Moxy Edinburgh Fountainbridge

Dogfriendly Magazine Review

Read our comprehensive review of this listing printed in our bi-monthly magazine.

Name: Moxy Edinburgh Fountainbridge
Reviewer: Rebecca Bray

In September Bailey and I decided to hit the road for our annual holiday and make the trek to Edinburgh, unaware that it is one of the top places you can visit with your dog. This became obvious during our stay. You can take your furry partner into the majority of cafes, pubs and tours and there are even some castles you can visit with your dog.

We started off by taking the six-hour long train journey from South Wales to Edinburgh and straight away off the train you found dogs all around you. We found a taxi to take us to our hotel and he seemed amazed that I even asked if Bailey was allowed in the taxi. We got to our hotel, the Moxy Edinburgh in Fountainbridge, where we were welcomed with a nice quiet room away from the lifts. The rooms are quite small, but big enough for one or two people and a small dog. They allowed Bailey to go on the beds and during our five-night stay, they allowed him to sit with me for dinner in the downstairs restaurant, where he made friends with a few nice people that couldn’t resist giving him a little treat off their plates. They also allowed him to sit next to me on the cushioned seat in the rooftop Bar 51 where we enjoyed the cooler night air and the beautiful views.

With the amount of walking we did in the days, you wouldn’t expect my small 5kg dog to want to go out in the evening for another walk, but alas we found one of Bailey and my favourite places in Edinburgh. Just a short 10-minute walk away from the hotel is a large park with stunning views of both the mountains and castle. Called Bruntsfield Links and connected to The Meadows you can walk the perimeter of the park and come to sit at the top and simply enjoy the views until late in the evening. There are a lot of dog walkers in the area. It can get busy as it’s adjacent to the university buildings. There are a lot of little pubs around the park where you can enjoy a friendly meal at with your pooch. And on the walk from the hotel to the park you pass the Cameo Cinema, which also shows dog friendly films. We didn’t get a chance to visit the cinema on this occasion.

If you really want to see the sights and learn a bit of the history, I would recommend Wee Walking Tours. The guide, Sami, based the tour on what the group was interested in, making it fun and insightful to walk the streets and showing you the hidden gems of Edinburgh. Like the beautiful Grassmarket where you can get a view of the castle and walk the old cobbled streets. You are escorted on your tour by a gorgeous Golden Retriever called Sawyer.

We even got to take a day trip with Edinburgh Bus Tours and Forth Boat Tours where we saw some seals and glimpsed some highland cows. Everyone was very accommodating to the small pup with me and it didn’t take long before Bailey was staring out of the windows of the bus to see the sights and peering over the side of the boatIf you are looking for something different to do, these tours do allow you to see some wildlife and the beautiful views of Edinburgh from outside the main city.

If you’re not into the tours and guides, we had a great day walking up Arthur’s Seat on our own. It offers some amazing views of the city both at the top and on the way up as well, and you can make it a circular walk to last a bit longer. It allows dogs to venture up to the top off-lead, the whole way with patches of grassland for a good play with a ball.

There are lots of places for dogs and owners to eat in Edinburgh. We enjoyed many delicious foods around the city including the City Cafe just a short walk down the Royal Mile and near our hotel and Le Petit Cafe, where I recommend getting a takeaway box and heading towards the Princes Street gardens, to enjoy the views while you eat your breakfast. In the centre of the main city it’s another great park to let your dog roam free and see the beautiful grounds. And some months of the year you can find the odd concert being performed in the main gardens.

You won’t run out of pubs to go and grab some food. A few were even extra accommodating to us and had bowls for Bailey to drink from. They are spread all over the city and we tried a few, including The Beehive Inn, where you’ll see a few dogs. The Nauticus Bar, just outside of the Royal Mile, will fill you up with good food and a good drink. We ducked in here on a wet day and the staff couldn’t have been more helpful, offering Bailey a place on one of the window seats and a full water bowl. The perfect quiet place to dry off and eat.

If you are a book nerd like me, you’ll love the bookstores that Edinburgh has to offer, where your dog can venture inside, including Waterstones which allows you to sit in the cafe with your dog.

Some smaller, old-fashioned stores up the road from the Grassmarket include the bookshops of Armchair Books and Edinburgh Books, both of which allow dogs to sit with you as you read or browse. 

Suffice to say Edinburgh was packed full of adventure and it got Bailey’s high five of approval.

Moxy Edinburgh Fountainbridge, review by Rebecca Bray and appears in DogFriendly magazine issue 80.  For more information on the DogFriendly magazine visit https://www.dogfriendly.co.uk/magazine