Solo in Scotland: Edinburgh Book Festival & A Seaside Escape
I know it might sound a little silly, but I had been so caught up in the thought of my trip; planning where I wanted to stay, what I wanted to eat and see, making sure I got on the right train… that I honestly completely forgot that other people would be here too.
So, you can imagine my overwhelm, as an anxious soul stepping out of Edinburgh Waverley station to the masses of people here, at the height of fringe festival. But even amongst the noise, I think I have a talent for finding the quiet moments.
So here I am in my little quiet bubble, laying on the grass, escaping the crowds and listening to the almost constant sound of bagpipes in the distance…
It will come as no surprise then, that I found another of these quiet havens in the little seaside town 20 minutes from Edinburgh where I stayed for the duration of my trip, Dunbar. Here, on my short stay, I remembered my visceral need to stare at the sea every once in a while. The joy and calm it brings me to hear the waves crash on their own timing, to watch the oystercatchers dancing around the shore in low tide, or to say hello to dogs and their owners taking in the sunset on an evening beach walk.
I think what defined this trip for me was perhaps the word ‘contrast’. The hustle and bustle of the city vs the quiet of this small town. But then, even in the city, contrast exists too. Like the silence of stepping from a busy street into a second hand bookstore- the happiness of seeing rare books with your favourite authors names on them. I am of course in this case talking about the beautiful Tills bookshop in Edinburgh, a book lovers paradise! Another notable mention though is Lighthouse Books– sometimes there is nowhere that feels like a safer haven to me than a radical bookshop, accepting and welcoming everyone who walks through the door.
Oftentimes, on the outside, a place or a city is loud, and if you’re careful, you can seek out the silent moments in-between. I sought out as many galleries as possible in Edinburgh, my favourite exhibition I saw being ‘The Garden’ by Sian Davey in the Stills gallery. Davey and her son spent years turning their garden into an amazing space full of wildflowers, inviting people in to experience the magic and natural chaos. My friend and I were talking the other day about how much fun it is to visit galleries alone- you can take as much or as little time as you want, really look at the things that inspire you and find that feeling of connection to the art. It made me laugh that I found my peace in a gallery literally named ‘Stills’ but it was definitely one of those silent in-between moments, when I could just stand there and feel engulfed by the stunning nature in the photos that surrounded me, even in the heart of the city.
In contrast, in a quiet place, you then often find you have the space to experience those moments that feel so very loud and consuming, even when there is no one around. I wrote a lot of this blog post in my journal, sitting by the water in Dunbar, and I found in that stillness I had so much space to have big, important thoughts- or at least thoughts that felt important to me. I pondered the talk I heard earlier that day by Emma Gannon, Alisha Fernandez Miranda and Jessica Stanley, chaired by Abigail Bergstrom at the Edinburgh Book Festival. Hearing from these amazing female authors was really special, and gave me so much to think about as a writer. One thing which has stuck with me from the talk, and I have been thinking about a lot, was the idea of ‘relating to your characters’, and how non-men who write seem to be posed this question a lot more often. I think it is so valuable to attend events like these, and experience the excitement felt by each author at talking about their writing, as well as to hear how well they know the characters you have also loved. I’m so glad I got to experience the book festival as they do some amazing work as a charity to bring the power of words to as many people as possible.
Edinburgh definitely comes alive in August, and it is lovely to see everyone gathering to appreciate art in so many different forms, from the Fringe Festival to the International Book and Film Festivals. At the book festival, there was really an atmosphere of curiosity and openness to learn and just fully appreciate the words of brilliant writers and thinkers, which I very much appreciated.
Personally I enjoyed visiting Scotland solo because I made sure I did all my favourite things- bookshops, vegan food (so many good options- special mention to the pistachio brownie from Considerit– delicious!!), looking at art and spending time by the sea. On my last morning, I walked along the cliffs from Dunbar town to Belhaven Way, a completely perfect way to end my trip. Standing on the beach, looking out at Bass rock and all the surfers in the water definitely felt like a little ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ moment where I was so aware of being on my own, but felt content about it!
I am absolutely making the moment more dramatic than it needed to be, but it kind of felt like the closing scene in my little ‘Solo in Scotland’ story.
By Finola Stowe
