EXCLUSIVE Choose Leith! Once the gritty Trainspotting setting, Edinburgh's dockland quarter has gone up in the world Katie Tilbury says Leith has seen a 'steady gentrification' in recent years There are a plethora of new bars, restaurants and interesting shops READ MORE: I've visited 190 countries with 5 left to see - here's what I found By Katie Tilbury For The Daily Mail Published: 11:23 BST, 22 August 2024 | Updated: 11:31 BST, 22 August 2024 e-mail View comments Leith, Edinburgh ’s idiosyncratic dockland quarter, has historically insalubrious associations. A one-time stomping ground for sailors and ladies of the night, in the 1990s it infamously became the setting for Irvine Welsh ’s heroin addicts in Trainspotting. But don’t let that put you off.
The past two decades have seen a steady gentrification, with the introduction of widened boulevards, a tram route, and a plethora of new bars, restaurants and interesting shops. A perfect place to escape the busiest crowds as the Edinburgh International Festival gets into the swing of things this month (running until August 25), and just a short tram-ride from the Royal Mile’s fusty tartanry. All lit up: Katie Tilbury explores Leith, Edinburgh’s 'idiosyncratic' dockland quarter (above) 'The past two decades have seen a steady gentrification [of Leith], with the introduction of widened boulevards, a tram route, and a plethora of new bars, restaurants and interesting shops,' writes Katie Leith was once a separate entity .