Latitude · Places
55.9° N
Edinburgh
Scotland, United Kingdom
Liv spent one late-October day here: off the sleeper train at dawn, the sandstone quay at Leith, the unfinished columns on Calton Hill, the wind on Arthur's Seat, Victoria Street as the lamps came on, and a stone close at night.
Liv's day, in order
- 07:10
The sleeper train from London
Tea in the cabin as the train reaches Scotland.
- 08:30
The Shore, Leith
At the edge of the quay, under the sandstone warehouses.
Nearby, Liv would go to: Williams & Johnson Coffee Co., Fishers in Leith, Restaurant Martin Wishart, Cyan Clayworks
- 11:50
- 13:00
A pub in the Old Town
A small whisky by the window.
- 14:40
- 17:30
Victoria Street
Stopping on the wet cobbles as the shop windows light up.
Nearby, Liv would go to: Whirlybird, Mary's Milk Bar, Timberyard
- 21:30
A close in the Old Town
Down the wet stone steps under one lantern.
What to wear in Edinburgh, late october
- Around 13°C by day and 7°C at night (Royal Botanic Garden, 1991–2020 averages).
- The wind on Calton Hill and Arthur's Seat is stronger than in the streets.
- In late October the sun never climbs above about twenty degrees.
- In September, the jacket alone. In November it drops about 3°C; wear the coat and add a scarf for the hills.
Where Liv would go
Edinburgh · Tweed, knitwear & kiltmakingEdinburgh · Scotch whiskyEdinburgh · SweetsEdinburgh · To eatEdinburgh · CoffeeEdinburgh · Vessels
Made in Edinburgh
Tweed, knitwear & kiltmakingScotland's tweed, tartan and knitwear are known worldwide, and Edinburgh still has kiltmakers, tailors and knitters who cut, sew and knit in the city — one kiltmaker has been here since 1868.
Stewart Christie & Co.
New Town
A bespoke tailor on Queen Street, formed in 1933 from two older tailoring firms and tracing its roots to the 18th century. Tweed jackets and Highland dress are made in its on-site atelier, and its group also owns the Glenlyon tweed mill in Perthshire.
LivThe mill and the cutting room belong to one house. Cloth to coat, in one line.
Gordon Nicolson Kiltmakers
Old Town
A kiltmaker on the Canongate, part of the Royal Mile. It makes hand-sewn 8-yard wool kilts, which take up to 20 weeks; kilt hire is run from a second shop on nearby St Mary's Street.
LivEight yards of wool to a kilt. Every pleat stitched by hand.
Kinloch Anderson
Leith
A kilt and tartan house that began as an Edinburgh tailor in 1868 and is still run by the same family. At the Leith shop a window looks into the workroom where kilts and skirts are sewn, and there is a heritage room. Its other shops are in St Andrews and London.
LivOne street back from the Shore. Through the window, hands sewing pleats.
Bill Baber Knitwear
Old Town
A knitwear workshop and shop opened by Bill and Helen Baber in 1977 and now run by their son. Garments are knitted and sewn from linen, cotton, silk and merino in the workshop behind the Grassmarket shop, which also holds pieces found nowhere else.
LivThe workshop is at the back. Linen and silk turn into cloth in front of you.
Made in Edinburgh
Scotch whiskyLeith, Edinburgh's port, was long a centre for storing, blending and bottling Scotch whisky; at one point it is said to have had about a hundred bonded warehouses. Independent bottlers and a new distillery on the quay keep the trade in the city.
Cadenhead's Whisky Shop (Edinburgh)
Old Town
The Canongate shop of William Cadenhead, an independent bottler established in 1842 that calls itself Scotland's oldest. Its whiskies, many of them single-cask bottlings, have no added colour and are never chill-filtered. Its other shops are in Campbeltown and London.
LivNo colour added, no chill-filtering. Each bottle keeps its own cask colour.
Port of Leith Distillery
Leith
The UK's first vertical distillery, built on the quay at the Port of Leith. Tours are booked in advance and end with a tasting (18+).
LivA stacked distillery on the old bonded-warehouse quay. Look up at it from the water.
Mary's Milk Bar
Old Town
A gelato and chocolate shop on the Grassmarket where Mary makes everything in the back; the flavours change daily, and gelato comes floated in hot chocolate.
LivThe flavours change daily. On a cold day, have it in hot chocolate.
Lannan Bakery
Stockbridge
Darcie Maher's bakery, opened in 2023 and named after the Gaelic word for house; La Liste's Pastry Opening of the Year 2024, with a pantry shop next door.
LivQueue in the morning. It earns the queue.
Restaurant Martin Wishart
Leith
Chef Martin Wishart's French restaurant on The Shore at Leith, in the same place since 1999 and holding a Michelin star.
LivFrench cooking on the water. Book it for the night after the Shore.
The Kitchin
Leith
Tom Kitchin's Michelin-starred modern Scottish restaurant on Leith's Commercial Quay, cooking with the Scottish seasons.
LivThe Scottish season, straight onto the plate. Walk out along the quay.
Heron
Leith
A bright, uncluttered Michelin-starred corner restaurant just off The Shore in Leith, cooking seasonal Scottish produce.
LivPlain walls, so you just look at the plate.
Fishers in Leith
Leith
A seafood restaurant in a seventeenth-century watchtower on The Shore, serving Leith since 1991.
LivFish under a seventeenth-century watchtower. Good after a swim.
Timberyard
Old Town
A family-run restaurant cooking with local growers and foragers, awarded a Michelin star in 2023 and a Green Star in 2026; the menu changes weekly.
LivOnly what the fields and woods give. Ask for the small-producer wine.
Whirlybird
Old Town
An all-day café, bar and restaurant opened in May 2026 in a 250-year-old building on Victoria Street, with coffee and pastries in the morning and Scottish bistro dishes later.
LivTake the spiral stair. Stop before the bottom of the hill.
Wedgwood the Restaurant
Old Town
Chef Paul Wedgwood's restaurant on the Canongate, cooking seasonal Scottish produce with foraged herbs, with foraging courses in spring and summer.
LivThey cook with foraged herbs. Come down off Arthur's Seat and stop here.
The Scran & Scallie
Stockbridge
A Stockbridge gastropub from Tom Kitchin's group, serving pub classics with a modern twist; all meat and fish are bought whole and butchered in-house.
LivEverything comes in whole and is butchered here. Order the pub classics.
L'Escargot Bleu
Broughton
A family-run French bistro and wine bar on Broughton Street led by chef Fred Berkmiller, with a seasonal blackboard menu of French classics.
LivChoose from the blackboard. It changes with the season.
Cyan Clayworks
Leith
A pottery studio founded in 2012 by Fiona Thompson and Chris Donnelly, on Commercial Street in Leith since 2023, selling their tableware and hand-built vessels from the front room.
LivTwo potters' work, set out in front of the studio. Call before you go.
Stockbridge Ceramics
Stockbridge
A basement pottery and gallery thirteen steps below Henderson Row, begun as Adam Pottery in 1983 and now run by Andrea Scholes and Geoff Calder, selling contemporary ceramics beside the working studio.
LivThirteen steps down from the street. They let you watch the work.
The Scottish Gallery
New Town
A gallery founded in 1842 by Aitken Dott, showing contemporary and applied art, with ceramics and glass by makers from Scotland, Britain and abroad.
LivA gallery since 1842. See the pots and the glass first.
Liv is a fictional traveller. Every place here was checked by the editors to exist and be open (checked 2026-11-01). Please confirm hours on the official site before you go. Paid listings are always marked.