This hidden corner of Edinburgh has pretty bakeries, independent book stores and some of the hottest restaurants in the city

Nearby, the thudding, rumbling and rattling of cars juddering over the cobbles reverberates with every passing vehicle. Away from the din, I’m trundling on foot downhill along narrower cobbled passageways that Edinburgh is so well known for. Either side of me are charmingly painted doorways, some with matching garages. Ivy cascades down old stone walls of cottagey-looking mews houses that were once stables and carriage houses, while pastel coloured roses climb up some of them too.

I’m walking away from the city centre, to the little dense pocket of Stockbridge, just one mile north from the centre, made up of only a few main streets. It’s the much cooler, younger neighbourhood of the city, away from the main tourist trappings and crowds. It’s still full of Edinburgh’s grand buildings, but it’s more relaxed and edgier – no tartan tat here. It’s evolved from a suburb dominated by charity shops and mediocre cafes to one with fine dining, independent shops and more bakeries, delis and wine bars than you can shake a stick at.

It’s only a short 15 minute walk, but it’s a heatwave and the mercury’s at a hefty 28C. Above, the cloudless sky looks like a blanket enveloping the tops of the aged and slightly blackened sandstone townhouses. As soon as I’m in Stockbridge, I make a beeline for Joelato, a little gelateria, for a small creamy pot of pistachio gelato and instantly I feel like I’m on holiday.

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I’m visiting Stockbridge in July – peak summer holiday season – but everyone I meet says Edinburgh is quiet. This city runs at its own pace, as come August, Edinburgh Fringe Festival transforms it into the world’s biggest performance arts festival and the city basically doesn’t sleep for a month. So many restaurants, shops, cafes and bars, even outside the centre, take stock before their busiest period ramps up.

One place in Stockbridge that is busy all year-round since it opened two years ago, with queues snaking out of the door and well round the corner (and not just on weekends), is Lannan Bakery. Owner Darcie Maher (former baker at the nearby Palmerston restaurant) knew Stockbridge was right for her, and says the area is so special as it “feels like its own little town that’s very…