Winter 2008
Hit the slopes
For ski and snowboard devotees, Edinburgh is a good base from which to enjoy the best of what Britain has to offer. Just five miles south-west of the city centre is the Midlothian Snowsports Centre at Hillend. Established in the strictly two-ski sixties, the centre claims to have the longest artificial ski slope in Britain. The extensive facilities offer fun and excitement for skiers and boarders from the age of 6 upwards. There are two main slopes, a jump area, fun slope, and two 50 metre learning areas. It is also floodlit for winter evening use.
The centre is easy to reach by car and bus from central Edinburgh, both the number 4 and 15 bus stop nearby. And you don’t have to be mad for snowsport, for £2 anyone can take the chair lift to the hill top and enjoy the panoramic view back over the city and the many walks in the Pentland Hills.
When the weather’s good and it’s been snowing, many of the city’s snowsport fans head north to one of Scotland’s ski centres. There are five centres, the nearest of which can be reached by road from Edinburgh in about 2 hours. Visit Ski Scotland for details on what Cairngorm, Glen Shee, Glen Coe, Nevis Range and The Lecht have to offer and for the latest snow reports before you set off.
Edinburgh ski club also started in the sixties. The club is dedicated to promoting the sport of skiing to the people of Edinburgh but it also offers members the chance to try other outdoor activities and enjoy regular social events. The club sets up day trips and weekends in Scottish ski resorts and every year they plan three or more trips to major ski resorts in Europe, with direct flights from Edinburgh. They are currently open to new members.
For those who prefer to carve their own trail, Edinburgh Airport offers direct flights to Geneva, Innsbruck and Turin, and access to hundreds of amazing resorts and runs.
Cafe Culture
Edinburgh’s many museums, galleries, theatres and cinemas have kept pace with the coffee boom on the high street, and provide relaxing settings in which to drink in some inspiration.
The Weston Link that connects the National Gallery of Scotland and the Royal Scottish Academy below street level, houses a restaurant and cafe with great views across Princes Street Gardens. This imaginative and sensitive building has huge windows, making it bright even when it’s gloomy outside. It’s a good spot to take the weight off during a tour of the outstanding collection of art in the National Gallery Complex, or from a shopping trip in Princes Street.
Set in beautiful landscaped gardens to the west of the city centre in Dean Village is the National Gallery of Modern Art. The sun terrace at the Gallery cafe might be out of bounds in the winter but the menu is warmly welcomed by its many visitors. Opposite the Gallery of Modern Art is the Dean Gallery, which contains work by Edinburgh born sculptor Sir Eduardo Paolozzi and a Dada and Surrealism collection and also houses the charming Cafe Newton.
Back in the city centre, off the Lothian Road are the Filmhouse cafe and the Traverse Theatre cafe. Both attract people before and after shows as well those seeking a relaxed atmosphere.
