My trip to Dalkeith, Scotland

Dalkeith: the town where a piece of my heart remains

I recently came to Midlothian for the first time, one of the counties in Scotland that I have never visited. And immediately my acquaintance with the district which previously bore the title of county, began with a small, only 6.71 square kilometres town – Dalkeith.

To say that this locality made a huge impression on me is about the same as having won a million and declaring that you were “a little lucky”! Now I’ll tell you why I had love at first sight with Dalkeith, a city to which I will come more than once.

First, an overview of what I liked so much about Dalkeith

The first thing I want to note about the positive features of the city are those advantages that literally everyone, like me, pays attention to when visiting for the first time. I will be brief and name three outstanding attractions of Dalkeith which are popular with all tourists:

• architecture;
• people;
• weather;

But here is what “hooked” me:

• sparsely populated – the most picturesque streets are not “flooded” with passersby even in the evening as happens in Moscow, New York and other cities and this is surprising since the population density is rather large – 2067 people per square kilometre.
• there is quite a bit of transport – compared to Russian megacities, there are no traffic jams at all.
• excellent cuisine – during my stay in Dalkeith I visited three restaurants (The Cavaliere Ristorante & Wine Bar, Mercat Bar and Grill and The Cuddie Brae) and was very impressed with the local cuisine.

So, I’ll share in more detail what struck me about the people, climate and buildings in Dalkeith.

Majestic architecture

The thought that comes to mind when meeting the ancient houses of Dalkeith is “God, what a beauty!” Indeed, there is something for lovers of antiquity to see here.

I visited all four districts of the city:

• Esbank is a historic centre lined with houses from the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
• the north-eastern part, which “mixes” the city’s educational institutions (Dalkeith campus with a secondary school and St. David’s Roman Catholic School).
• Newbattle with a cozy private sector.
• Woodburn with low-rise buildings.

What specific sights did I manage to see with my own eyes?

There was enough time to explore the city so I was not too lazy to walk every day along the beautiful streets which very soon led me to five cool buildings:

• St Nicholas’s Cathedral on High Street.
• St David’s Shrine on Exbank Road.
• Dalkeith Palace.
• Tolbooth in the High Street.
• Edinburgh College campus.

I would like to share some brief information about the above-mentioned attractions in Dalkeith.

St Nicholas’s Cathedral on the High Street

Built in the early Middle Ages. There is reliable evidence that the remains of the first Earl of Morton and his wife rest in the crypt located in the Cathedral.

St David’s Shrine on Esbank Road

This is the only Roman Catholic church in the city. The building was erected a long time ago (in 1854) and is now protected by the state as an architectural monument.

Dalkeith Palace

Another ancient building in Dalkeith, with the same name. Built in the 16th century, it was once surrounded by a magnificent park, laid out at the direction of the owner of the palace, the Duke of Buccleuch.

Tollbooth on High Street

A special structure: two hundred years ago judges, prosecutors, jailers and lawyers worked here. In memory of the inmates located in the basement, a non-trivial symbol of the gallows remains – a stone circle.

Good-natured people

Despite the sparseness that I liked, the population of Dalkeith is not so small: 13,870 people. The figure doesn’t seem to be scary, but the area of ​​the settlement is even smaller: only 6.71 kilometres.

Maybe I was lucky that during my five-day visit to this city I went out for a walk when the rest of the townspeople were working/studying/resting? I don’t know, however, the small number of Dalkeith people I was lucky enough to meet made a very pleasant impression. It seemed to me that there was some kind of elusive, but clearly perceptible sedateness and slowness reigning in the city. And everyone, young and old, is “subordinated” to this sedateness and unhurriedness: the people are relaxed, calm, and complacent. There is no rush and no “elbow work” (this is me figuratively!), the men and women are extremely friendly and hospitable.

Perfect weather

The climate here is “classic” marine. This means that the critically low and high temperatures from which neighbouring areas “suffer” are “muted” and “softened” by the sea in Dalkeith:

• It cools in summer.
• On the contrary, it warms in winter.

That is why in the city the street thermometer never drops below zero and rises above 30 degrees Celsius (or 30 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit taken into account here). In winter, in January, the “coldest” month of the Dalkeith calendar, the temperature “drops” to 3 and -2 degrees Celsius. At the height of summer, in July, the air warms up to an average of plus 15 degrees Celsius.

As for me, it’s not the climate, but a dream! Considering that there is 941 mm precipitation per year, rain is a common occurrence in the city. And this is the only drawback that can easily be forgiven by those who love Foggy Albion for its cloudiness.

Dalkeith: so why would I come back here again?

Finally, I note how Dalkeith conquered me and will conquer you. If you live according to Moscow time, then a short trip to Dalkeith will not “throw out your biological clock”: the city’s local time “lags” behind Moscow by only one hour!

And in Dalkeith it is almost impossible to get lost, even if you have: a) “topographic cretinism”; b) very poor memory for street names; c) don’t have a map of the city. The fact is that it is very difficult to get confused in the city due to four factors:

• small area.
• compactly located neighborhoods.
• the vast majority of streets are almost geometrically straight, level and do not “wind” anywhere.
• Compassionate locals will always point you in the right direction.

Well, there are also clear signs and names of streets, squares and public gardens. If you have knowledge of English, then walking around Dalkeith even on a nice day, is a 10 out of 10 pleasure!

So, I’ve come to the “cherry on the cake”, that is, the highlight that makes Dalkeith an absolutely charming city that has conquered my hardened feelings from my no longer green and not as friendly as 20 years ago hometown (Rostov-on-Don) heart. I’m talking about a special atmosphere of well-being. Yes, yes, here the air is literally permeated with the energy of a happy, serene life. A special atmosphere, mixed from the very ancient experience of previous centuries and the obvious financial prosperity in which the city is immersed today.

Apparently this is a legacy of the past – the ability of townspeople to take a prudent approach to the formation of the Dalkeith budget. In 1831 there was a railway connecting to Edinburgh carrying stone, coal, stone and agricultural produce. A little later, 20 years later, the city opened a grain exchange which became the largest indoor platform in Scotland where grain purchase and sale transactions were concluded.