The Edinburgh Minute ⏰ Wednesday 5 August 2026
New bus routes bid to beat George Street gridlock, National Galleries of Scotland staff to strike, Princes Street reopening timeline extended by another week + the monthly Water of Leith wildlife update from Tom Kelly
🌤️ Good morning Edinburgh. The weekly Culture Minute newsletter will drop into paying subscribers' inboxes later today. It's the last one for the month... because it's going daily with the Edinburgh Festival Minute, just like last year. The separation is important, as daily life goes on outside the festivals and there's a lot going on. Imagine you had to find out all of this by yourself, it would take you all day. It takes me all day and I love doing it, so thanks to everyone who helps make this newsletter happen. Here’s Wednesday's Edinburgh Minute.
⛈️ There's a chance of rain throughout today, as well as a high chance of clickbait headlines about thunderstorms. However a Met Office warning for thunder came and went between 10am and 10pm yesterday. Today's top temperature is forecast to be 19C around 3pm, with a low of 12C overnight. Drier tomorrow. - The full Met Office forecast for Edinburgh is here.
🚎 Amid repeated bottlenecks around George Street since the 9 July Princes Street fire, Lothian Buses is introducing new diversions from this morning to tackle rush-hour gridlock, following 'a detailed review of the latest data'.
- The westbound service number 15 will now completely avoid George Street and be re-routed via North Bridge, South Bridge, Chambers Street, George IV Bridge, Teviot Place and Lauriston Place then rejoin its normal route.
- The westbound number 33 bus will also avoid George Street completely, being re-routed via Nicolson Square, Potterrow, Teviot Place, Lauriston Place, Lothian Road, West Approach Road, Morrison Link and Morrison Street.
- Westbound 34 buses will avoid George Street, instead going around the back of the castle too via North Bridge, South Bridge, Chambers Street, George IV Bridge, Bristo Place, Teviot Place, Lauriston Place, Lauriston Street and on to East Fountainbridge.
- An important note for all of the above: Before 9am and after 8pm, those westbound services (15, 33 and 34) will follow their current Princes Street and George Street diversion.
- The eastbound diversion for these services will remain via George Street and Princes Street at all times. - There are maps for the new diversions on the Lothian Buses website.
🚧 The partial closure of Princes Street continues, and may continue for longer than initially expected. In a private briefing for councillors, the reopening timeline has been extended by a week beyond the previously stated plan of around August 19, reports Brian Ferguson in The Herald.
Brian Ferguson
☕️ Vittoria Group director Leandro Crolla said his Leith Walk restaurant Brunswick Book Club was suffering from the trams being suspended. He wrote on LinkedIn:
"Genuinely never thought there'd be a day I'd miss Edinburgh Trams not running, but here we are. I was one who said they weren't worth it; turns out I was wrong. Leith's feeling them being off right now. Footfall's down, and it's hitting the small independents hardest - right at the start of Fringe, when they need it least. "Sorry" doesn't really cut it for the businesses losing out over this."
🖼️ Staff at the National Galleries of Scotland will begin strike this Friday to protest 'management imposing detrimental changes to working practices and their failure to consult'. They are planning walk outs on 7, 8, 11, 12, 16, 16, 19 and 20 August and picket lines at the Mound are planned on certain dates listed on the Public and Commercial Services Union website. PCS Scotland national officer, Ruby Gibson, said:
"These four days of strike action will cause significant disruption during a high-profile time of the year. The shameless attempts by senior management to use taxpayers’ money to pay overtime in an effort to undermine a strike is the latest misstep from a management team who need to take their heads out of the sand and consult with PCS rather than impose detrimental changes."
- The NGS previously said it chose not to fill five vacant positions. In a BBC Scotland report yesterday, the organisation added: "No-one has lost their jobs and service delivery is unaffected. Colleagues, visitors and the art in our care remain our top priorities."
🎭 New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pulled out of a Fringe event at The Stand, due to 'the demands of being Prime Minister'. The event had been booked before he took office. - Organisers shared their views with Andrew Learmonth in The Herald. The paper's Arts and Entertainment Journalist Brian Ferguson said: "Poor show from the PM, who should have taken the opportunity to meet all of the main festival organisers in the city and discuss how to meaningfully support the UK's biggest cultural gathering."
✉️ Local school pupils received their exam results yesterday. The council said there had been 'a significant improvement' in results. In summary, 11,226 pupils received 59,459 SQA awards across 164 subjects, with pass rates at 80.9% for National 5s (up 0.9% on 2025) and 78.5% for Highers (up 1.9% on last year). - The council press release is here.
⚽️ Among a group of Broughton High School pupils quoted in the council press release linked above are 16-year-olds Lennon Watts and Dan McCandless who are both said to have promising football careers. Watts achieved six Nat 5s at A and B level and is going on to play full-time with the Celtic under-19 squad. He will go to school one day a week to study two Highers. McCandless got six Nat 5s at A level and is going to play with the Hearts under-17 squad next year while also schooling full time.
🚎 Buses aren't making it to Ocean Terminal shopping centre after 'small area of carriageway subsidence' was discovered last week, forcing a road closure. - Heather Carrick has the details in the Evening News.
🛣️ If you've ever driven on the City Bypass, you'll probably know about traffic going slow either side of the Lothianburn Junction near Hillend. In a bid to keep things moving, roads bosses are planning a 'package of trial measures designed to improve traffic flows'. The plans include cones 'to improve lane discipline and ‘cutting in’ and an effort to prevent queue-jumping ‘sling shot’ manoeuvres, reports Midlothian View Editor, Phil Bowen.
