Hey, I’m Jika Nyirenda and I am a 2nd year medical student.
For our SSC (Student Selected Component), we decided to reflect on life as medical students at Edinburgh. Since we proposed the topic our plans have changed a fair bit: when we chose ‘Exploring Edinburgh’ as one of our themes we didn’t expect to be in a lockdown!
Nevertheless, Edinburgh still has a lot to offer even without the indoor attractions and infinite number of pubs.
Having been to school in Edinburgh until I was 13 and then having lived in Fife (just across the bridge) before coming to uni, Edinburgh as a city wasn’t exactly new to me in fresher’s. One friend, now flatmate, joked that she only walked with me to lectures for the first few weeks so she wouldn’t get lost.
There are some parts of Edinburgh that I know like the back of my hand and others that I have never been to. In some ways, restrictions this year have meant that I’ve spent more time exploring the city – there seems to be nothing else to do! For me, walks and café trips have been the best way to stay sane, especially with daily walks now being the only way to see friends.
Like most people I’m sure, I’ve found the often-grey weather has made this lockdown tougher than the first but finding new places to visit in Edinburgh has helped keep me active even when the weather isn’t so good. A few favourites of mine are Stockbridge, Dean Village, Portobello and Salisbury Crags.
I’m also lucky my flatmates are good at dragging me out for ‘adventures’ which help me to make the most of being in a city like Edinburgh. From sunrise Portobello swims to sunset Arthur’s Seat climbs, we’ve definitely seen Edinburgh in some cool ways. I must admit, the ‘swim’ was more of a dip and it was absolutely freezing but it was a fun trip out that definitely woke me up.
The seven hills of Edinburgh – Arthur’s Seat, Blackford Hill, Braid Hill, Calton Hill, Castle Rock, Corstorphine Hill, Craiglockhart Hill – are all worth a visit and, if you’re up for a challenge, walking them all in a row makes a great day out (or an epic race for those who are nuts enough to run). There are some great views over the city and you’ll definitely know your way around Edinburgh better by the end of the day.
I’ll finish with some café/bakery recommendations for a more chilled trip out or for when getting a coffee or baked-good seems like the only incentive to leave the house:
- Black Medicine
- Cult
- 101 bakery
- Twelve Triangles
- Wellington Coffee
- Urban Angel
- Fortitude Coffee
- Love, peace and coffee
…the list is endless!
Overall, there are definitely worse places to be stuck in a lockdown!
