Published in Scotland Magazine Issue 34 on 30/08/2007.

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Home from Home

Fancy experiencing Edinburgh in a different way when you next visit? Then why not set up temporary home there? Dominic Roskrow reports

What sets Edinburgh apart from so many other cities isn’t just its castle, its history, or its age – it’s the way you can envelope yourself in it and let it wash over you. It has none of the remoteness of other big cities such as London, Paris or Rome; and you can base yourself in its very heart and reach out to most of it by foot. Its most famous hotels lie scattered along its principle shopping road. Few other cities embrace the tourist so absolutely.

But hotels are still hotels, and no matter how special they are, you can’t avoid the shared living experience. Which is why the growing number of self catering apartments springing up around Scotland’s capital, might prove to be a better option.

And the pick of the bunch is Pilrig, just a 15 minute walk through parkland and typical Georgian town houses or five minutes by bus from Princes Street to the port of Leith.

The apartment is part of Pilrig House, a property dating back to 1638 and immersed in its own history of tragedy and success, wealth and bankruptcy. Situated on the edge of parkland and trees, it is not without fame, either. Robert Louis Stevenson played here as a child, and referred to it later in his life, in both Kidnapped and Catriona (see page 63 for more on Stevenson).

The advantage of having your own comfy and homey apartment is that you feel like you’re living in the city rather than in a hotel in the city. The disadvantage is that you can be isolated and you don’t have the support of a concierge or fro.....

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By Dominic Roskrow

Section : Best of Scotland

Page number : 30