North beyond the prim Georgian arcades and squares of Edinburgh’s New Town, lie Stockbridge & Dean Village – a couple of neighbourhoods with a very different feel thanks in large part to their parks, gardens and greenery. Both are gathered around the Water of Leith, Edinburgh’s small, but nonetheless main river.

Stockbridge

Smart residential Stockbridge is a bustling, yet quietly thriving neighborhood. Once a little gritty, this was one of the first Edinburgh neighbourhoods to become hip then gentrify, though almost all bohemian touches are today long gone. A number of second-hand shops cling on to remind of these times, but most shop-fronts are now occupied by small, family-run basement bistros, gastro-pubs, coffee and antique shops, boutiques and delis. The Sunday 10am–pm farmer’s market compliments all this nicely.

Up-and-down the Water-of-Leith