O perfil de apolishch

The stunning castle, towers majestically over the city of Edinburgh. Its walls, smooth, sanded, sit on an intimidating cliff which rises well above the cities roofs.

Visiting it, however, is an exasperating and rather torturous experience. Its over a tenner to get in, and simply teeming with tourists of various shapes and sizes. While the view from the top is stunning, the crown jewels, I',m sorry there's just no other word - shiny, and the structure itself oozing with legend and drama very much appealing, the throng of strangers, pulsating everywhere around you, easily killed my buzz.

Housing a vast complex of support networks for students of the University of Edinburgh, the spacious dome houses everything - a bank, an anonymous support service, a shop, a cafe, and a large, open seating area with wi-fi access.

Friday and Saturday nights, however, Poterrow becomes a nightclub, with Saturday night known as the "Big Cheese". It costs £3 entry for students, £4 for non-students. If you like that kind of cheesy old, from queen to blondie to the spice girls, then this is where you want to go.

One of the best pubs in the city, this place seems to have everything - reasonably priced drinks, a humongous bed in the back with a large screen in front of it, a pacman machine, regular seating areas - simply everything.

Thus, if you find out when the rather regular showings are, you can come into the pub, order yourself a drink or two, then go through to the back, lie down on the gigantic, comfortable bed, pick a cushion to get even comfier, and then lean back, enjoy a great film, and get drunk at the same time.

Score!

Located on Elm Row, at the top of Leith Walk this cozy little pub has an almost grandfatherly feel to it, making it the perfect hideout for anybody who likes a nice, relaxed atmosphere to settle in and have a pint or five. Drinks are slightly on the expensive side at £2.50 a pint of Fosters, but the TV, the leather seats, the sheets of fantasy football teams, and the general "old pub" ambience more then makes up for it.

Definitely a good place to chill out, meet new people, and to just do the guy thing.

Studio 24 is the definitive alternative music venue in Edinburgh, playing a wide variety of music, from drum n' bass / electro on Fridays to rock and metal on Saturdays.
Definitely the highlight, attendance wise, of Studio 24's week is Retribution, the heavy metal night on Saturdays. Downstairs plays an extensive repertoire of modern music, from cyber-goth to current thrash, while upstairs is devoted to cult classics from the 70s and 80s, from AC/DC to Slayer and from Led Zeppelin to Venom, everything gets played!

Once a month, Saturday's Retribution gets replaced with the Glasgow Cathouse, their DJ coming through to Edinburgh specially for this event.

As if all of that wasn't enough, Studio 24 host a wide array of gigs and shows, albeit only by local, or cover bands.

The place has a stingy, grungy underground kind of feel to it, and for all those who like the alternative music scene, this is the place to be, its only downside being the rather steep £5 entry price, and the expensive drinks.

5/5

The Dunsapie Loch is one of Edinburgh's most beautiful, most often overlooked attractions. At a height of about 110 meters above sea level, this manmade reservoir looks and feels the part of Scottish Loch in the hills.

In order to get to this beautiful lake, you need to follow Queens Drive up the side of, and around Arthur's Seat, until it wedges itself between Dunsapie Hill and Arthur's Seat itself.

At first, you can easily miss the hidden gem, since a relatively thick growth of trees hides the Loch from view from the road, but the car park on your left gives it away. Walk into the carpark, and, voila, curving around the wee hill lies Dunsapie Loch.

This lake is host to a wild variety of species, both bird and fish, including, but not limited to crane's, ducks and swans.

Sometimes, it gets very misty, and the view from Dunsapie Hill (maybe a 5 minute walk and climb from the loch) offers a great, vantage point to see the city shrouded in an exceptionally thick fog, only the lights shining through as beacons. And even if does not get foggy, the view is still breath - taking, and an alternative to the oft overdone look off the top of Arthur's Seat

The Hive is a club on Niddry street, connecting the Cowgate to the Royal Mile, which plays alternative music. However, it lacks the charm of many places of a similiar style by throwing its away its dirty rock and roll, and becoming just another club that plays slightly different music.

It has two big dancefloors, and very reasonably priced alcohol, but does not really play anything older then about year 2000, with the exception of Fridays - Indie night. The place is generally packed and very lively, even though entry costs 5 pounds on the weekend.

Suggestion: Go to Opium. Its down the street.

Opium, located on the Cowgate just before it hits the Grassmarket is one of the few places in Edinburgh to play high quality alternative music. The place has a definitive grungy feel to it, as witnessed by a jukebox, standing just next to the door as you walk in, full of rock classics. Drink Prices are reasonable at £1.50 - £1.75 a pint, and £1 a shot. In the back there is a pool table, table football and a punching machine. Upstairs has another bar, and a small dancefloor.

The music downstairs is controlled by the jukebox, while upstairs, a DJ plays tunes, generally from the current array of guitar driven bands, but sometimes, especially on Sundays featuring a motley mix of classical rock and metal.

Definitely a good place to go if you don't like dance music.

The Craigs are a large cliff rising up above the city of Edinburgh. Although smaller then Arthur's Seat (which, by the way, is located right next to it), the view is better, and the walk is a gentler and smoother ascent.

When you get to the top, you can see Arthur's Seat off to your left, rising above you, and the scottish parliament as well as Holyrood Palace on your left. In front of you lies the City Centre, the Old Town, and just a little bit further away, Edinburgh Castle. Behind you, you can see the New Town stretching out towards the sea.

Not to be missed.

Craigmillar Castle doesn't amount to much but its remote location and the absence of throngs of tourists more then makes up for it. Surrounded by a vast, open park perfect for long summer walks, its abandoned battlements rise impressively upwards to create an air of majesty and style, perhaps greater even than that of Edinburgh Castle.

Lacking the many information signs, the steep entry price, and the clicheness of Edinburgh's main castle, this is certainly a gem for any who enjoy long, lonely escapes into the wild.