Edinburgh is a victim of its own success. Residents are grappling with high prices, housing shortages, rising traffic and a city centre that’s geared more towards tourists than local people. But those of us who love to whinge about it, writes columnist Rebecca McQuillan, a serial moaner, should probably try to remember how lucky we are to live in such a booming city, slow-moving tour groups and all…

First the gripes.

Let’s start with the Edinburgh crowds. If I were on Room 101, people who stop in large groups in the middle of crowded pavements would be on my banishment list. Walking along Princes Street in December is like competing in a slalom, dodging round static, slack-jawed tourists mesmerised by the sight of the castle. Edinburgh to them is a fantasy made real. We should probably be charmed by the sight, as we rush for the bus. Generally we are not.

Edinburgh city centre has become the domain of tourists, with no such thing as an off-season. The sheer numbers have boomed since Covid and you can see that for yourself without knowing the official figures (which show a million more visitors per year than a decade ago). An old friend of mine who used to live here came to visit last December after 10 years and all she could talk about was how touristy the place had become. She couldn’t believe how many more pubs, bars and restaurants had sprung up.

The centre no longer felt like the beating heart of a working city, but more like an elaborate theme park. Fraser’s becoming the Johnnie Walker Experience symbolises that........

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