The absence of an authoritative insider’s guide to Edinburgh that might help visitors discover its hidden secrets and sidestep the tourist traps. I just hope, in its own small way, this piece might help to maintain that state of affairs.

Saving the Pennies

Edinburgh in August is notoriously expensive, but those in the know can find ways to make ends meet. If money is tight but you’re dying to watch people marching up and down a square, you’d do well to take advantage of the innovative ‘Tattoo-for-one’ deal offered by most of the city’s licensed body artists. Simply choose from one of the three approved designs – a dolphin, a Celtic cross, or an approximate likeness of ex-Aberdeen hard man Doug Rougvie – and claim your free ticket for the annual military jamboree on your way out. Or if painful permanent inking isn’t your thing, try the cut-price matinee where the RAF flypast is replaced by four taxi drivers honking their horns. And don’t forget the Free Fringe, where up-and-coming comedians and hairdressers join forces for a festival experience that’s guaranteed to surprise.

Accommodation costs can be prohibitive, but before you spend your life savings on a box room overlooking the Seafield Household Waste Recycling Centre, consider the alternative options available to an August visitor on a budget. Fringe performers whose ticket sales have fallen short of expectations will be only too happy to sub-let sleeping space in their flats for a weekly rate as low as £150 per square foot (£200 if carpeted). And the City of Edinburgh Council website now provides a handy interactive map of available free parking for those planning to live in their cars for the month.

Getting Around

Visitors to the city can enjoy smooth travel on an extensive and integrated tram network, with 29 routes, almost 50 miles of track and over 300 vehicles. Simply set your time machine for August 1950 to enjoy all these benefits – though do bear in mind that at this point in history, the Fringe doesn’t yet exist, and post-war rationing remains in place for meat, confectionery and flavoured vapes. Or if you prefer, leave the time machine at home and enjoy a leisurely half-hour taking in the sights of modern-day Princes Street from a barely moving bus or tram.

If you prefer to travel on foot, remember that this is a city of hills and bridges – so two roads that appear to intersect on a map may in fact be separated by a drop of 20 metres or more. Should you find yourself stranded on George IV Bridge when you need to be on the Cowgate below, you can always call on the services of one of Edinburgh’s many freelance bungee operators, though we’d recommend shopping around for one with four or more stars on Tripadvisor – roughly equivalent to a 95% survival rate.

Beyond the Fringe

As the Fringe has steadily grown into the corporate behemoth we know and love, some say the ‘true’ Fringe now exists on the fringes of the Fringe itself, if not on the fringes of those Fringes. Increasingly popular offshoots include Fringe by the Sea in North Berwick, Fringe by the Grace of God at St Giles’ Cathedral, Fringe by the Bogs in Princes Street Gardens, and Fringe by Gum in multiple venues across Yorkshire – though the last of these has been widely criticised for both geographical remoteness and regional stereotyping.

Leith Itself

Somehow manages to feel like both an active part of the Fringe and a welcome haven from it. But the changes that festival season brings are still noticeable to the eagle-eyed. On Leith Walk’s iconic zig-zag cycle lane – lovingly modelled on the historic route taken by pedestrians to sidestep dog turds on the pavement in the 1980s – two-wheeled bikes are almost imperceptibly replaced by unicycles and rickshaws.

Lost Map’s Howlin’ Fringe brings its trademark glitz, glamour, gala receptions and multi-million-pound light shows all the way from the Isle of Eigg to the homely surroundings of Leith FAB Cricket Club. And Storries Home Bakery begins its shameless August cash-in, getting away with charging up to £3000 for a macaroni pie by passing off bits of congealed coloured cheddar as authentic gold leaf – or ‘gold Leith’, as whimsically described on their seven-course tasting menu.