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Hello

Thanks for following The Edinburgh Enthusiast weekend guides here.

We have a wee announcement to make: we have moved!

Our brand new website, The Weekend Enthusiast was created by Mr Enthusiast and you will be able to find there our Edinburgh weekend guides in the usual format.

Enjoy and have a nice weekend!

What to do this weekend: 16-17 September

ALL WEEKEND

Glasgow Doors Open Days

Yay, Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival is finally here! Last week @glasgowdoorsopendaysfestival has kindly arranged for me a preview of  my favorite Glaswegian venues. You might have read my recent blog post where I recommend a possible itinerary and show you a sneak peek behind the doors. Check out the full programme here.


16TH SEPTEMBER, SATURDAY

Moving on party

Kakao by K, a lovely Scandi-style boutique is moving away from Thistle street for new ventures. But before they do, they decided to throw a party to properly say goodbye. It's on between 1-5pm this Saturday, will you be joining? Sign up for the free event on Eventbrite.

17TH SEPTEMBER, SUNDAY

Riding of the Marches

The Edinburgh Riding of the Marches is back this Sunday and 280 horses will be marching down the Royal Mile. Their procession on the Mile will begin at approximately 3.40pm, check out the full schedule here to get further timings.

Dachshund Meet

Alternatively you might pop over to Portobello at 12pm with your sausage dog for this month's Dachshund Meet. Wish I had a puppy, forever dreaming about meeting @theworldaccordingtoharris and his lovely human in person!

Have a nice weekend!

What to do this weekend: 9-10 September

ALL WEEKEND

Doors Open Days

September is the month of Doors Open Days across Scotland. This weekend doors are opening in East Dumbartonshire, Midlothian, Highland, Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, Aberdeen, Perth & Kinross, North Lanarkshire, West Lothian, Central Fife and Dumfries and Galloway. Pick your favourite building from the Doors Open Days Scotland website!

Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival is on next weekend: 16-17 September. You might have read my recent blog post where I recommend my favorite Glaswegian venues and show you a sneak peek.
Edinburgh Doors Open Days is on 23-24 September and we already booked a few events.

9TH SEPTEMBER, SATURDAY

World Wide Instameet

This year's topic is kind comments and @igersedinburgh has a fantastic programme lined up. Sponsors include Eteaket, Writers' Museum, Rabbies Tours, Edinburgh Photo Walks and Sonia Nicholson. If you missed booking via Eventbrite, keep following @igersedinburgh where they announce future events.

10TH SEPTEMBER, SUNDAY

Art Walk Porty

Celebrate public space and artistic activity in Portobello during the final weekend of Art Walk Porty. This year's focus is on 'Edge Lands' such as Seafield Prom and the Meadows Yard Nature Reserve. There will be also walks and talks and 27 artists open their studios during the fest.

Have a nice weekend!

Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival - Preview

If you happened to follow my Instagram stories on Wednesday at @edienthusiast, you might be aware of my recent Glaswegian adventure. The lovely people behind @glasgowdoorsopendaysfestival invited me to visit my favourite Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival venues and show you a sneak peek behind the scenes.

The Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival is on between 11-17 September and it is a great celebration of Glaswegian architecture and heritage. The programme is available here - all buildings, talks and tours are free to attend. The long list of venues might be a bit overwhelming first, so let me help you with a sample itinerary here. I was using public transport to get around during the day and the route is doable in a leisurely pace (including getting lost a few times on the streets of Glasgow).

Stop 1: Arlington Baths Club

Arlington Bath is a short walk away from St Georges Cross Subway. It's a private members club and one of the oldest ones in Europe - it was built in 1870.

The Turkish suite

I loved the tiles!

I had a full guided tour of the baths from the Victorian rib showers to the wet room, but this pretty (hot) Turkish suite was my favourite. I come from a country where bath culture is central to our heritage and you might have figured I have a thing for historic baths.

Address: 61 Arlington Street (Subway St Georges Cross)

Doors Open Day: Tours Sat/Sun 9.30am-4.00pm

Stop 2: Glasgow City Free Church

My next stop was a beautiful church building by Alexander (Greek) Thomson, the Glasgow City Free Church. The stunning interior is well worth checking out. Sadly the church is also on the World Monument Fund's list of the world's most endangered buildings.

