Road continues south to Fountainbridge, which heads west to the point where the Union Canal now ends. Completed in 1822, the canal ran all the way to Falkirk, where it linked up with the Forth and Clyde Canal to Glasgow. Now, with the opening of the Falkirk Wheel, as part of the ambitious Millennium Link project, the Union and Forth and Clyde Canals have been revived and a continuous waterway between Edinburgh and Glasgow re-opened. The best access on to the canal is via Gilmore Park. From here you can stroll along the towpath all the way to Slateford, where an aqueduct carries the canal over the Water of Leith, but it's not the most attractive of walks. Steps lead down from the aqueduct to the Water of Leith Visitor Centre. Shaping a Nation Dundee St, T 229 0300, http://www.shaping-a-nation.co.uk Mon 1430-2130, Tue-Thu 1200-1900, Fri-Sun 1200-2130. Adults £3.50, children and concessions £2. Turbo Venture not included in admission. Buses 1, 28, 34 and 35 stop outside Fountainpark. Fountainpark leisure complex is home to restaurants, bars, a gym, the huge Eros nightclub, a 13-screen cinema and Shaping a Nation, a tongue-in-cheek look at Scotland and the Scots' influence on the world. It may be a bit tacky for some, but provides a more irrev- erent approach and has lots of hands-on, interactive stuff to enter- tain even those with the most limited of attention spans. The main thrust is a long list of all the things invented by various McClever- Clogs: from penicillin to the gel-filled bra. You can even try cloning yourself à la Dolly the Sheep (may her DNA rest in peace). The most interesting feature is a push-button quiz called "So you think you ken Scotland?" Turbo Venture is a motion simulator with various rides, one of which flies you over mountains and glens in the Highlands and costs an extra £1. Caledonian Brewery 42 Slateford Rd, http://www.caledonian-brewery.co.uk 1-hr tour costs £7 per person and includes beer sampling. Tours for groups of 10 or more can be arranged (at least 1 week in advance) through Caledonian Events, T 228 5688. Buses 4, 28, 35, 38 and 44 from the city centre. Just west of Fountainpark the road forks: right towards Tynecastle Park, home of Heart of Midlothian FC, and left towards the Caled- onian Brewery, home of the very wonderful Caledonian 80/- and Deuchars IPA ales, which can be supped with extreme pleasure in the Caley Sample Room. The brewery also hosts regular ceilidhs and an annual beer festival. The Visitors Centre allows a fascinating insight into traditional brewing methods. Edinburgh Zoo T 334 9171, http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk Apr-Sep daily 0900-1800; Oct-Mar daily 0900-1630. Adults £7, children £4. Buses 12, 26/26A and 31 from Haymarket and Princes St. Penguin Parade at 1400 daily Mar-Oct, weather permitting. Three miles west of the city centre is Edinburgh's zoo, the largest in Scotland, set in 80 acres on the side of Corstorphine Hill. Whatever you think of zoos, this one is highly respected for its serious work, as well as being an enormous amount of fun. There are over 1,000 animals from all over the world, but the zoo is best known for its penguins – the largest breeding colony of Antarctic penguins any- where outside Antarctica itself. The latest attractions are the end- angered Asiatic lions and the Magic Forest, full of marmosets and tamarins. There are also animal-handling sessions, available at an extra £1 per person, and afternoon animal talks. Lauriston Castle Cramond Rd South, Davidson’s Mains, T 336 2060. Apr-Sep daily 0900-1800; Oct-Mar daily 0900-1700; Nov-Feb daily 0900-1630. Adults £7.50, concessions £5, children £4.50. Buses 16, 29 and 129 from Princes St. About five miles northwest of the city centre is Lauriston Castle, a fine Edwardian country mansion set in lovely grounds overlooking the Firth of Forth. The original tower house is late 16th-century, with many neo-Jacobean additions by William Burn in the 19th century. It was once the home of John Law, founder of the first bank in France and obtained sole trading rights in the Lower Miss- issippi, which he christened Louisiana in honour of the French King. The interior contains collections of period furniture and ant- iques. Lauriston is also the home of the Edinburgh Croquet Club. Cramond A local passenger ferry service crosses the River Almond at Cramond: 0900-1300 and 1400-1700 in summer, till 1600 in winter, closed Fri. Buses 41 and 42 from Hanover St. On the very edge of the city, where the River Almond flows into the Forth, is the little coastal village of Cramond. The 18th-century village of whitewashed houses is the site of an ancient Roman fort, a large part of which has been excavated. In addition to being steeped in ancient history, Cramond has a pleasant promenade, a golf course and a lovely, wooded walk along the banks of the Almond river towards the 16th-century Old Cramond Brig, where the Cramond Inn makes a fine spot for some liquid refresh- ment. And if that weren't enough to tempt you, there's also Cramond Island, which can be reached via a raised walkway when the tide is out. Just make sure you keep an eye on the time or you may find yourself stuck there for longer than you anticip- ated. Tide times are posted on the shore, and are also available from the tourist office..
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