Edinburgh
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As Scotland's second largest city, and Scotland's capital, Edinburgh is considered the "first stop" for many tourists when visiting Scotland. Visitors are drawn to the city because of its historic castle, old town, famous sites and world renowned festivals such as Hogmanay and The Edinburgh International and Fringe festivals. Whilst history plays a major part in its alluring nature (for which Edinburgh received UNESCO world heritage status in 1995), it is fair to say that Edinburgh offers more than just ghost stories and tacky souvenir shops (of which there are many!). Edinburgh has something to offer for everyone. A photographer's paradise, an art lover's Mecca and a whisky connoisseur's dream. You'll find new surprises around every corner and down every twisting close. It has been said that Edinburgh is one of the only cities in the world where you can get lost and end up above where where you started! From the stunning views from many of the surrounding hills, to the unrivalled hospitality of the Edinburgh CS'ers, Edinburgh will offer you an experience of a lifetime. For a more detailed description take a look at the Edinburgh Travel Wiki.
CouchSurfing Community
There is an extremely strong and active CS community thriving in Edinburgh with new members joining on a daily basis. At present the group has more than 1200 members with a core of over 100 regulars. It is therefore unsurprising that you will find something going on most days of the week! Check out the Edinburgh Group for all the latest events, gossip, and info. In November 2008 there were 140 members offering their couches as a "yes or definite", with another 150 as maybes.
At present the group is moderated by four dedicated members, Vasilis, Florian, Debz and Calum, with Florian and Calum serving as the city's Ambassadors and Vasilis as a UK ambassador.
Moving to Edinburgh
Are you moving to Edinburgh? Have a look to this page which is more specific about the topic: Moving to Edinburgh
Events/Meets
Events and meets happen almost on a daily basis, whether it's someone hosting a dinner party, to just a meet down the pub. A well organized event will usually attract at the very least 5 or more members. If you're new or old, everyone is welcome to post meetings.
Florians Fantastic Movie Nights
Everyone gets together and enjoys the cushioned back room of the Brass Monkey every month to watch a few short films and a feature film usually with a Scottish theme or link selected carefully by Florian. Including the usual drinks and banter interleaved. The Brass Monkey is an amazing little pub with a back room that is practically one big couch (Moroccan-style cushions all over the floor!) so we thought it was the perfect location for a Couchsurfing Meet. Florian rents it out just for the occasion and showing films on their projector. Our last movie nights were a huge success so come out and help make this one even better!
The same procedure as every month James..:(but subject to change)
6pm - catch up
7pm - Short Films
8pm - Break, get fresh air and fresh refreshments :)
8.30pm - Feature Film
Pollock Hall Ceilidh
This event is a night of traditional Scottish dancing which is held once a month in South Hall/Pollock halls (Dalkeith Road) - It's so much fun that this monthly night of craziness has become a bit of CS Edinburgh regular event. Tickets can be bought online here(Or go to Ticket Scotland on Rose St) Its £8 (or £6 concession - ie. student) We usually meet up in the Crags bar beforehand to "warm up" and get into the dancing mood. Check the group for the next ceilidh.
General Tips
Safety For emergency Police, Ambulance, Fire Service or Coast Guard, dial 999, free from any phone.
Related Articles: Safety|Safety for surfers
Couches:
As when visiting try making your couch request personal! During busy periods such as August during the festival we recieve hundreds of requests, so mention something from a host's profile, maybe check this wiki (which you're obviously doing :P), the world wide web or your guide book to find out if there is something you are interested in doing/seeing. If in doubt, ask a friendly local.
If you are having loads of trouble finding a couch before you arrive you can make a last minute request in the group,it can't hurt but is generally frowned upon. If you still don't have any luck, alternatively, if you are a member of hospitality club or bewelcome, you could try your luck there....
Related Articles: How to write a CouchRequest|Cheat Sheet
Hidden Edinburgh / Insider Information
This blog offers good information in great detail about Edinburgh, essential things to do, reviews, day trips, and a lot more. Make sure you have a read. Thanks to Alison!