Beautiful interior designed by Alexander (Greek) Thomson

Did you know that the #GDODF17 brochure is

also translated to Polish and Arabic?

Address: 265 St Vincent Street

Doors Open Day: Sat 10.00am-4.00pm

While there, why not stop for coffee and cake at Primal Roast, opposite the church.

Stop 3: Holmwood House

Holmwood House is another Alexander (Greek) Thomson building, it is was originally a family home designed for paper magnate James Couper and his wife. Today it is managed by the National Trust for Scotland who kindly let me visit as part of my Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival preview.

Ceiling goals

Can I move in please?

The stunning dining room

The place is truly stunning! If you have not yet been, I cannot recommend enough to visit. On a sunny day you can enjoy a walk at the grounds and you may spot the resident squirrels too. Don't forget to check out the nearby Snuff Mill Bridge on the way back to Cathcart Station.

Snuff Mill Bridge

Address: 61-63 Netherlee Road (ScotRail Cathcart)

Doors Open Day: Mon-Sun 12.00pm-5.00pm

Stop 4: The Lighthouse

I have previously visited The Lighthouse a few years ago and loved the building. Did you know it has one of the best panoramic views of Glasgow from the top of the tower?

View from The Lighthouse

Staircase to the tower

Continuing the Alexander (Greek) Thomas theme The Lighthouse has a current exhibition dedicated to the bicentenary of the Scottish architect's birth.

Address: 11 Mitchell Lane

Doors Open Day: Mon–Fri 10.30am–5pm. Sat 10.30am–5pm. Tours: 12pm, 1pm, 2pm & 3pm. Sun 12pm–5pm, Tours: 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm 

While there, why not stop for a quick lunch at Riverhill Coffee Bar at Gordon Street.

Stop 5: Theatre Royal

I must admit, my reason for visiting Theatre Royal was to take photos of their stunning staircase. It just looks amazing from every angle. The building has an interesting history. It was first designed by architect George Bell in 1867, but sadly the building was destroyed by fire in 1879. Next renowned theatre architect Charles Phipps redesigned it. The staircase on the photo below was an addition by Glasgow-based architects Page\Park in 2012. 

 

The Theatre Royal staircase

Address: 282 Hope Street

Doors Open Day: Tour only. Sat 10am, 10.30am, 11am, 11.30am; 40 mins. Meeting Point: Theatre Royal Foyer. Booking essential.

All photos by The Edinburgh Ethusiast (C).
Acknowledgement: Thank you to the lovely people behind GDODF17 for organising me access to these stunning venues, I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. I gained no financial benefits from this promotion and the views and opinions expressed on this blog are honest and purely my own.

Sunday brunch at Gleneagles

Last Sunday I was kindly invited by Gleneagles to sample their new brunch menu at The Birnam Brasserie. Having never visited Gleneagles before, I was pretty excited! Shawna of @exploringedinburgh and myself were picked up at Haymarket by our private cheuffeur who drove us to the heart of Perthshire. This was our first glance of Gleneagles, isn't this 1959 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud stunning?

1959 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud at Gleneagles

If you have not yet heard of The Birnam, it is Gleneagles' newest restaurant - it has been open since May 2017. The brasserie is decorated beautifully in a bistro-style with pretty mosaic tiles. On the first Sunday of every month they host a full inclusive brunch between 12.30-15.30. This was the occasion of our visit!

The Birnam Brasserie at Gleneagles

We were impressed by the warm welcome we received from Conor, the general manager of Gleneagles and Karen and Chris from the marketing team. Shortly Lucy of @lucyflorals has arrived too and we kicked off brunch with some Bellinis.

For starters we could choose from a wide selection of seafood, cheese, charcuterie and salads. I went for langoustines and clams which were delicious. I had to remind myself to save space for my truffel mac'n'cheese main. Shawna picked the pea and broadbean risotto as her main and Lucy had pancakes. Other options included steak with pommes frites, moules mariniere and chicken schnitzel - just to mention a few.

Langoustines for starter

When we thought we could not possibly eat more, a whole tray of mini desserts have appeared. Our favourite was the chocolate and pistacio one, but I also tried the Eton mess and Shawna had cranachan.

