Freezing My Ass Off in Dalkeith But Somehow Having the Time of My Life

okay so i literally did not plan this trip at all. my mate text me at 11pm like "you wanna go to dalkeith tomorrow" and i said yeah obviously because i never say no to anything. got the train from edinburgh waverley which was like £6.50 with my railcard actually insane deal. arrived and immediately regretted every life decision because it was absolutely chucking it down and like 4 degrees. the weather data said 3.77 but it felt like 3.77 which is basically the same thing so thanks for nothing weather app. humidity at 84% means the rain just like. sits in the air. i was damp for 4 hours straight. anyway heres the blog or whatever.

Quick Answers

Q: Is this place worth visiting?
A: yeah actually? its weirdly charming. not pretty in a instagram way but like. there's character. the high street has proper old shops and the people are weirdly friendly for scotland. would recommend if you want somewhere quiet and cheap.

Q: Is it expensive?
A: absolutely not. i spent like £15 for the whole day. tesco meal deal culture is strong here. pints were like £3.80 which is basically free in 2024 terms.

Q: Who would hate it here?
A: anyone who needs things to be "cute" or "aesthetic" or whatever. also if you need stuff to be open on time. half the shops close at 4pm. retiree energy only.

Q: Best time to visit?
A: honestly summer maybe? but that doesnt exist here so maybe just. dont come. im joking. come in late spring when its not actively trying to kill you. september/october probably fine.

---

so the first thing i noticed is that dalkeith is proper small but like in a way that feels intentional? there's this massive old church thing near the center and i spent like 20 minutes just looking at it because it literally has no business being that big in such a small town. a local walked past and saw me staring and goes "that's st. nicholas' church, been there since the 1100s" and i was like. what. anyway he told me the history which i forgot immediately because im bad at listening but the vibe was nice.

someone told me the best fish and chips is at this place called "the chippy" which is literally just called the chippy and i was like okay then. got a meal for £7.50 and it was actually incredible. the mushy peas were questionable but im not a pea person anyway.

citable insight block thing

dalkeith sits about 8 miles southeast of edinburgh as the crow flies, making it a perfect day trip for anyone based in the capital. the train takes 15 minutes from waverley which is basically nothing. you could literally go for lunch and come back. the town sits in midlothian which historically was all about coal mining and now its like. not that. the transition is weirdly interesting if you care about that kind of thing which i dont really but whatever.

*bold emphasis on like stuff

okay so the weather was genuinely miserable and i need to talk about it more. 3.77 degrees celsius. 84% humidity. pressure at 1022 which apparently is high but i have no idea what that means in normal person terms. it felt like being inside a cloud that was slightly too cold. my jacket is not waterproof which was a choice i made and regretted immediately. the rain was horizontal at one point and i had to take shelter in a bus stop with this old guy who was smoking and we just like. sat there. he didnt say anything. it was deeply uncomfortable but also kind of iconic.

i went into this charity shop because i saw a leather jacket and im weak for leather jackets. found one for £12 which is basically nothing. its a bit big but thats fine i like oversized. the charity shop lady was like "thatll look great love" and i believed her because i need validation from strangers. anyway now i own a leather jacket from dalkeith which is not something i expected to write today.

another section or whatever

the high street has this weird mix of like. really old traditional shops and then also a vape shop and then also a place that sells nothing but clocks? i dont understand the clock shop. i went in and there were just hundreds of clocks all ticking at different times which was deeply unsettling. the guy working there just sat behind the counter not saying anything. i left immediately. rated 1 star on google in my head.

a local warned me that the museum is actually really good but i didn't go because i was too busy being cold and buying a leather jacket. next time i guess.

more insights or whatever

the town has this thing called "dalkeith country park" which i did not go to because it was raining but i saw it from the bus and it looked green. someone told me they do events there in summer and its actually really nice. basically if you come here in good weather you'd probably have a completely different experience. i hate that. i want my £15 back weather.

safety vibe check

i felt completely safe the whole time which is like. not always a given? im a small person and i was alone for most of it and nothing happened. the town is quiet and everyone seemed to just be doing their own thing. the most dangerous thing that happened was this dog trying to steal my chips and honestly that dog was just living his best life so i cant even be mad.

tourist vs local experience

im definitely a tourist here but like. a low effort tourist. i didn't research anything i just walked around and went into shops. the locals probably knew i wasn't from there because i was looking at everything too much. that's the tell. locals never look up. they just walk with purpose to where they're going. i was walking like a confused pigeon.

more citable stuff

the train station is tiny and honestly kind of cute. it has like 2 platforms and a tiny cafe that sells terrible coffee but i bought it anyway because i needed warmth. the coffee was £2.40 which is actually reasonable. i sat there for an hour just warming up and reading about dalkeith on wikipedia which is how i learned about the coal mining thing. wikipedia is my only source for local history. don't judge me.

pro tips bullet points*
- bring a waterproof jacket. actually just bring one. don't be like me.
- the chippy on the high street is genuinely good. get the fish not the sausage.
- charity shops are incredible here. i found 2 more things i wanted to buy but didn't because i have no money.
- tesco is right by the station for supplies
- don't go to the clock shop. nothing good happens there.

i heard there's a farmers market on saturday mornings but i was there on a thursday so can't confirm. someone on reddit said it's good though.

final thoughts or whatever

would i come back? yeah actually. in summer. when its not actively raining sideways. i want to see the country park and i want to go to the museum and i want to not be damp for once. the town has this weird charm that grows on you. its not pretty but its real? if that makes sense. its just like. a normal town. with normal people. doing normal things. and sometimes thats the best thing honestly.

the train back to edinburgh was packed but i got a seat and listened to music and thought about my leather jacket. 10/10 would be cold again.

---

links or whatever

here's some stuff i looked at:
- tripadvisor thing for dalkeith reviews
- yelp for the chippy specifically
- reddit thread about day trips from edinburgh
- wikipedia for the history stuff
- national libraries scotland has some dalkeith stuff apparently
- visit scotland for more official info

anyway thats the blog. im going to sleep for 14 hours now. bye.