Badjao B&B

02/09/2026

The Festival is over and the city is calmer. Princes Street has reopened. The weather is cooled and windy, which means the windsurfers off Cramond Promenade will have a great time. There are a few concerts at the Corn Exchange near us.

All in all the next few months look like fun. There is the fire festival at the end of October and, as I mentioned previously, Doors Open day this month. Then there is Christmas and Hogmanay.

If you are coming here we recommend you take out travel insurance however.

There is a stature of Philosopher John Hume where the High Street joins George IV bridge. As well as being a great philosopher ( and despite some quotes, less racist than most people of his time) Hume was a close friend of Adam Smith, who authored “The Wealth of Nations” and the book he intended to be read alongside it “The Theory of Moral Sentiments”. Of course employers read the forst book and ignored the second, which resulted in widespread poverty and a rebellion in Glasgow, which was suppressed and the weavers involved being sent to Edinburgh to build the Radical Road in Holyrood Park, as suggested by Walter Scott. Building the road was intended to destroy their hands and make sure they could never work as weavers again.

Further down, the High Street crosses North Bridge, and proceeds to Holyrood Palace. On the way it passes John Knox’s House and several museums terminating at Holyrood Abbey. Unfortunately there is nowhere to eat or buy a drink at that end of the Royal Mile. It is still a pleasant place to visit, if the weather holds.

29/08/2026

Underground Edinburgh: Libertons Wynd

Edinburgh is two cities, one above ground, one under ground. From the remains of air raid shelters under Princes street to Mary Kings Close to the Gilmerton Cove the city has hidden layers.

In the 1830s Libberton Wynd was eaten by George IV bridge a bridge intended to improve communication between the old and new towns. The remains of the Wynd were discovered by chance in the 1990s, behind a door in the National Library of Scotland, though they may have been known to the working classes earlier if not to the more highly educated members of city society.

The Wynd is between the bridge walls and the library building and accessed by a hidden door. Unfortunately it is not accessible to the public except possibly on Doors Open Day. The corrIdor is known as The Void by the library staff and the passage includes entry into rooms that may have been storage vaults in the bridge walls. There is apparently a door into the cowgate at the other end of the passage.

The Wynd was the path from Cowgate to the gallows in the Lawnmarket, where multiple murderer William Burke was hanged in 1829. After it was demolished the national library of Scotland was built on top of the remains with floors all the way down to Cowgate (the Central Library opposite also has floors all the way down to Cowgate).
The wynd was probably named after James Libberton who had a large property on the street and died in 1501.

Today Cowgate is a grim looking canyon with a number of pubs and nightclubs, having been a rich mans street and a slum in the past.

23/08/2026

About a mile from us is a very attractive part of the Water of Leith Walkway, a walkway that runs from The Shore in Leith to Balerno in the west where its name changes is about a mile from us, the entry being opposite the Water of Leith Visitor Centre. This part of the wlkway is known as Colinton Dell

This section of the Walkway is subtly curated and has enough paths that one can explore it on many ways.

Entering from Lanark Road the main path runs alongside the river and is well signposted. You can reach the reat entrance of the Redhall Walled Garden, which is now a facility for people recovering from mental problems. The Garden Walls were built from the remains of Redhall Tower which was destroyed during Cromwell’s invasion of Scotland.

On the main path is one of the bowers where ladies used to rest on their Sunday post church walks. The seats have long been removed. This bower marks the boundary between the old Colinton and Craiglockhart estates/

On the other side of the river it is possible to walk past the remains of an old railway that used to run along here, until you reach the painted Colinton Tunnel which brings you out into Colinton itself.

There is allegedly a lot of wildlife here but most of it is very good at hiding during the day. At around sunset you will hear and see birds and possibly squirrels, though at this time of year the only evidence of these is likely to be a shower of chestnut shells descending from the trees. I have seen a heron a few times.

