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Free Activities
Waverly Steps
"The main differences to me in the Waverly
were, the Waverly steps ,the southbound trains, and the taxi ranks
The Waverly Steps, leading to Waverley
Station, were a great source of fun. You could lie into the wind at an
angle of 45 degrees and try to go up the steps or down depending on the
prevailing wind.
Usually when I was there it tended to blow you
up. Going up backwards was regarded as a real accomplishment."
Waverly Stations
"The southbound trains were held in a bit of
awe because, as we thought, you could get to London on one of these
trains.
I got my one and only penny platform ticket so
that I could go and have a look at one of these trains, though the ticket
seller did explain it was really only for seeing people off."
Station Taxi Rank
"It was a source of awe, at that time, to
think that people could afford to take a Taxi. In my mind this was
only for people who were really rich.
Some that I saw getting into taxis did,
indeed, have quite luxurious luggage, but others only had what they stood
up in. I could not quite figure that out, at my age then."
Chambers Street Museum
"This was a great place to meet or weigh up
the talent. Apart from males and females eyeing each other up, it was a
great place to pass a bit of time on a cold winter's day.
We did have a look at some of the exhibits
- mainly the animals and the working models of engines where you
could press a button and the model would operate."
Queen Street Museum
"I went there only to see a different type of
museum, but really I think it was more for older people. But it was
free."
Princess Street Gardens
This was a great free place in many ways:
- We climbed the hill. We
always hoped, but never did find a way into the Castle. But it was a
lot of fun trying.
- We listened to the bands and the
singing, and watched the dancing. This was great entertainment. You had
band competitions with band like the SCWS, Shots and Dykehead, Manchester
CWS or many of the Pit bands.
I saw Jimmy Logan, Kenneth McKellar, Jimmy
Shand and his Band and many a Scottish Country Dance Group there. Great
entertainment!
- There was also a 'Children's Time' on
a Saturday, I think, where acts were put on for the younger members of the
community. If you wanted a break you could always go to the railway
bridge and watch the trains going to or coming from the Waverly Station.
- The floral clock must also rate a
mention. We used to stand there for a few minutes just waiting for
the cuckoo to come out. Once it had appeared, the moment faded.
If you were old enough, and it was a Sunday,
you could move to the side of the Art Galleries (one was free) and listen
to the preachers, or John Cormack
or Wendy Wood."
The Seaside
"From Cramond right round to Joppa,
people were doing all sorts of things down by the sea.
Some, you would not want to know about.
We went to look for crabs or see if we could
find semi-precious stones.
(I'm still looking!) or see if we could
see a fish. Or, with shoes in hand,
we would walk along the shallows looking for fish.
(Again, I'm still looking.)
Those who had them may have taken a bucket and
spade to make a sandcastle. We used our
hands, but there were no budding potters amongst
us."
Portobello
"At Porty,
you could go for a swim provided you were willing to walk half a mile out
into the sea to find water deep enough to swim in. By the time I got out
there it was time to come back in again for a portion of make-believe
buckies or whelks.
You could walk round the Fairground and watch
others enjoying themselves on the Big Dipper and then go a walk along the
front."
The Tally Tower
"Going and watching
the boats in the harbours also cost nothing,
whether it was at Granton or at Leith in any of
the Docks.
For the young ones in Leith, a trip to the
Tally Tower was a turn out. I know my wife used to get taken a walk to the
Tower by her parents."
The Parks
"The parks were a
great place for free entertainment. Take a
tennis ball with you and play football,
rounders, or cricket
if you had a ball and stumps - or
any one of a number of made-up games.
Arthur's Seat was
not really a park, but it was sort of treated as
one, quite apart from being a challenge to climb."
Hermitage of Braid
"This was a great
place, for a time, to
appreciate the natural world. My wife and a mate of hers used to go up
there and spend a fair time wandering from one end to the other."
The Botanics
"The Botanical
Gardens were a good place to see what grew in other parts of the world,
though we made it a one-off summer
activity".
Bruntsfield Par
Three
"This little golf
course was where I spent a bit of time when I inherited two clubs -
a driver and a putter. It was a real challenge.
But again, it was free.
In the winter, if the snow lay, the slopes
near there were used for what we called slides.
We hard packed the snow and slid down it in our shoes. One slide I
remember was about forty yards long."
Sledging
and Skating
"Doubtless others
used different slopes,
but our run went from the top of the station
hill at Pilton to the Junction of Pilton Avenue.
The winner was the one who went on furthest
down Pilton Drive towards Boswall Parkway. I
remember one time, I was going at good speed
when I met a truck coming up Pilton Avenue, and went
underneath it. It was very scary..
I just missed the front wheels on the way in
and just missed the back wheels on the way out. The driver shouted
something, but I just kept going as fast as I could.
Inverleith pond used to freeze over
occasionally, and those with skates used to go
skating. We 'skated'
on our shoes. I was never brave enough to
go very far from the edge of the bank."
Bob Sinclair Queensland, Australia: January 6,
2010 |