The east end of Edinburgh is undergoing something of a metamorphosis, putting it firmly on the map as one of the city’s most exciting and fashionable places to live, work and play – lucky for me as it’s the part of town I now call home. In fact it is evolving so quickly that I decide to embark on a little walking tour just to keep up to date with the changes, taking in some of the new residential developments Savills is currently selling along the way.
So I leave the office and walk eastwards along Princes Street, past the famous gardens in full summer bloom and Edinburgh Castle looking resplendent on its iconic rock, and I head to New Waverley. It's now one of Edinburgh’s most exciting new districts and it is hard to imagine that this vibrant enclave was once the site of the city’s bus depot.
Just a three-minute walk or so from Princes Street, New Waverley stretches from Waverley Station up to the Royal Mile. The area is now characterised by stylish new apartments, penthouses and mews properties, with views across Edinburgh’s world-famous cityscape They are set among cool offices and a range of bars and restaurants all appealing to the young professionals that now live and work here.
Leaving Waverley in warm evening sunshine, I cross back over Princes Street and the newly landscaped St Andrew’s Square, stopping off to buy an iced coffee at the square's alfresco bar. Looming up in front of me is Harvey Nichols and beside it the prestigious and newly launched Gleneagles Townhouse. This is the luxurious Perthshire hotel’s first city incarnation and comprises a restaurant, roof terrace and members club.
Continuing straight ahead along Multrees Walk, I indulge in a bit of window shopping as this is one of the most exclusive retail areas for designer clothing, jewellery, bags and shoes in Scotland, and it is a sumptuous adjunct to the new St James Quarter.
St James, a £1 billion world-class retail-led mixed-use development, opened in June 2021. Its sleek design, complete with bronze installation rising from the centre (pictured above), is an exciting addition to the city skyline and much of the regeneration of the east of the city centre can be attributed to ‘the St James effect’. Residential values in the nearby Hillside neighbourhood have risen significantly since plans for the site were first mooted.
I take a little time to explore some of the new prime brand names that have been attracted here, including the Bonnie & Wild Scottish Marketplace where more than a dozen independent restaurants, bars and shops are showcased. I treat myself to something delicious to take home for dinner before heading back outside.
Passing by the latest phase of the Edinburgh tram – which will bring Leith in quick reach of the capital’s centre when it opens next spring – I arrive at The Engine Yard on Shrub Place Lane, just off Leith Walk. It is amazing to see this brand new community taking shape so quickly: buyers can choose from one of 377 stylish apartments, only a mile from Princes Street. Each will optimise space and natural light with dual aspect windows, balconies, gardens, terraces and a roof deck. There will also be access to a gym and the opportunity for underground car parking, all within a blend of traditional and new architecture, and with a range of bars and restaurants on the doorstep.
From this fantastic development, I take a shortcut through McDonald Road to the much more established and highly successful Canonmills Garden. It occupies a slightly more tranquil spot by the Water of Leith and only a tiny number of apartments remain available to buy here. The secret to its success has not only been stylish design inside and out, with its focus on wellbeing and green space, but its position close to the trendy neighbourhoods of Stockbridge and Broughton.
My hour-long walk through the east of the capital has been energising and inspiring and has fuelled my appetite, so I continue quickly along the Water of Leith footpath before making my way home for dinner.
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