Just before the Water of Leith Conservation centre is the Prince Charlie Aqueduct where you can ascend to the Union Canal and either walk back towards the city centre or west towards Falkirk, 35 miles away. At Kingsnowe you will encounter. Just off the tow path, the statue of Edinburgh’s notorious serial killers, Burke and Hare, carved from a diseased elm and erected as a memorial to all who worked on the canal.

Walking through the Colinton Dell or along the canal is a restful way of passing a couple of hours after a day in the city centre.

20/08/2026

"Doors Open Days
Doors Open Days returns with a fantastic programme of free events which celebrates Scotland's places and stories, old and new. Edinburgh’s programme runs from 26 to 27 September.

Whether you want to peek inside an 18th century farm steading, walk around an operational bus garage, or take a tour of a working courtroom, this is a great way to see inside many of the city’s fascinating buildings, many of which are not normally open to the public."

Find out more here. It is always fascinating to look behind normally closed doors.

Doors Open Days returns with a fantastic programme of free events which celebrates Scotland’s places and stories, old and new.

18/08/2026

Its the final two weeks of the festival. September will be much quieter and all the local shops and restaurants will be recovering from the rush. September visitors should have a much more relaxed experience. The buses should run more predictably and traffic will be much less. Perhaps Princes Street will be open after the fire in July.

We may have a sunny September, but if it rains the museums are good places to visit from the National Museum in Chambers Street to the plethora on the Royal Mile. My favourite was always the Museum of Childhood, but there is also the Museum of Edinburgh.

The smallest museum in Edinburgh, and indeed in the world, is the William Burke museum at 84 West Bow. The sole exhibit is a calling card case made from the skin of William Burke, who was executed for a number of anatomy murders committed by him together with William Hare around 1826. The case is on the counter of the Cadies and Witchhery tours shop.

Another quirky museum is the Museum On the Mound. Free to enter but closed on Mondays the museum is run by the Bank of Scotland and dedicated to the history of Edinburgh’s relationship to money. It houses a million pound banknote and has exhibits designed to amuse children if not their parents.

There are more unusual museums throughout Edinburgh, such as the Writers Museum and the Georgian House in Charlotte Square. Too many to explore properly in a day.

14/08/2026

Edinburgh’s summer festivals are in full swing. The weather is warm but cooler than in Europe and the USA.

We watched two comedy shows the other afternoon, “One English One Irish, and This is your trial, both excellent, followed by Pizzas at a restaurant in the Grassmarket and were entertained by roaming comedians. Unfortunately clouds prevented us seeing the solar eclipse.

Next month, September, will be much less frenetic but there will still be a lot going on. The main event I have in mind is the Open Doors Days when, over two or three days, many places normally closed to the public allow free entry and even put on talks and exhibitions.

Princes Street is likely to be open again by September, but it would not be surprising if it took longer to render the former Debenhams building safe.

We are getting bookings for September and for 2027. We have some limited space for Hogmanay and a few days in August.

“Hogmanay” was a word meaning “Beg Money” as new year was one of the seasons for licensed begging.

At one time Edinburgh had licenced beggars distinguished by a blue coat, who could beg all year round. In 1682 Alexander Cockburne, the Hangman of Edinburgh, was executed in January for the murder of blue coat beggar John Adamson known as "M’Keinzie".

This post was NOT produced using AI.

04/08/2026

The Festival season is about to start. Apart from the Fringe and International festivals there are the international Arts Festival and the International Book Festival, as well as ( of course) The Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

The Aftermath of the Princes Street fire in July that reduced a former department store (Debenhams) to a shell not safe against vibration from traffic is still closed with buses routed through George Street, Princes Street’s upmarket neighbour which adds 20 minutes to journeys through the city, and trams from the airport are stopping at the west end. The chaos is steadily decreasing and should be under control by the time the festivals start. It is still possible to walk the length of Princes Street by going though Princes Street Gardens (The flowers are nice at this time of year).

