Safety in Edinburgh (old town).

[Ineedcoffeenow]

DD is a student at Edinburgh Napier and looking for flats for next year with friends. (yes, they’ve left it late!). They’re considering a flat in the old town on South Bridge, just off the royal
mile. Can anyone advise about safety around that area on a night?

No 5 bus will get her from south bridge to merchiston. Though it’s not super handy. No idea how to get to sight hill from there. Not easy to get to craiglockhart.
Haymarket to craiglockhart is easy (4/44) And a short walk to Lothian Road for merchiston buses (11/16).
I’m not sure I’d say south bridge is significantly better than Haymarket for travel.

Www.lothianbuses.com for routes. Haymarket to sighthill campus would be great on the tram.

You must remember that South Bridge is the High Streer and VERY touristy. It’s not an unsafe area. Very busy with people going to the theatre etc. very accessible to Princes Street. Hunter square has a bunch of dodgy people but they are confined to that spot. I’ve never felt unsafe around there. It’s not like she’ll be hanging around the Square. I can see the appeal of that location over Haymarket.

I think that the idea of South Bridge has been abandoned as it’s just too hard for the two people to get to Sighthil. So it’s back to Haymarket. Nothing available in the preferred Merchiston/Fountainbridge area.

What about Polwarth? Quite a few tenement style flats for rent & close to Murchison/Fountainbridge

It's the city centre. It's full of tourists. Yes you get some junkies hanging around Hunter Square but that's the same for any major city centre.

They will be fine. It's the actual city centre, it's not Niddrie or Wester Hales.

I think haymarket is fine if they can get to college ok from there. I used to live in that area and still miss it - it’s convenient for the station, tram and airport bus, there’s buses to the “big Tesco” at corstorphine or tram to Edinburgh park if they wanted to do a larger shop, and there’s a local supermarket across the road. Easy to walk into the city centre and there’s a taxi rank outside the station if needed.

just thought a 33 or a 3 bus go from southside area to Sighthill area so a single bus would take them or a 2 from potterrow gos past not to far away ether

It’s too hard to walk 10 mins to the tram stop in St Andrews Square or the 25 bus at Waverley?! Blimey. @Ineedcoffeenow

The tram costs, whereas the bus is free. From what I can tell, the journey to sighthil is the better part of an hour each way, which is hard work in the winter.

bus 1.40 each way same as tram altho you can get a monthly or yearly pass that works on both as same company owned

from Haymarket she would be getting the 33 3 or the 2 anyway as that's the way they go and the tram

Are they Scottish with a free bus pass? If so they can use that on the tram too.

Agree about looking at Polwarth. Chester and Slateford might work. You might find more properties becoming available shortly.

Has she looked at the private halls, there are a few around fountain bridge area. Might be a better option for her and her friend?

Yes, they all have bus passes. I looked at the trams but couldn’t see anything about the young Scots card. If it covers the trams then that makes a difference.

Private halls are very expensive in comparison to other options. They’re also keen to have a more homely environment than where they’ve been.

It’s here - they have to be edinburgh residents

https://edinburghtrams.com/news/free-tram-travel-young-people-under-22