Green Spaces Ideal For A Stroll In Edinburgh
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When you have moved to a city as a student there is the hustle and bustle, the lively social life, always plenty going on, and an enjoyable life to explore.
Sometimes though, with the stresses of academic life, you want to get outdoors and away from everything for a few hours, especially in a big city like Edinburgh.
This is where it pays off to find the best green spaces Edinburgh has to offer, close to your student apartments in the city but where you can find peace and quiet and get some exercise in.
Edinburgh is a city that has many green spaces for you to explore, some of them with parks and gardens that are pretty and well maintained, providing you with the best place to go for a stroll.
Here are some of the best green spaces in Edinburgh.
1. Holyrood Park
Holyrood Park is just a 5-minute walk from Straits Meadow, so it is right on the doorstep if you are looking to get out and about.
It also probably offers the most famous vantage point in the city, where you can climb Arthur’s Seat, that sits up top dominating the city skyline.
Don’t worry if you are not the most seasoned walker, there are pathways and routes to suit all abilities, with a sloping path up the north face of Arthur’s Seat the most popular route taken.
At the south side of the park, Duddingston Loch is a flatter pathway with an abundance of bird life to check out.
Some of the best views of Edinburgh are found from Holyrood, looking out as far as the North Sea, the Kingdom of Fife, and East Lothian.
For Bonfire Night and New Year, it is a spectacular viewpoint, and a great place to go to watch sunset or sunrise.
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Address: Queen’s Dr, Edinburgh EH8 8HG
2. Lochend Park
Just a ten-minute walk in the other direction from Straits Meadow than you’d go to Holyrood Park, Lochend Park is one of the hidden gems of green spaces Edinburgh has on offer.
Surrounded by a lot of modern housing, Lochend Park is a charming 21-acre park with a loch in the centre, and a lovely walk around it.
It is arguably the best place in the city to see the imposing Arthur’s Seat on the skyline, and with several spaces of grass and benches, it is a great place to go for a picnic if you want to dine al fresco and get out from your student apartments for a few hours.
Some gems within the park are the beehive-shaped Doocot, the hexagonal pump-house.
There is also a small jetty that gets you close to the wildlife!
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Address: Lochend Rd S, Edinburgh EH7 6BP
3. Montgomery Street Park
Just 15 minutes away from Straits Meadow, Montgomery Street Park is a small, rectangular park that is bordered by both newly planted trees and mature trees.
It is full of colour, home to thousands of daffodils every spring.
With a small path that loops the central grassed area, there is also a play area and a part of the park to chill out in and relax.
It was once a bowling green, which gives you an idea on the size, and it also makes it a pleasing hidden gem of a park in an otherwise busy city.
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Address: 119 Montgomery St, Edinburgh EH7 5ET
4. Calton Hill
A leisurely 25-minute stroll west of Straits Meadow, Calton Hill is another must-visit green space in Edinburgh.
It is a simple walk to the top of the hill, and it is worth it, providing a spectacular view of the city but in a location that is often overlooked by many, so it is never too busy a place at the top.
You can see down into the Old Town and the Dugald Stewart Monument, and there is also the £5 ticketed Nelson Monument for a panoramic view of the city at the top of 143 steps (it is currently closed but is expected to reopen at some point).
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Address: Edinburgh EH7 5BN
5. Princes Street Gardens
In the heart of the city, right by Edinburgh Castle, this huge park is between the old and the new towns.
Just over a half hour walk from Straits Meadow, it is the perfect place to relax in luscious green space away from the hustle and bustle just outside the gardens.
In the summer it provides you with plenty of places to sit and relax, easily accessed off the busy Princes Street and with stunning views of the Castle and the old town.
During the Fringe Festival and Edinburgh Jazz Festival, the Ross Bandstand is a central part of the gardens, hosting performances.
It is also the main area for the Christmas Markets every December.
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Address: Princes St, Edinburgh EH2 2HG
6. The Royal Botanic Garden
An oasis in the heart of the city, this is a little further afield from Straits Meadow, a 45-minute walk, or just over 20 minutes on public transport.
The Royal Botanic Gardens is a 72-acre green space full of thousands of plants, a special research and conservation centre.
Dating back to 1670, you can walk through different climate zones from around the world, through the ten glasshouses that include arid lands, ferns and fossils, and rainforest riches.
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Address: Edinburgh EH3 5NZ
7. The Meadows
The other side of Holyrood Park, The Meadows is one of the largest and most popular parks in Edinburgh.
It is a large flat and grassy space, originally the ‘burgh loch’ that was drained and converted into the park in the 18th century.
A 45 minute walk from Straits Meadow, the Meadows is the perfect place to go for a long walk, to have a picnic or barbecue with a group of friends on a sunny day and is a meeting place for many student sports clubs.
It’s also home to the Meadows Festival which takes place every June!
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Address: Melville Dr, Edinburgh EH9 1ND
What do you think of the green spaces Edinburgh has to offer? They are all on the doorstep of your Straits Meadow student apartments.
So, it is easy to get out for a few hours, go for a stroll and decompress from the stress of everyday life.
For some of these, you wouldn’t know that the hustle and bustle of the city was right on the boundary of the park.
