Latest news with #CaltonHill
BBC News
7 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Iconic 19th century time ball back on Edinburgh's Calton Hill
A large wood and metal ball used by ships' crews as a visual aid to set their clocks by has been reinstalled at the top of Edinburgh's Nelson Monument following restoration device, which is called a time ball and is more than 170 years old, is traditionally dropped down a pole to signal that the time is 13: firing of the one o'clock gun at Edinburgh Castle was later added to mark the time on foggy days when it was harder see the Calton Hill monument from Leith 19th Century time ball, restored at a cost of £500,000, is to be dropped again daily from next month. Karl Chapman, City of Edinburgh Council's head of heritage, culture, museums and galleries, said the time ball was once cutting edge said it allowed sailors to set their clocks to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), an international standard for time from 1884 to 1972, and used as an aid to ships' navigation Chapman said: ''Now we have GPS and phones but back in the day this was modern technology."''People are still fascinated by this today which is why it's important we maintain the time ball and the Nelson Monument - it's a fascinating piece of history and mechanism.'' The wood and metal time ball was taken down for repair last in the north of England found the zinc coating had failed and the wood beneath was rotten in ball was lifted and lowered manually, the last public timepiece in the UK to be wound by process is now to be automated. Mark Crangle, a restorer from the Cumbrian Clock Company, said it was great to be involved in such a prominent said: ''It's not very often you get to work on a time ball."It's quite unique and it has its own history so it's quite nice, because it's not worked for quite a few years now."It's right in the centre of Edinburgh and everybody looks up and sees it so it's nice to bring that back alive again.'' Margaret Graham, City of Edinburgh Council's culture and communities convener, said: ''Half a million pounds sounds like a lot of money but in the scheme of things, in our heritage buildings, it's not a lot."It's a lot of specialist work that needs to be done.''She added: ''The Calton Hill itself gets a million visitors every year and it's important that we keep our heritage buildings in good repair, and also residents are very proud of their heritage so it's important from that perspective as well.''
The Sun
24-05-2025
- The Sun
Escape the crowds and take a dip in basement pool of Edinburgh's Apex Hotel
ONE of the most important things on any city break is location, location, location. And Edinburgh's Apex Hotel couldn't be better placed — smack bang in the middle of Auld Reekie's buzzing centre. 5 5 5 My wife Emma, and I arrived on Sunday afternoon by train and it was only a matter of crossing the road and walking a few hundred paces before we arrived at our city sanctuary on Waterloo Place. The hotel sits in the shadow of Calton Hill, at the top of Princes Street and Leith Walk. And even late on the Sabbath, this part of the town was still thronging, as open top bus tours loaded and unloaded tourists, with people streaming round every corner. Once you step through the doors of the Apex, though, all the noise and bustle on the street quickly dissolves. We were taken up to our room on the ninth floor — where we could see all the way down to Leith and the River Forth and beyond to Fife. The room was well kitted out, modern, clean with touches of luxury — perfect for a quick break. There was even a special Apex branded rubber duck with a note instructing us to take it home. We'd be quackers not to! Making the most of our night of freedom from the kids, we wandered down Rose Street where the bars and restaurants were busy with punters enjoying the sunshine. We stopped off at one for a couple of pre-dinner drinks and some bar snacks, before slowly meandering past the shops on the splendour of George Street. Then it was back to base as we were booked in for dinner at the hotel's Liberte Brasserie. The wine list was stacked with a good selection of bottles right up to a very pricey variety of Pomerol, which David Beckham was seen clutching at his 50th birthday a few weeks ago. Our lovely waitress recommended a lesser-known Dolcetto d'Alba from her home region of Piedmont in northern Italy. Emma and I were happy to take her up on the suggestion and were really glad we did. Once the wine was flowing, we kicked off the meal with some bread and olives before getting stuck into the main event. I started off with a beautiful burrata, drizzled in single malt honey, while Emma had the Balvenie smoked salmon finished with a lemony creme fraiche and herring roe. Both were perfectly portioned and packed with flavour. Emma kept the fish theme going for the mains, opting for a pan-fried cod fillet with sea veg, mussels and brown butter. I went for the sirloin steak, cooked rare, with a peppercorn sauce. I'm a big steak lover and not shy about sending one back if it's overdone. But this was genuinely one of the best steaks I've ever tasted and was cooked to perfection. I made sure to send my praises to the chef. He absolutely nailed it. For dessert, Emma had the sticky toffee pudding, while I plumped for the pistachio creme brulee, which was nothing short of spectacular. The portion was huge, so my wife quickly helped herself to spoonfuls of mine too. Afterwards, we shuffled next door to the very cool Bar 1819 for a well-earned seat on a plush velvet couch and a few cocktails. Emma loved the elderflower-based Hugo Spritz while I knocked back a few Regent Terrace Sours, which combined whisky and absinthe. After that we hit the town for a few more at a piano bar a few blocks away where we were treated to multiple Billy Joel hits from the resident piano man. It's no surprise then that we slept in and missed breakfast. But the menu had all the classics including smoked kippers and eggs Benedict. Thankfully we hadn't missed out on the pool in the basement, situated next to the inhouse Yu Spa. 5 5 We took full advantage of the steam room and sauna, before getting a few lengths in the sun-dappled pool. When it was time to head home, we found out there was a secret back exit that took us straight to Waverley underneath Princes Street — making our escape even easier. The Apex's location is truly fantastic, but it has far more going for it than that.
