After the mayhem of Hogmanay has ebbed away, in the short, dark days of early January, Edinburgh is at its quietest and most atmospheric. By four o’clock the sun has set.
Glowering over the city on a hunk of volcanic rock, Edinburgh Castle is arguably the most dramatic landmark of any city in the world. It’s easy to see why the labyrinthine alleys and vertiginous stairwells of the nearby Old Town are so loved by Harry Potter devotees. J.K. Rowling wrote the books here,
and there’s an entire tourist industry devoted to the connection.
If your taste is for stories of the more grisly kind, or if it’s blowing a gale outside, tour the dimly lit vaults beneath the cobbled streets and be regaled with tales of the city’s dark history. As the sun sets, you don’t have to try very hard to imagine 19th-century body snatchers Burke and Hare, lurking in the shadows.
In January it’s guaranteed to be cold. Whether the streets are shining with rain or glittering with frost, the weather is the perfect excuse to while away hours in the city’s museums and galleries, or to enjoy a wee dram in a cosy pub.
Edinburgh Christmas Market, held in the shadow of the 200-foot-high Walter Scott monument – a tribute to a rather different Scottish author – usually runs until the 4th of the month.
But, if you’re tired of Christmas muzak and mulled wine, head to the city’s beautiful antiques shops; many are located in the elegant New Town. Built in the 18th century, its broad streets and open squares were designed as an escape for the wealthy from the Old Town’s squalor.
Just as in centuries past, a brisk walk in New Town’s Botanic Garden is certain to clear away the cobwebs. Or, on a clear day, climb Calton Hill in the late afternoon to see Edinburgh’s spectacular skyline, silhouetted by the early sunset.
Visit
When the weather’s really bad, venues like the Scottish National Portrait Gallery or the National Museum of Scotland can get quite busy, but there are multiple lesser-known indoor options. You’ll keep dry and learn something new at the Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage, the Museum on the Mound, which tells the story of money from the Bank of Scotland’s historic offices, or the little Museum of Childhood. Here, seek out a particularly touching exhibit: a doll found in a former Edwardian slum, crudely manufactured from the heel of a man’s boot, a black sock and some tatty bits of fabric.
Shop
George Pirie Antiques
George Pirie’s handsome window displays are one of the highlights of a stroll through New Town. The shop showcases some of Scotland’s finest antiques, many of them sourced from the Highlands. The friendly staff are very knowledgeable about the characterful stock, and will happily point out the lovely
thistle-embossed details of a grand mahogany bureau, or the time-worn horn handle
of a humble shepherd’s crook. georgepirieantiques.co.uk
Unicorn Antiques
Between them, this mother and son have spent more than five decades in the antiques trade. Their experience shines through in the shop’s superlative selection, which encompasses the traditional and the completely unexpected. Upstairs features a dainty selection of things like cranberry glass, silver-topped perfume bottles, and Art Deco ceramics. Downstairs, the stock gets bigger and bolder. A gilded Rococo-style mirror, which might once have graced the grandest New Town residence, sits alongside an enormous steam engine wheel and an Arctic expedition sled (huskies not included). Easier to
fit in your suitcase might be the vintage wooden exercise clubs or Victorian poison bottles. Whatever you choose, these are all objects that tell an intriguing story. unicornantiques.co.uk
Mr Wood’s Fossils
If you think the medieval Old Town is ancient, this iconic Edinburgh shop will give you a different perspective. How about a 3,000-year-old polar bear skull? The tooth of an extinct shark, which swam the oceans 50 million years ago, mounted to make an unusual necklace? A 110 million-year-old polished ammonite? Or a pair of cufflinks fashioned from a muonionalusta meteorite: at 4.5653 billion years old, a material older than the Earth itself? mrwoodsfossils.co.uk
The Scottish Gallery
There’s a cluster of interesting art galleries at the top of New Town’s Dundas Street. Between them they represent artists old and new, prestigious and up-and-coming, from Scotland and far beyond. The Scottish Gallery offers a diverse range of paintings, sculpture and jewellery by artists who were born, lived or studied here, including some of the most celebrated artists of the 20th century. The friendly staff let you wander the light-filled galleries undisturbed, with the exhibitions changing every month or so. January 2025 sees the launch of the ‘Modern Masters’ exhibition. Celebrating the gallery’s 183-year history, it brings together artists past and present, reflecting the best of Scottish contemporary art.