Craigmillar Castle
Craigmillar Castle is a ruined medieval castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is situated 3 miles (4.8 km) south-east of the city centre, on a low hill to the south of the modern suburb of Craigmillar. It was begun in the late 14th century by the Preston family, feudal barons of Craigmillar, and extended through the 15th and 16th centuries. In 1660 the castle was sold to Sir John Gilmour, Lord President of the Court of Session, who made further alterations. The Gilmours left Craigmillar in the 18th century, and the castle fell into ruin. It is now in the care of Historic Scotland. Personally I believe it's far better than Edinburgh castle, and is exactly what you would expect a castle to be like. It can be visited by taking the number 30, 2 or 14 Lothian bus.
If you're a bit tight on money you can enter for free but hopping over the little wire fence where I have indicated on the map. Follow the path up through the grass making, keeping out of sight of the small building near the car park. There are no ticket controls at the Castle Gate. Whilst probably illegal it will save you £4.10.
Blackford Quarry
Illegal Raves are held in Blackford Quarry from time to time. Having never been to one myself I have no idea if they are good or not. Sometimes they are shut down by the police. If I find any links to forums which have more details, I'll link them. Here's a map in case you wanted to chance your luck, or if you're into rock climbing then I've heard this is an amazing place to practice.
Innocent Railway Tunnel
Scotland's oldest railway tunnel is a hidden gem, literally! Host to many raves and BBQ's over the years it leads you to the Sheeps Heid pub in Duddingston. It's near the Commonwealth swimming pool... go discover it for yourself!
Cinemas
Filmhouse on Lothian Road - If you want to catch a movie then I'd recommend this place. More art house than Hollywood and it also has an excellent cafe/bar. On Wednesdays you can get two for one tickets by texting "FILM" to 241 from an orange mobile phone. If you don't have an orange phone, just post in the edinburgh group and see if anyone can give you a valid code to forward to your mobile. When you receive that text save their number under the name "orange" and show it to the ticket office person who will then give you both tickets for the price of one. However remember that texts cost the person 35p, plus the cost of sending it to you, so maybe you could offer them a coffee during your stay or even better invite them along to the cinema with you?
Edinburgh Film House Orange Wednesdays
At the foot of the Pentlands
Bus number 10 goes up to Torphin Golf Course, right on the edge of Warklaw Hill. If you follow the path West from there, you come to Easter Kinleith Farm, then the Poet's Glen, where Robert Burns had his secret assignations with 'Clarinda' (hence his code name Sylvander - walker in the woods). This leads down to the Water of Leith Walkway; the part that used to be the Caledonian Railway Balerno Branch. You can follow this to the Canal and walk right back to the centre of town.
Craiglockhart and Craghouse Campuses at Napier Uni
Craighouse is a former mental hospital, but there are some nice walks round there, and an old fortified house. At Craiglockhart, you can go in, and if you ask, there's a wee museum in there dedicated to war poets such as Sassoon - it was another hospital during WWI.
Water of Leith Walkway
The stretch between the Gallery of Modern Art, and Stockbridge is easily doable (some steps - not good for prams/wheelchairs etc) and very pleasant.
Cramond Island
Be on the lookout in the group for our Crazy Camping @ Cramond, a small island full of bunkers reachable by foot at low tide... Steven's Big List of Things To Do
Things to see and do, you're spoilt for choice really: Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile and check Holyrood (Scottish Parliment) and Holyrood Park, Princess Street Gardens, Botanic Gardens, Ghost Walks, Museum of Scotland or indeed any of the other museums, Art galleries including National Galleries, Dean & Modern, Camera Obscura, Arthurs Seat, Royal Yacht, Britanna, St Giles Cathedral, Dynamic Earth, Greyfriars Church & Graveyard, Calton Hill to see Scotlands National Monument (aka Edinburghs Disgrace)and Observatory as well as the views and other bits and peices, Scottish Whisky Heritage Centre, Try some haggis neeps and tatties, Free city walking tour (every day from starbucks on royal mile at 11am, 1pm and 3pm), Portobello beach, Bus tours of the cities, Literary pub tours, Meadows park, Walk along Edinburgh Quay and feed the swans and ducks, Murrayfield sports stadium, the Zoo, Dungeons, Stand Comedy Club, Cameo Cinema, Jazz bar, Rat Pack Piano Bar, Rose St Pub Crawl, Grassmarket Pubcrawl, Jam House music bar, Tron Pub / Bar (popular with couchsurfers),Whistle Binkies music bar, Cabaret Voltaire club, Bongo Club, The Hive (club), Liquid Room (club),Ego / Luna (club)
Hiking trips from Edinburgh
General Info
Good hiking maps are the "OS" maps (Ordnance Survey, http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk). Any bookshop (e.g. Blackwells) will have it for about 8 Pounds. 1:25000 is ideal for hiking.
