Hi my name is Iain , love Edinburgh the Athens of the North . Been retired for a few years, was in the customer service industry loved my job . I hope you stay with me as I know you will have wonderful stay .

What’s it like? An utterly charming, slightly wonky area of Edinburgh, characterised by the city’s only beach and a very distinct, anti-corporate local community ethos. Formerly the holiday destination of most Central Belters. Where’s it, like? Three miles to the east of the city centre. Catch a 15 or 26 bus from Princes Street and get off when you see the sea. Who’s from there? Gail Porter and Ewen Bremner were in the same year at Porty High School, and there’s still a memorial at Sir Harry Lauder’s birthplace on Bridge Street. Why would I go there? Just for a day out at the beach! It’s clean, and kinda gorgeous even when the weather ain’t. That community ethos we mentioned extends to a locally-run monthly organic market, and plans are underway to make the area into a self-sustaining transition town. There are always community-run activities on the go: Edinburgh’s Big Busk, where hundreds of musicians sit all along the prom and play anything they like, is on Saturday 27 August this year. Plenty of Family run shops on the high street butchers , fishmongers , art gallery , and cafes and restaurants .