With rows of tawny-coloured tenements, massive student population, a surfeit of artsy cafés and independent grocery stores, Marchmont's vibe falls somewhere between bohemian and genteel. It's bordered by the Meadows on one side, and the wealthy mansions of the Grange on the other, and has its own character as a fairly sleepy residential neighbourhood, disturbed only by the occasional blaring music of student flat parties.
When I lived here, I loved its smallness, and the village-like quality - the fact that, whenever I left my flat, I'd meet someone I knew, and could survive for days at a time without ever venturing across the Meadows, getting all I needed from the cornershop, having a pint in the Argyle down the road, renting DVDs from Alphabet, and generally shying away from the outside world.
Now that I've moved away, I feel slightly relieved to have escaped this insular community. Still, I'll always have a soft spot for Marchmont's leafy streets and turreted tenements. read more