Edinburgh, Scotland

[Troll]

Hi everyone,

 

If all goes well, I'll be going to uni in Edinburgh in September. I know theres not really any decent parks up there so I was wondering what else there is to do in any free time and also what it's like to live up there.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Andrew

[Chrissie]

I think I can answer... Lol!!

 

First of, Congrats on getting into uni!! I'm just about to graduate from The University of Edinburgh, so if your going there, I'm sure you'll love it.

 

So it really depends what you like to do in your spare time? If you let me know what you like to do, I can definitely make some suggestions.

 

There are tons of things to do in Edinburgh, its a very tourist orientated city, so there is always something cool going on and we do have pretty good public transport, so its really easy to get around.

There are a few theme parks in Scotland that are pretty easy to get to from Edinburgh, but they are nothing special to be honest!

 

Living here is awesome too, but be warned, it can be pretty expensive. I'm guessing you'll be staying in Halls for the first year but definitely start flat hunting BEFORE the Summer, as the best places get filled up really quickly and if you want a nice place, be prepared to spend around £300 pcm.

 

If there is anything else you wanna know, just give me a shout!

 

Chrissie

[Troll]

Unfortunately I won't get the grades for the University of Edinburgh but I thought Heriot-Watt was a great compromise. I'm a pretty outdoorsy person although I also enjoy music and musicals. I'm pretty open to most things really. The only thing that I don't really do is drink - kinda weird for a student, I know but maybe the money I save can be put towards a TPR trip.

 

Andrew

[Chrissie]

Awesome! What are you going to study?? I have friends who go/went to Heriot Watt and really enjoyed it.

 

Firstly, The Heriot Watt campus is pretty far away from the city centre, so Id definitely invest in a bus pass. Its £35 per month for a student pass and thats for unlimited travel. It is pretty expensive, but its totally worth it, especially as your not really within walking distance to anything apart from your student union. You can check it out at www.lothianbuses.co.uk

 

Music wise, Edinburgh doesn't have a huge music venue, so most of the mainstream or big acts go to the Glasgow SECC, which is about 45mins on the train away from Edinburgh. There are alot of smaller venues which accommodate lots of new and up-incoming acts, so Id definitely search for the kind of music you like and I'm sure there will be something going on. There are usually semi-decent acts go to the Corn Exchange http://www.ece.uk.com/ - The corn exchange also has a bowling alley and football pitches, so if you are going to a gig there, you could make a day of it! There is also The Edinburgh Festival Theatre www.eft.co.uk and the Edinburgh Playhouse www.edinburghplayhouse.org.uk for musicals. Most shows do tour and come to Edinburgh, next year the playhouse will be host to The we Will Rock You - Queen Musical. If you decide to stay for the summer, check out the Fringe Festival. Its full of musicians, comedians, street performers and just general fun.

 

There are tons of outdoorsy stuff to do also! There is Holyrood Park which is beside Holyrood Palace, where you can climb Arthurs Seat which is a dormant volcano, there is a loch and loads of walks. Its really nice in the Summer (When we get one!), So Id defo check it out. Also, there is Princes St gardens, which are beside Edinburgh Castle, Both are definitely worth a look. The Castle is just cool and the gardens are really chilled, so its nice for some chillaxing.

 

There are lots of sporting facilities about Edinburgh. Check out www.edinburghleisure.co.uk. They run all the leisure/sports/swim centres in the city and can put you in touch with clubs that use their facilities. For example, I work at one of the leisure centres and we have a kayaking club that use our pool, so they can put you in touch with all these people.

 

For more extreme stuff, visit

http://www.wilderness4adventure.co.uk/

http://www.naelimits.co.uk/

 

They provide trips to more extreme sporting/outdoorsy stuff. I have friends who have used both and would recommend them. They are a wee bit pricey, but if you get a big group together, I'm sure you would have a fun day out.

 

Hope this helps! Again, give me a shout if there is anything else you need to know!

 

Chrissie

[Troll]

Ok so there's a lot more to do than I was expecting. I'm gonna study Chemistry with a year in America in the hope that I will get some free time to go to WCB and see some of the parks out there.

 

I was considering buying a moped or scooter or some kind of bike like that - would that be a good idea or is the public transport good enough to not need one?

 

Andrew

[Chrissie]

Oooh! Brainy!!

 

A scooter or a moped would be fine! Although, Im sure your campus is just off a motorway, so as long as your fine with driving on that. The only thing is Edinburgh is in the process of getting trams, so even though the bus will prob take a while to get into town, its probably the best option as there aren't too many places to park in Princes St at the moment.