scottish-gallery.co.uk
Lyon & Turnbull
Auction house Lyon & Turnbull’s neoclassical saleroom has been described as the most beautiful in Britain. Broughton Place, as it is now called, was formerly a church. The galleried central space makes a spectacular setting for its 40-plus sales a year, including auctions with a specialist focus on Scottish
works of art (and whisky). It’s open during sale viewings. lyonandturnbull.com
Bowerbird Antiques
Back in the day, this former sweet shop must have had plenty of passing trade from the huge red-brick primary school across the road. Filled with light, even on the darkest days, today the shelves twinkle with temptations of a different kind: Scottish millefiori paperweights; coloured Caithness glass; ‘amber’ Bakelite bangles; and stylish mid-century vases. The Egyptian Revival Czech glass jewellery from the 1920s and 30s is a particular highlight. It’s well worth taking the short bus ride from central Edinburgh, towards Morningside. @bowerbird.antiques
Georgian Antiques
In the bustle of the city streets, it’s easy to forget that Edinburgh is so near the coast. Take the tram a couple of miles out to the Port of Leith, and you can visit The Royal Yacht Britannia. Nearby, in the historic docks district, a former whisky bond warehouse now features an astonishing 50,000 square feet of quality antiques, all presented in pristine condition. Set over five floors, the vast stock is well organised – move through spaces filled entirely with sideboards or sewing tables, statues or standard lamps, everything grouped by type, with what seems like hundreds to choose between. In the unlikely event you can’t find precisely what you’re looking for, they have another three-floor storage warehouse nearby. georgianantiques.net
Eat
The Witchery
For a magical post-Christmas feast, book a table at this historic restaurant, tucked away at the gates of the Castle. You’ll enjoy Scottish lobster, oysters, beef and game in a room that looks like a medieval baron’s banqueting hall – in fact, the oak panels and tapestries were salvaged from a French chateau. thewitchery.com
Café Marlayne
Over in New Town, Thistle Street’s buzzing French-style bistro is a more contemporary alternative. It’s always packed with locals. A few steps away from New Town’s galleries and antiques shops, it’s the perfect spot in which to sit and contemplate if you’re going to splurge on something special, while enjoying the excellent-value fixed-price menu. cafemarlayne.com
Stay
The Artist’s House
Edinburgh boasts every kind of lodging imaginable, from cheap and cheerful chains to ultra-luxe hotels. But for a one-of-a-kind experience, venture out to Jupiter Artland, a 100-acre sculpture park, half an hour’s drive from the city centre, where you can sleep on site. The front gates are your first clue that this place is out of the ordinary – are those silver balls studded with nails spiky cacti, little puffer fish, or sputniks? As you drive onwards, past hills carved like conch shells, then a 12-metre-high orchid, the sense of wonder increases.
The site features more than 30 permanent installations by notable artists, many of whom you’d normally only see in a gallery or museum. You’re given a map to help navigate the site, but there are no fixed walking trails or audio guides, so you find yourself gasping as you enter a clearing to see a ghostly weeping girl, a rusty gun leaning against a tree, or a gigantic spider’s web.
Stay here in the winter, when it’s closed to other visitors, and you have the place entirely to yourself, 24 hours a day. Tucked away down a private track is what appears to be a humble log cabin, sleeping
up to six. Inside, the style is a mix of rough-hewn plank walls with sumptuous soft furnishings, and bathrooms that wouldn’t look out of place in a five-star hotel. Works by some of Britain’s most eminent contemporary artists are dotted around inside, too – in the main bedroom you wake up to a textile banner by Grayson Perry.
From the balcony overlooking the wild garden, you can see all three bridges across the Firth of Forth, magically lit up at night. If you can bear to leave the warmth of the house, leg it across the garden to the Swedish wood-fired outdoor tub – a perfect place to relax after the intensity of central Edinburgh, immersed in art and nature. jupiterartland.org
