Edinburgh is a city designed for winter. From dark stone buildings, with heavy doors and cosy fireplaces, to cobbled streets that come alive in the gloom of rain and sleet, Edinburgh thrives in the darker months. And yet, on morning plods through the meadows in Spring, there’s something euphorically hopeful about Edinburgh after the spring solstice. Edinburgh might be designed for the cold, but I think it’s best in late spring.
As evenings get lighter, and colour returns to the trees and grass, Edinburgh transforms into a light haven that’s almost unidentifiable from its winter counterpart. When you catch it in that sweet spot before the start of the summer and festival season, but after it has lost the cold nip of early spring weather.
For those who haven’t experienced this time before, or for those who just want to gather up inspiration to motivate studying before post exam bliss, let me paint a picture of what to expect.
Picnics in the Meadows are mandatory. Featuring meal deals from the Quartermile Sainsbury’s, packs of Tennent’s and your flatmate’s ropey speaker, they turn into a music festival minus the music. Someone will always have the not-so-bright idea of doing a BBQ, which is better left on paper: the faff of trying to light one of those things and not getting food poisoning from a half cooked sausage isn’t worth it. What is worth it, though, is grabbing a Vietnamese iced coffee from Uplands Roast – the spring answer to their hot chocolate. Thank me later.
Alandas might be a convenient place for a decadent scoop of ice cream, but if you’re willing to walk a bit further from the meadows, Mary’s Milk Bar has a better menu. Plus, there’s something about Grassmarket that has peak European city vibes. You can feel like you’re on vacation during your half an hour study break.
Portobello is another classic bucket list destination as soon as the sun stays out for longer than an hour. A 6k run to the beach from Marchmont, followed by a dip in the sea, is a great stress buster that gets you out of the library. If running isn’t your vibe, there are plenty of bus routes, and the Tills Bookshop and café on Portobello high street isn’t to be missed.
We still have a while before the cherry blossoms appear on the trees, but as midterms are handed in and the temperature starts to inch into the double digits, who can blame you if you start looking forward to spring in full swing. So enjoy my recommendations, and embrace Edinburgh in all its (short lived) sunny glory.
“Cherry Blossoms” by Graeme Pow is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.