January arrives quietly, after the clatter and colour of December have packed themselves away. The city exhales. Pavements feel wider, mornings are pale and unhurried, and there’s a particular clarity to the air after frost. Edinburgh in January is stripped back and honest – less performance, more presence.
So it’s time to slowly start changing… or perhaps evolving the blog. It’s been 10 years since I started writing Edinburgh with Kids and whilst I still obviously have children, they are now less ‘kid’ and more ‘teen’. Life feels very different from the time I started, and it’s become less fun to create content that’s so focused on life with little ones. So it’s time to embrace some new things (and many of the same old things too!)
I still plan to highlight and review as many aspects of Edinburgh as I can. I still have other friends who will write and review from time to time – who do have younger children. But I’m also keen to share the aspects of Edinburgh that I love that don’t always involve my children – brunch dates, book shops, hill walks, coffee haunts, dinners with friends, a theatre production – and perhaps just small observations of life here in the capital. So, there you have – a view from Edinburgh.
This is a month for noticing rather than doing too much. For short walks in low light, warm cups held between cold hands, and the reassurance of routine returning gently. If November is about turning inward, January is about beginning again – slowly, without fuss.
Things to Note and Notice
Nature Spot
January’s palette is subtle but rich if you take the time to look. The trees are skeletal now, their shapes more visible against wide skies. In parks and along old stone walls, mosses glow electric green after rain, and lichens cling in intricate patterns – tiny worlds thriving in the cold.
Listen for birdsong on brighter mornings. Robins are particularly bold just now, staking out territory, while great tits and blue tits flit busily through bare branches. Along the Water of Leith and the Union Canal, you might spot grey herons standing statue-still, and if there’s been a hard frost, the city’s ponds and reservoirs take on a glassy, silvery calm.
At market stalls and greengrocers, January is firmly root-vegetable territory. Potatoes, leeks, onions, swede, parsnips and carrots dominate – humble ingredients that reward slow cooking. Kale and winter greens are at their best, and stored apples still appear, a little softer now, perfect for pies and stewed puddings.
Turning the Year: Old Traditions and New Starts
In older traditions, January wasn’t about dramatic reinvention. It was a hinge month – a pause between what had been and what would grow again. In the Celtic calendar, the earth is still resting, seeds held quietly underground. Nothing is rushed.
You can feel that sensibility in Edinburgh just now. The castle sits heavy against the sky, smoke curls from chimneys in Stockbridge and Marchmont, and the Botanics feel almost monastic in their winter stillness. This is a good month for modest intentions: to walk a little more, read a little deeper, and pay attention to the small structures that hold daily life together.
Things to Plan and Do
Winter Light Walks
January light is fleeting but beautiful. Aim for a short walk at either end of the day rather than something ambitious. Calton Hill remains unbeatable for watching dawn or dusk – the city laid out beneath you in shades of blue and grey, the Forth catching the last of the light.
Another gentle option is Inverleith Park, where the open sky makes even brief sunshine feel generous. On a clear day, the view to the castle across the water has a clean, almost Nordic feel in winter.
Museums for Cold Days
January is an ideal museum month. The National Museum of Scotland is always worth revisiting – especially its quieter upper floors, where you can wander without urgency. The Scottish National Gallery offers both shelter and beauty, a place to warm up slowly and let your eyes rest on colour after so much winter grey.
A Low-Key Cultural Evening
This is the time for smaller pleasures rather than big nights out. A film at the Cameo, a talk or recital at the Queen’s Hall, or an early evening concert followed by a simple supper feels exactly right for January’s mood.
Mini Adventures & Walking Routes
Soft city loop: Start at Stockbridge, follow the Water of Leith towards Dean Village, then loop back through the New Town streets. Look for frost lingering in shaded corners and the sound of water moving steadily onward.
Open horizon walk: Blackford Hill or the Braid Hills are particularly fine in January, when the air is sharp and the views stretch far. Choose a clear day, wrap up well, and don’t rush – the reward is space and perspective.
Coastal calm: If you’re willing to travel a little, Portobello in winter has its own quiet magic. The promenade is calmer, the sea steel-grey, and a brisk walk here followed by a hot drink feels bracing in the best sense.
Bring gloves, a hat, and something warm to drink if you can. January walks are about comfort as much as distance.
A January Treat
January calls for nourishment rather than indulgence. Soup feels like the right answer to most questions: lentil and carrot, leek and potato, or a simple broth simmered slowly on the stove. Light a candle at the table, even on an ordinary weekday – small rituals matter in this month. Our absolute favourite candle shop is the Melrose Candle Company on Howe Street. They have the best scents and are pet friendly. If you are in Edinburgh, the shop is well-worth a visit as I do think scent is quite a personal taste but they do have a website for those further afield and very good descriptions!
For a café stop, look for somewhere cosy rather than fashionable: somewhere with steamed-up windows and a sense you’re allowed to linger. Or stay home, put something gentle on the radio, and let the afternoon pass without measuring it too closely.
January doesn’t demand reinvention. It asks only for attention: to light, to weather, to the quiet persistence of life beneath the cold. Edinburgh wears this month well – all stone and sky, steadiness and grace.
Wishing you a January of clear air, small beginnings, and the comfort of moving gently into the year ahead.