The Independent
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
A Midsummer Night's Dream on acid: Celtic tradition comes to life at Edinburgh's Beltane Fire Festival
'Is this your first Beltane?' a teenager asks me sympathetically – with a subtle hint of an eye roll, blended with a definite note of concern, because I'm clearly lost. I've been to Edinburgh 's Calton Hill before but it did not look like this: a scene of A Midsummer Night's Dream on acid. Around 250 performers swirl around us, acting, chanting, fire dancing, drumming, or mischief making, as they weave between the monuments, re-enacting scenes of traditional Celtic lore across 10 stages and spaces. I'm in Edinburgh for the Beltane Fire Festival, a modern take on the pre-Christian Beltane, which saw ancient Celts mark the change of the season and welcome the summer every year on 30 April right through the night. May Day and maypole dancing stems from this millennia-old tradition. I detect that I am not the only lost person. I don't think the tourists who've been drawn in from the busy streets of Edinburgh below have a clue about what we're about to witness. I sit alongside visitors from France, Germany, Slovenia and the US as we wait patiently for the sun to set over Leith. Dressed-up characters with their faces painted saunter about, setting the scene, but no one performs until the sun has fully set. Darkness falls at 9.20pm exactly; primal beating of drums signals that it's go time, flames are lit by performers in formation along the National Monument of Scotland – its eight columns, based on the Acropolis in Athens, lined with flickering torches. And the show begins. Departing from the monument, a waft of white-gowned ladies-in-waiting donning floral wreaths serve the May Queen, main character of the night, who's being paraded around this hilltop park by these women in white, as well as a large troop of drummers and fire twirlers – all pursued by her future husband the Green Man. He's painted blue not green, but let us not ask too many questions. This is not midsummer, but it's certainly midsummer adjacent in belief; Beltane Fire Festival is celebrated every year on this spot by local pagans who are keeping Celtic tradition alive in Scotland, their fire society promoting the ancient calendar that includes solstices and Samhain (aka Halloween), too. I've been having a quintessentially Scottish time all week. I was driven here on board the extraordinarily comfortable Caledonian Sleeper train. As it wound around the formidable rock foundations of Edinburgh Castle, I raised a glass of early morning Irn-Bru while inhaling some porridge oats in the cafe car – totally ready for my Scottish passport. Edinburgh is awash with pre-Christian tradition masking as Christian. 'As kids we were told that egg pacing on Easter Sunday represents the stone outside Jesus' tomb rolling away,' Díarmaid McDermott, operations manager at boutique hotel 100 Princes Street, told me as I'd marched off to Arthur's Seat in search of egg-rolling families, unknowingly partaking in pagan Celtic tradition. Ten days later it feels poetic that this year's Beltane festival on Calton Hill looks back at Arthur's Seat glowing yellow, coated in heather bushes in full bloom. In ancient Celtic times this celebration took place up on Arthur's Seat before it was squashed by Georgian and Victorian hyper-Protestantism. But the Celtic traditions were too strong to stamp out and live on in Morris dancing, bonfires, May Day and May Queen contests. Beltane Fire Festival as it is today was revived in 1988 by a group of artists and musicians aiming to educate the public on 'the traditions of the Celtic lunar calendar fire festivals and their relevance to contemporary culture'. Almost 40 years ago their first audience was 50 people – this year, 6,000 attendees watched this interactive celebration. It's so interactive that guests are encouraged to wander about and see where the night takes them. 'You will get lost', says the brochure, '...and that's all part of the fun.' Ah good, it's not just me then. But I am glad when my teenage saviour, who's a Beltane veteran by all accounts, shares her map with me so I can get ahead of the crowd and nab a good view for the next dance off between the slightly feral 'reds' and austere ladies in white. To the unknowing eye this might look chaotic, but its finely tuned steps are precise, from the first drum beat at sunset until the bonfire rages at midnight. This year's theme of 'rewilding' is sewn in throughout the night with four performers donning huge papier mache fox heads, leading the processions around the hilltop. Back at my hotel, the concierge at the W Edinburgh tells me that my suite, in their restored James Craig Walk block, is where Robert Burns (the poet) and James Craig (the architect) once partied. I hope Rabbie Burns saw the fires of Beltane at least once in his life. It's right up his street. Travel essentials How to get there The Caledonian Sleeper runs between London and Edinburgh every night of the week. Seats from £74; beds from £250. Where to stay 100 Princes Street Not many hotels have their own tartan. This boutique property – that is unequivocally Scottish in design and demeanour – is so classy that it has not one but five unique tartans used throughout the award-winning hotel. Ask for a room with a view of Edinburgh Castle. W Edinburgh The sleek splendour of the W chain has adapted to its location: the new building in St James Square, shaped like a twirling ribbon (a nod to the city's textiles industry), has a 360-degree view from its rooftop W Lounge, where the new cocktail menu is themed around Scottish folklore.
