Valentine's Day: Where to spend it in Edinburgh and Glasgow

Edinburgh

For a Valentine’s date on a budget, Edinburgh has plenty to offer – there’s certainly no shortage of lovely walks. Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden down near Stockbridge is free and ideal for a daytime stroll. Close by is the Water of Leith, a perfect route for cycling as a pair without the distraction of cars and buses. For a more sedentary and indulgent pastime, The Chocolate Tree in Bruntsfield is an ideal place to meet and wile away an afternoon with hot chocolate, ice cream and more chocolate-based fancies. There’s also Lovecrumbs over in West Port which, if we judge by the name alone, is surely the ultimate location for a Valentine’s Day date. It’s a lovely wee cafe with a great selection of cakes and hot beverages in cute vintage surroundings. And there’s a nice selection of vintage clothes and bookshops in the area to peruse afterwards.

If money is no object, Under The Stairs has been voted by Skinny readers as one of Edinburgh’s top date venues (in our Food and Drink Survey 2014). It’s a cosy, comfy bar and has a decent lunch and dinner menu including share boards (ideal date food) which feature extremely tasty morsels of things which have been pickled. It might then be best to freshen your breath with a cocktail or two after your meal. Then, for a classic cinema date head to The Dominion. You won’t pay under a tenner but you will get free Pringles! It's also rather luxuriously equipped with what could be described as ‘love seats’ (aka huge leather sofas) to watch the latest blockbusters from – none of those pesky armrests getting in the way of your lovin'. Whiski Rooms on the Mound is another smashing date option for fine dining and a bit of whisky tasting. Or for a super-romantic blow-the-budget evening head to Monteiths. If you’re starting the evening walking through a close of fairy lights you can’t go far wrong. Monteiths is all about contemporary Scottish cuisine and cocktails, and it does both those things really well with an original twist to traditional fare.

And for something a bit different, how about the Zoo? Just because Tian Tian and Yang Guang aren’t getting it on it doesn’t mean that Edinburgh Zoo is anything less than a trusty date venue. Stuck for chat? Look at what that monkey’s doing! Loads of fun guaranteed and an old school charm to the whole thing. Speaking of pandas... all-new, quirky bar on Queen Street, Panda and Sons, is certainly a talking point. Disguised as a barber shop, it’s actually a swanky cocktail joint with one of those secret bookcase doors and a speakeasy behind it. For a bit more culture, a skulk around the Scottish National Gallery is a good option too. And trying out a life drawing class is bound to spark conversation. Or how about a wee game of skittles in The Sheep Heid Inn, Edinburgh’s oldest surviving pub with Scotland’s oldest surviving skittle alley! Located in lovely Duddingston village, it’s the ideal distance from town for a dual cycle over – perhaps on a tandem? [ER]

Glasgow

Romance on a budget; it’s a walk in the park, right? They don’t call Glasgow the Dear Green Place for nothing – with over 90 parks to its name. Costing not a penny, a romantic stroll in the park is a winner, even in February. Queen’s Park in the Southside is particularly recommended. Once you’ve conquered its hills, the reward is views across the city and beyond, to the Campsie Fells. After all that exertion, some cake is surely in order – located a stone’s throw from Queen’s Park, Lovestruck is aptly named for Valentine’s Day, and it serves up mini New York style cheesecakes; what's not to like? Alternatively, head to The Glad Cafe, one of the winners of Best Place for a First Date category in this year’s Food and Drink Survey. Laid back, with a mouth-watering array of cakes, it’s the place to linger with your loved one – although the tables are massive, so you might have to share. Looking for something a little more lively? Head to Stereo in the city centre. With food served upstairs until 3am, and live music downstairs, it’s the perfect venue for getting sweaty and intimate. And, this V-Day they're hosting a party with Kid Canaveral and Malcolm Middleton. Romantic.

Feeling flush? Splash out on cocktails in the bar at luxury spa/hotel, Blythswood Square. With a drinks book the length of a Russian novel, there’s bound to be one that takes your fancy. And then, relax, breathing in the glamorous interior. Finnieston is also a good bet if you’re after some opulent dining, with fancy new restaurants seemingly springing up every other week. The phone-boxed sized Crabshakk is a firmly established favourite, with its pared down décor signaling that they mean business. And that business is seafood, in all its myriad forms. Or head across the road the the Kelvingrove Cafe, a stripped back, classy local featuring oysters, steak and everything in between. Then, for a treat, head a few doors down to The Finnieston, another seafood joint, for after-dinner drinks – the bar has nine different Champagne varieties to choose from, ranging from £50 to (gulp) £360. Love points right there.

For some quirkier options, remember it doesn’t always have to be about wining and dining. Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre in the Trongate is quirky and atmospheric, with sculptures dancing in time to music. Witty, magical and moving (literally) – and from only £4. Or, celebrate the day of love by recognising the inevitability of death at the nearby Necropolis, where 50,000 dead are interred. Serene, with beautiful monuments, and more great views over the city, it’s not quite as morbid a date location as it seems. Alternatively, The Climbing Academy at Kinning Park is a cave of a venue. Colourful, with brightly coloured routes dotted all over low walls; here it’s all about bouldering – that is, scrambling up walls without ropes. One for the thrill seekers. Finally, for something more sedate, head to the CCA on Sauchiehall Street. A multi arts venue, its high ceilings and twinkly lights provide a romantic atmosphere for a vegetarian meal in the café. Or visit the cinema, that most traditional of date venues, to catch something at the Glasgow Short Film Festival, which runs all Valentine's weekend. [LM]