Greyfriars (Flat 6), Old Town, Edinburgh

Quiet city-centre retreat overlooking Greyfriars Church.

This property is a centrally located one-bedroom apartment on the second floor of an architecturally significant building (B-listed) on Forrest Hill, a quiet lane off George IV Bridge, close to the historic Royal Mile, within easy walking distance of the major tourist attractions, festival venues, shops, nightlife and transport connections. It is conveniently situated for the University. 

The homely living room has a peaceful outlook over Greyfriars Church. The two-seater sofa converts in to a double sofabed and there is an armchair and a dining table. An attractive rug sets off the polished wooden floors, and a TV (with DVD and CD player) and a selection of books and DVDs complete the home comforts. The property is suitable for 1-3 adults or 1-2 adults plus 1-2 children.

The modern kitchen is well provided with crockery, cutlery, glasses and kitchenware, as well as a washing machine, fridge-freezer, cooker and microwave.

The double bedroom, a quiet room overlooking the church, has wall-to-wall carpeting and is well furnished. The shower-room is tiled and has a wash-hand basin, toilet and standard-size power shower (no bathtub).

The apartment has gas central heating. The price of gas, electricity and local taxes is included. For the comfort of future guests, the apartment is non-smoking and pets are not allowed.

The apartment looks over Greyfriars Church (built in 1620) and churchyard to the spires and roofs of the Old Town. There are many tales attached to Greyfriars, perhaps the most famous of which is that of Greyfriars Bobby, a faithful Skye terrier. So devoted was the dog to his master John Gray that when Gray died and was buried in Greyfriars Churchyard, Bobby kept guard over the grave for fourteen years until his own death in 1872. The dog is buried close to his master and his faithfulness is commemorated in a statue opposite the entrance to the churchyard at the junction of George IV Bridge and Candlemaker Row.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the churchyard was a haunt of the ‘Resurrection Men’: body-snatchers who would dig up fresh corpses to sell for dissection to anatomists at the nearby medical school. You can find out more about Edinburgh’s grisly past on the guided tours that leave from the Royal Mile (see, for example, Mercat Tours, Witchery Tours and Mary King’s Close). The church is an atmospheric concert venue and there are regular recitals and concerts throughout the year, including during the Edinburgh Festival.

Across the road from Greyfriars Bobby are the National Museum of Scotland, an award-winning modern building that holds the national collections, and the adjoining Royal Scottish Museum, an impressive Victorian building that houses international collections of decorative arts, science, industry, archaeology and the natural world. The Tower Restaurant on the top floor of the Museum of Scotland has terraces with spectacular views over the city.

The apartment is close to the main campus of the University of Edinburgh (established in 1582) and its landmark buildings Old College (the Faculty of Law), the Medical School and the McEwan Hall. Beyond the University lie the Meadows, a large area of open parkland. The Meadows were originally under water: the Burgh Loch, which was drained in 1740, was one of Edinburgh’s main water supplies. The area is now one of the city’s biggest green spaces, ideal for jogging. There are public tennis courts, a children’s playpark and Bruntsfield Links Golf Course, one of the oldest courses in the world, where you can have a round of pitch-and-putt.

From the apartment it is a short walk along George IV Bridge to the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle or down Candlemaker Row to the picturesque Grassmarket and the more earthy Cowgate, centre of the city’s nightlife. The Royal Mile, the backbone of medieval Edinburgh, connects Edinburgh Castle at one end with the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Parliament at the other. Don’t miss Victoria Street, one of the most charming streets in the city, with its colourful mix of shops, restaurants, cafés and bars; it snakes down from George IV Bridge to the Grassmarket. Edinburgh’s main visitor attractions are on your doorstep and the neighbourhood is full of attractive independent shops and restaurants and bars to suit all budgets, from cheap and cheerful cafés to fine dining establishments. The Hub (the official centre for the Edinburgh International Festival) and the Festival Fringe office are on the Royal Mile, and you can easily walk to many of the Festival venues. You are also ideally placed to enjoy the Christmas and Hogmanay/New Year festivities.

From the nearest information centre:- Leave Tourist Information Centre and turn left onto Princes Street. Take first left onto Waverley Bridge. Walk down bridge to crossroads. Turn right and walk up Market Street and then left to follow the street up The Mound, round onto Bank Street to the traffic lights. Here you cross the Royal Mile and walk along George IV Bridge. When you come to the Bedlam Theatre (a converted church immediately ahead of you), take the fork to the right-hand side of the theatre: this is Forrest Road. Forrest Hill is the first street on the right immediately after Sandy Bell's pub. Walk to the end of Forrest Hill and you will find Number 3 at the end of the street.

Getting there by railway:
If walking (about 25 minutes) - leave the station by the Market Street exit (signposted), cross the road at the pedestrian crossing and turn right. Continue along Market Street, going straight on at the roundabout and continue up the hill. At the end of Market Street turn left to follow the street up The Mound, round onto Bank Street to the traffic lights. Here you cross the Royal Mile and walk along George IV Bridge. When you come to the Bedlam Theatre (a converted church immediately ahead of you), take the fork to the right-hand side of the theatre: this is Forrest Road. Forrest Hill is the first street on the right immediately after Sandy Bell's pub.

Getting there by aeroplane:
Airport Express Bus - every 15 mins from 0650 to 2140. 
Hourly Night Service N22 (0045 to 0345). 
As you get off the bus at Waverley Bridge, turn left and walk to the crossroads. Turn right and walk up Market Street and then left to follow the street up The Mound, round onto Bank Street to the traffic lights. Here you cross the Royal Mile and walk along George IV Bridge. When you come to the Bedlam Theatre (a converted church immediately ahead of you), take the fork to the right-hand side of the theatre: this is Forrest Road. Forrest Hill is the first street on the right immediately after Sandy Bell's pub.