Admin
🏊♂️ "Give us a chance to fight for our lives." - Edinburgh-based swimmer Archie Goodburn, who swam for Scotland last month at the Commonwealth Games, made an emotional plea on live TV directly to Prime Minister Andy Burnham, calling for more research and funding in to brain cancer. The 25-year-old was diagnosed with incurable brain cancer when he was 22. - The clip is on the BBC website and there's a longer version with more context on Instagram.
📝 A new creative writing exhibition has opened at the Writers’ Museum (in Lady Stair's Close) showcasing the personal stories of women from Edinburgh’s Black and Asian communities. - More details via the council here.
🌱 Some rare plants at the Botanics had a 'near-death experience' when glass from an an old vent mechanism shattered on them, reports Jane Bradley in The Scotsman.
🍽️ The Witchery on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh has become the latest Scottish restaurant to take farmed salmon off its menu due to 'environmental and welfare concerns'. - Rosalind Erskine, The Scotsman.
📌 Edinburgh Minute Community Noticeboard
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🦊 Wildlife on the Water of Leith - JULY 2026 - 'Plenty of wildlife activity along the Water of Leith in July. Kingfishers prepare for second broods, more roe deer kids appear, while buzzards and tawny owls hunt the riverbanks. Then a fox makes an unforgettable catch…. enjoy!' - The video is here, shared by Tom Kelly, GoWildInEdinburgh.co.uk.
🏡 Location, Location, Location is coming to Edinburgh! - 'Channel 4’s primetime property programme Location, Location, Location is looking for house hunters in and around Edinburgh for the new series.' - More details here, shared by Maddi Scott, IWC Media.
📖 New comic about delivery riders and the history of caddies in Edinburgh - 'A new comic by local comic artist Tom Humberstone about delivery riders, gig work, platform capitalism, and the history of couriers. Featuring stories about caddies in Edinburgh and what it's like to be a rider in the city. Read it online for free!' - More details here, shared by Tom Humberstone.
🏃♂️ Runners of Leith x Otherworld Taproom 5k [Monthly]
Fri 07 August - 'Socially paced 5km followed by drink and food at Otherworld Bar and Kitchen. 10% off food and drink for all runners!'
6.30pm to 9.30pm | Otherworld Bar & Kitchen · Canonmills & Broughton | FREE - More details here, shared by Runners of Leith.
🌈 Queer Run Porty Social 5k
Sat 08 August - 'Queer Run Porty is a new, low-key social running group for queer and trans folk 🏖️ Meeting outside Tribe Porty, we'll run 5k, followed by coffee on the prom. The pace is chill, the goal is caffeine and new pals. Come ready to run! (No bag drop) 👟💕'
10am to 11am | Tribe Porty · Portobello | FREE - More details here, shared by Queer Run Porty.
😊 TheGetDown#16 - PayBack Day To Night Rave: RICHIE FINGERS
Sat 08 August - '💛💛 The Rave is Back! 💛💛 You asked for it, so we're doing it again-this time on a Saturday! Day to Night Payback Rave, back to '88-'94 and back to LOVE. No egos. No phones. Just smiles, unity and hands in the air. Are you ready? 150+ Tickets gone!'
4pm to 12am | Leith Arches · Leith | £12 - More details here, shared by Ricardo, Luvin'Leith Events.
🍷 Wrigglers After Dark!
Sat 08 August - 'An hour of violin and cello music presented with background stories about the composers and their extraordinary lives. Some familiar and some less so - but all fascinating! Wine included. Louise Bevan - violin, Clea Friend - cello. 5 star review 2025'
9pm to 10pm | Stockbridge Parish Church · Stockbridge - More details here, shared by a Minute reader.
🎶 Edinburgh Rock Choir at Foodies Festival
Sun 09 August - 'Come and listen to 100 choir members singing popular songs at Foodies Festival Inverleith Park'
12pm to 12.30pm | Inverleith Park · Inverleith - More details here, shared by a Minute reader.
💡 How Tech Startups Rewire Your Brain [Until Thu]
Wed 12 August - 'Humorous lessons from 38 years running Tech Startups by someone who made a life changing amount of money multiple times. No tech knowledge required. (I don't have much myself).'
1pm to 2pm | CodeBase · Tollcross | FREE - More details here, shared by Ken Charman, Land Rover Diaries.
🛍️ TBCo Sample Sale - Edinburgh [Until Sun]
Thu 13 August - 'We've cleared out our studio drawers and handpicked samples, prototypes, press pieces, photoshoot originals, and past-season archive stock.'
5pm to 9pm | TBCo · Leith | FREE - More details here, shared by a Minute reader.
🏛️ Corstorphine and Clermiston Community Council Meeting [Monthly]
Tue 18 August - 'The next Corstorphine and Clermiston Community Council meeting is at the Beith Room at St Ninian's Church, Corstorphine on Tuesday 18th August 7-9pm. No tickets or pre-booking required. Come along to hear about issues affecting our area.'
7pm to 9pm | St. Ninian’s Church Corstorphine · Corstorphine | FREE - More details here, shared by Bruce Mason, Corstorphine and Clermiston Community Council.
📮 What's missing from the Minute? Got an event to share? Nothing's too local! Please share your local news and events here. Remember you can always see all 190+ upcoming local events on TownSpot calendars and maps.
👀 The most-visited links from the last newsletter:
- 🚔 North Bridge vandalised with graffiti after reopening.
- Shed of the Year winner in Morningside.
- 🚲 'New contender for world's worst cycle lane'.
- 🎭 'The 20 festival shows everyone will be talking about'.
- 🎟️ Trainspotting musical cancelled due to low sales.
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