The Parting Glass.

That’s a Scottish wrap. And a pint!

So. My first virginal Edinburgh Fringe is over (see my earlier post.) I’m sitting writing this in the Canon’s Gate Pub on the Royal Mile. And for the last time this year, I shall take in another, and the final, excellent ‘Late With Kate’. With the brilliant comedian and writer, Kate Smurthwaite.

I’ve not had time to process things yet, but I shall have a few pints to celebrate getting here, to the last night of the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe!

Now I’m on the (much delayed) train home. I did have a couple of pints last night. Kate was excellent as always, as were her guest comedians, including Mr Meredith, who London Literary Pub Crawlers might remember from The Coach and Horses Pub in Soho, in the days when there used to be pianists on a Saturday night. We chatted about how I might revive my spoken-word event ‘The SpeakEasy Cabaret.’

I think the London Edinburgh Literary Pub Crawl concept is right, and the experience has grown over the month. I like that we can shine a light on how we are all writers – English and Scottish – and how English and other writers love (and hate) affairs with Edinburgh, and the lovely city has influenced their lives.

I’ve also become a fan of ‘Rabbie’ Burns, the Scottish poet. And might do something with that later.

If you came to the Crawl, please get in touch and tell me what you thought. I deliberately didn’t invite the press because it was a work in progress.

And as I left the venue earlier, one of the lovely staff who’d been on the tour turned round and said,

“Great show. We had a lot of fun. See you next year?”

That, to quote Hamlet, is the question!