Andrew White explores Edinburgh using the Just Eat Cycles and here he begins his journey to all of the stations in Edinburgh.
When I announced the idea of visiting every Just Eat Cycle Hire Station, I said: “I’m going to photograph them, write about them, and share with you my experience exploring each location along the way.” I’ve debated over the past fortnight what precisely I want these posts to cover.
I toyed with changing the idea, having more of a touristy vibe, outlining the amenities and attractions around each station. While that type of content could be useful for some readers, it doesn’t excite me. Being excited about what I’m writing is important to me; otherwise, my heart just won’t be in it, and this blog will peter out pretty fast. I’m going to stick with the original idea, this series will be of my experience and discoveries at each of the stations I visit. Let’s jump in, shall we?
St Andrew’s House Station is situated East of the Scottish Government building known as St Andrew’s House, just South of Calton Hill. Said building is large and oppressive, looking like it’s been transported straight out of Gotham City or the original Blade Runner. It’s a proper moody building, I love it.
I’ve probably used this station the most for adapting my walk to work with cycling. Being just over the hill It’s a conveniently located station, it allows me to cut out cycling over Abbey Mount or up Leith Street to get into town. With the main hill out the way, I can hop on a bike at St Andrew’s House and gently glide West along the A1 to join Princes Street. In 10 minutes I can be entering the office and feeling energised to start my day. The cycle hire scheme really does make for easy traversing of Edinburgh.
I’ve grown fond of the area around this station. Calton Hill, early in the morning, is a tranquil place. Excluding the occasional dog walker or runner, it’s deserted before 08:00 AM. Up there you can escape from the busy roads, the traffic, and feel pretty isolated. It has 360° views of Edinburgh, and on a clear day, you can see right across to the great Kingdom of Fife. Even with feet firmly on the ground, you can feel like you’re soaring above the city below, everyone else looks like ants, and the height gives a fantastic perspective.
It’s quiet too, the traffic is far enough away that it sounds muted and is drowned out by the many birds that are trying to catch the worm. I was lucky enough, or perhaps sufficiently patient, to capture two birds in the same spot one morning. I watched the robin (pictured below) darting about among the bushes on a slope just off one of the paths on Calton Hill for a while. The little bird acknowledged me and me it. For a brief moment, I felt we understood each other sharing an appreciation for the mild morning.
You can read more of my journey on my blog by clicking here.