Mini desserts

For those who had a second dessert stomach, there was some pick and mix waiting along with blueberry pancakes, waffels and even more of the yummy mini desserts. And an ice-cream bicycle! (No, not a bicycle made of ice-cream but a vintage style bike serving ice-cream.)

Pick'n'mix

Brunch was followed by a special treat for us. We were escorted by Chris to the gun dog school where we met Iona, the dog whisperer and the most well behaved labradors we have ever seen. The labradors of Gleneagles are pretty impressive and Iona demonstrated us how well trained they are.

She hid a dummy somewhere near the loch and then purely with instructions and hand signs she directed the dogs to find it. Mind the dummy did not smell of anything and the dogs did not know where the dummy was hidden! I was also amazed to see, whenever Iona throw away a dummy, the labradors waited patiently for their name to be called and only then fetched the dummy. 

As part of the Gleneagles gun dog experience, guests have the chance to learn how to take control of the dog from basics to retrieves. If you are interested in booking the experience, have a look at the full offer here.

Iona, the dog whisperer

Finally, I would like to say thank you to the lovely Conor, Karen and Chris for hosting us. We had a lovely first visit at Gleneagles and this certainly won't be the last. I cannot wait to come back with Mr Enthusiast and treat him with a Bellini brunch.

All photos by The Edinburgh Ethusiast (C).
Acknowledgement: Even though we were kindly offered complimetary brunch and gun dog experience by Gleneagles, the views and opinions expressed on this blog are honest and purely my own.

What to do this weekend: 2-3 September

ALL WEEKEND

Choose Edinburgh's 101th Object

If you are unfamiliar with the initiative, Edinburgh's 101 Objects is a collection of Ediburgh's most treasured objects ranging from the world's first blended Scotch whisky to Dolly the cloned sheep. You can read my earlier post featuring my favourite objects here.
Did you know you can have your say and suggest what should be the 101th Object: The People's Choice? What will you choose: perhaps the Balmoral clock, chippy sauce or Greyfriars Bobby? Get involved here.

Check out the Queensferry Crossing

The Queensferry Crossing is finally open - in fact this weekend 50,000 people will walk it. Are you among the lucky ones who got selected by ballot? If not, you can still enjoy the view of the three bridges from the picturesque South Queensferry (or North Queensferry). Expect the area to be pretty busy!

2ND SEPTEMBER, SATURDAY

Farm Fest

Head to Gorgie City Farm this Saturday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of opening the farm. There will be cute farm animals, live music, face painting, raffle and other fun activities. The event is on between 10am and 6pm and the entry is free (although donations to the Farm are much appreciated).

3RD SEPTEMBER, SUNDAY

Tour of Britain

This weekend the Tour of Britain comes to Edinburgh for the very first time - if you are into cycling, you should not miss it. Mark Cavendish will be here too. Find full spectator info here.

Have a nice weekend!

What to do this weekend: 26-27 August

ALL WEEKEND

Edinburgh Police Box Festival

Tired of the Fringe crowds? Why not explore instead Edinburgh's old police boxes. They have their very own festival happening this weekend, with boxes open from 11am to 4pm both on Saturday and on Sunday. Find the list of participating boxes here from Tupiniquim to the Tool Library.

La Boheme

Edinburgh International Festival and Teatro Regio Torino presents Puccini's heartbreaking love story, La Boheme. The opera is only on for three nights at Edinburgh's Festival Theatre - don't miss your chance to finish off the festival season with a magnificient Italian production.

26TH AUGUST, SATURDAY

Canteen Street Food Festival

Meanwhile in East Lothian you can enjoy a street food feast at the Archerfield Walled Garden. The August line-up includes some of our favourite food vendors from Pizza Geeks and the Marshmallow Lady to Poco Prosecco.

27TH AUGUST, SUNDAY

Edinburgh Art Festival

This Sunday is the last day of Edinburgh Art Festival and your last chance to make the best of the fest! Our top picks include: a very friendly dragon at Trinity Apse, Josef Koudelka at the Signet Library and Jac Leirner at the Fruitmarket Gallery.

Have a nice weekend!