 Edinburgh can be a challenging city to navigate, being built across a series of volcanic peaks cut through by glacial valleys, creating a dynamic city centre of peaks and troughs - getting from A to B isn't always a straightforward as Google Maps might suggest! By necessity my Edinburgh tours quite often feature staircases, though always in moderation - I always try to minimise the steps and hills as much as possible, though avoiding them altogether is not entirely feasible... So here's a foretaste of the kind of steps and staircases that you might encounter during your visit to Edinburgh! I've ranked them all from 1 to 5 in terms of their practicality, historic appeal, challenge, and the view offered. You're welcome. ;)  GRANNY'S GREEN STEPS The meeting point for my Old and New Towns fixed route tour is at the bottom of Granny's Green Steps in the Grassmarket, and I won't actually make you climb them - although for visitors heading to the castle they seem like a direct option. Named for the drying green through which the steps cut and provide access, a public space which still bears the washing line poles from which residents would hang their washing to dry in the nineteenth century, Granny's Green Steps have an evocative name and one of my favourite views of Edinburgh Castle! Stair rating: 4/5  THE SCOTSMAN STEPS A spiral staircase which links North Bridge to Market Street, the Scotsman Steps were originally built as part of the Scotsman newspaper offices in 1901, and used to have a number of outlets along their length where passers-by could pick up a copy of the daily paper fresh off the press as they headed to Waverley Station. Today the office building is the Scotsman Hotel, and the steps have been relaid as a public artwork by artist Martin Creed - each of the 104 steps has been cut from a different piece of marble, creating a colourful journey for those making the climb (or the descent). Because of its enclosed nature the stairs sometimes attract people who need urgent use of a bathroom, so are regularly sluiced out... Stair rating: 2/5  ADVOCATE'S CLOSE An Old Town lane which features regularly on my tours is Advocate's Close, a steep staircase which gives a good sense of how the original city streets would have functioned. Named for the Lord Advocate James Stewart, who prosecuted the blasphemy case against Thomas Aikenhead in 1696, the lane features a combination of original sixteenth century buildings and contemporary renovations, creating a great sense of Edinburgh through history. The view across to New Town from the top are pretty spectacular too! Stair rating: 5/5  NEWS STEPS This winding thoroughfare between St Giles Street - once dubbed the Fleet Street of Scotland - and Market Street was built as part of the development of a newspaper office and printing house in the middle of the nineteenth century. The Edinburgh Courant had been established in 1705, one of the UK's first regional newspapers, and one of its early editors was Daniel Defoe, best known today as a novelist for books like Robinson Crusoe. In the 1870s the Courant moved into new offices which also housed the Daily Review, in a building designed by David Bryce. The steps were built as a link to the railway station, where copies of the printed papers would be taken for distribution and sale. The steps today offer fine views towards Calton Hill, and run in a series of flights around a curve rather than in a straight line. Stair rating: 3/5  JACOB'S LADDER One of the most historic staircases in the city, this steep and uneven line of steps runs from the valley behind Waverley Station up to the side of Calton Hill, and was originally a means of access onto this volcanic outcrop. Named for the Biblical character of Jacob, who had a dream featuring an image of a ladder which provided access to heaven, the stairs similarly provided access to the Old Calton Burial Ground before Waterloo Place was built in the nineteenth century. Jacob's Ladder has recently been refurbished to provided lighting and a handrail, but the steps are still rather awkwardly shaped and are challenging whether climbing or descending. They do provide a view across towards Old Town from the top, and of the surviving walls of the old Calton Jail, which was on the site where St Andrew House stands today. Stair rating: 3/5  MISS JEAN BRODIE STEPS Named for the 1960s film adaptation of Muriel Spark's novella The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, which used the stairs as a location for a scene featuring Maggie Smith in her Oscar-winning role of Jean Brodie, these steps are more properly known as the Vennel. They provide access from Lauriston Place down to the Grassmarket, and as well as giving some of the best views in the city of Edinburgh Castle, they also show you two surviving sections of the original city walls. Not too challenging to ascend (or descend), the steps are both practical, attractive and a popular spot for visitors. Stair rating: 5/5  WARRISTON'S CLOSE Running almost parallel to Advocate's Close, between the Royal Mile and Cockburn Street, Warriston's Close is interesting for the way the steps widen as you descend - what starts as a typical narrow lane become a quadruple width staircase by the bottom! This makes the lane accessible but intimidating, certainly to go up, and although it offers an interesting rooftops view of Cockburn Street it's not one which will detain you for very long. More useful as a direct route than as a scenic option. Stair rating: 2/5  PATRICK GEDDES STEPS Named for Patrick Geddes, the man who helped establish Edinburgh's heritage protections in the nineteenth century, this stretch of steps is part of the route between Grassmarket and Johnston Terrace, en route to Edinburgh Castle. The steps also provide access to one of Geddes's urban garden spaces, part of the innovative approach that he brought to town planning, although the garden itself is often closed to public access, which is a shame. From the top of the steps there are views both towards the castle and back over the Old Town, though you may be too out of breath to enjoy them...! Stair rating: 3/5  BARRIE'S CLOSE A short but steep series of steps off the Royal Mile near St Giles' Cathedral, which provides a link onto Old Fishmarket Close. The steps are commonly used by the ghost tour companies as a shortcut, but are also quite attractive from the top looking down, with the iron lamp and the arch of the stonework creating an interesting visual composition. A practical route but can be busy with tour groups. Stair rating: 2/5  PLAYFAIR STEPS Another set of steps named for a specific person, the Playfair Steps run from near the top of the Mound down to the level of the National Gallery of Scotland, and are named for the architect who built the two gallery buildings here, William Henry Playfair. The steps have been closed for a number of years while a renovation and expansion of the galleries has taken place, and were only recently re-opened, allowing pedestrian access between Edinburgh's Old and New Towns without having to take the road itself. Convenient, not too challenging, and with a bit of a view, the Playfair Steps are some of my favourites among the city's staircases....! Stair rating: 4/5  FLESHMARKET CLOSE Sometimes one of the first features of Edinburgh which visitors arriving off the train at Waverley Station are confronted with, Fleshmarket Close - the former site of an old butchers' market - runs in a straight line from the High Street to Market Street, and creates a great sense of how challenging the city streets would have been for a long time. Today it's a very busy passageway, with a couple of bars and several other businesses along it, opening onto Cockburn Street before linking across to the Royal Mile itself. Easier for those going down it than those coming up it, Fleshmarket Close is a bit of a city landmark, having been used by the writer Ian Rankin as the title for one of his Inspector Rebus novels. Stair rating: 3/5  CRAIG'S CLOSE
The narrowest of the original surviving lanes of the city, Craig's Close reaches up between Market Street and Cockburn Street, and I've never actually walked up (or down) it! Its interest lies in the impression it gives of the original Old Town, and of how dark, dirty and tightly packed the city would have been at one time. The width of the passage and the steepness of the steps makes it an unappealing prospect. Stair rating: 1/5 These staircases show that the best way of getting around Edinburgh is on foot - only by walking will you discover more of the hidden lanes, staircases, and the views or historical features that they provide! Take a private walking tour of Edinburgh to find more of my favourite historic passageways! Comments are closed.
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