The Floral Clock in the gardens nearest the Mound is in bloom. The Clock was designed and installed by James Ritchie and Son, the firm responsible for the time ball in the Nelson Monument in 1903. It used parts salvaged from a church in Fife and was mechanical. Requiring daily winding, till 1973 when it was converted to electricity. A mechnical cuckoo emerges and sounds every 15 minutes.

The National Gallery, near the Floral Clock is adorned with Sphinxes on the roof. These are some of the many fantastic stone beasts found throughout Edinburgh.

16/07/2026

The Royal Yacht Britannia has been named as Tripadvisor’s No 1 attraction n the world. As well as free audio guides in 42 languages the yacht provides visitors with sign language tablets and Braille guides. We still have some cards offering a discount on admission.

It is not long till the annual August festivals start but we still have some rooms free in July for visitors who want a quieter experience. The world cup finishes on Sunday which means the city should get busier.

Much of Princes Street will be closed to traffic for a few months because of a fire that reduced the old Debenhams building to a shell. It looks as if it is accessible on foor on the south side.

The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival takes off this month, with acts from all over the world.

The main church in Edinburgh is St Giles in the Royal Mile. St Giles is the patron saint of Edinburgh and a few other places as well as of lepers, blacksmiths and the mentally ill. The interior is spectacular and worth visiting,

Outside the city centre Cramond and South Queensferry are, being on the sea, slightly cooler than in town. Unfortunately the Cramond Inn, which was perhaps the only pub in the city that served Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout has closed permanently. The bird sanctuary on Cramond Island and the Forth Rail bridge are a pleasant alternative to the city centre.

The sun is shining and it is around 22C. There has been no rain for several days and the sky is almost clear.

The Edinburgh Visitor levy, which comes into force soon is included in the price we charge our guests.

13/07/2026

West Port to Grassmarket and beyond

Edinburghs West Port was once home to its most notorious criminals, the 19th century pair of Burk and Hare. Hare seems to have been the driving force. The houses they occupied were demolished in the 19th century and the area is now known for a couple of lap dance bars.

The dastardly duo transported the co**ses of their victims, in bags, from here to Edinburgh University where they would sell them to anatomist Robert Knox getting up to £10 a co**se, over £800 in today’s money, and spend it on whisky.

It is a direct walk from West Port to Grassmarket, passing an antiquarian book seller and the Maison de Moggy, a coffee shop where you can drink with a cat on your lap.

At the end of Grassmarket you have three choices. You can continue into Cowgate, a dark canyon that has alternated between a slum and a street occupied by the rich. Today it is home to a few nightclubs and bars, coming alive at night. Eventually you reach the Dynamic Earth science museum and Holyrood Park

Or you can turn right and walk up Candlemaker Row where the candlemakers were banished because of the fire risk they posed emerging by Greyfriars Bobbie on George 1V Bridge.

You could turn left into West Bow and walk up the stairs on the left halfway up to reach Lawnmarket, where Burke was hung. Hare was set free having turned King’s Evidence but had to leave Edinburgh before he was lynched, then find a place to eat and drink before exploring the Royal Mile.

02/07/2026

The temperature here is just below 20C (70F) which is a lot cooler than in the US and most of the European Mainland, which means Edinburgh is a good place to escape the heat.

We have received 250 good reviews in Freetobook and our average review score on Booking.com is 8.5 our of 10

The city is gearing up for the Festival, though for us the main festival this month is the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival. However there are various concerts at the Corn Exchange, some 10 minutes walk away and others in town.

We now have another bus running past our place. The number 22 runs between the Gyle shopping Centre and Granton roughly every thirty minutes, via Lothian Road, which makes it convenient for the Usher Hall and Princes Street. A bus journey into town takes 20 minutes on average and it is worth buying a day pass.

Princes Street is changing and there are few restaurants on Princes Street itself, though there are some on the side streets. Mid level restaurants are clustered in and around the St James Quarter at the east end of Princes Street and fine dining around St Andrews Square. We ate at the Ivy and at Chaopraya recently: we can recommend both.