Leith

For several hundred years, LEITH was separate from Edinburgh. As Scotland's major east coast port, it played a key role in the nation's history, even serving as the seat of government for a time, and in 1833 finally became a burgh in its own right. In 1920, however, it was incorporated into the capital and, in the decades that followed, went into seemingly terminal decline: the population dropped dramatically, and much of its centre was ripped out, to be replaced by grim housing schemes.

The 1980s, however, saw an unexpected turnaround, and today the port boasts arguably the best concentration of good restaurants (particularly seafood) in Edinburgh. The surviving historic buildings were spruced up and large blocks of yuppie flats appeared among the crumbling tenements and council housing. Meanwhile the dock areas are being transformed by Europe's largest ongoing waterfront development, most notably the vast building housing civil servants from the Scottish Executive and the new Ocean Terminal, a shopping and entertainment complex beside which the former royal yacht Britannia is settling into retirement.

Copyright Rough Guides Ltd as trustees for its authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved. The Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd.

Our cottages:

Rosslyn Cottage Roslin, Near Edinburgh Sleeps: 6, Bedrooms: 3

Dean Terrace Apartment Edinburgh Sleeps: 2, Bedrooms: 1

The Ginger Wine Apartment Leith, Edinburgh Sleeps: 4, Bedrooms: 2

Peffermill House Edinburgh Sleeps: 5 (7), Bedrooms: 2

Silvermills Apartment Edinburgh Sleeps: 5, Bedrooms: 3

back