A good site for getting route descriptions and a feel how difficult a route is: http://www.munromagic.com/
Note that good hiking boots, wind/rain proofed equipment and maps are mandatory for hiking in Scotland.
Getting there: Train from Ed to Glasgow, changing train station(!) there, then to Adrossan Harbour, from there ferry to Brodick. You can buy a train+ferry ticket at the train station for 30 Pounds, though if you use the 15 Pound voucher you are probably off cheaper buying it separately.
(Winter) Ferry times: http://www.calmac.co.uk/winter-timetable.html?id=winter-arran--ardrossan-brodick.gif
What to do: From Brodick you can directly start hiking, first point is Goatfell (~ 800m). From there you can go over a ridge, but there is quite some scrambling involved. The ridge leads to a saddle, from where you can walk southwards back to Brodick via the valley. If you are not too slow it's doable within a day, but you need to be prepared to walk out of the valley when it's dark already if it's winter (torches mandatory). There are other alternatives, e.g. going northwards from the saddle, but I haven't done that, so would recommend you to read up beforehand. It has to be warned that the ridge is not for people who have no hiking experience.
Arran itself has other attractions as well, on the west coast there are some caves, etc.
Getting there: 2h train ride from Edinburgh, nice and easy. Bus (Citylink) goes as well, if you book in advanced it might be cheaper than the train.
First village at the beginning of the Highlands. The closest hill is Ben Vreckie (~ 800m): http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/pitlochry/benvrackie/index.html But that one on it's own is a nice afternoon hike, but I'm sure if you read up a bit you can connect a couple of hills, probably end up in a different town (e.g. Blair Atholl). The advantage of that area is that there is some other stuff to do in case the weather is bad, e.g. visiting the Whiskey distillery, if your parents are into that...
Glencoe and surrounding is probably *the* hiking area at the West coast of Scotland. The hills are high, the routes can be really difficult, stunning views...
However, problem is that without a car it's difficult to get there (for a weekend). Citylink buses go this way, but as said, for just a weekend the timetable might not leave you enough time.
Pubs & Restaurants
Pubs
Like any Scottish/British city, Edinburgh has a strong pub culture. Each corner has at least two pubs. Or so.
What pubs to visit depends on your budget and what you are looking for (old style, Real Ales, modern, ...). For an overview of favourite pubs of the CS Edinburgh community, read these two threads.
Eating Out
As always, it depends what type of food you are after. Many pubs will do OK burgers for cheap. Especially cheap is the Tron (quite central next to Royal Mile/SouthBridge). Also quite good can be Doctors.
See reviews of restaurants in Edinburgh at the Edinburgh Love blog.
Edinburgh is also full of Indian restaurants which are moderately prized.
If you want to try traditional Haggis (vegetarian or normal), the Last Drop on Grassmarket is recommended.
Florian's personal favourite list of cheap(ish) places:
- Mosque kitchen: Take away curry for 3.50, filling
and good. They have a tent outside, which is ok if it's not too bad weather.
- Susie's Diner: vegetarian, relatively cheap and
quite good food (just next to Mosque Kitchen actually)
- Kismot: my favourite Indian, bit off the beaten
track, but really good food and service
- Ann Purna: North Indian Vegetarian restaurant; new owner, still good mango lassi
Note: Please add your own favourite places to the list!
Coffee places
Good place for coffee would be The Elephant House (or the Harry Potter cafe as it's sometimes called). It is one of the cafes where JK Rowling wrote the Harry Potter stories. Very central - 10 minutes walk from the station, near Edinburgh University.
Good Hangouts
Daytime
- Calton Hill - During the Summer months this vantage point is the perfect place to take a few drinks with friends and sit under the national monument.
- The Meadows - Again during the summer this is a fantastic open green space to chill with friends. There are usually a bunch of homeless people hanging about playing music and dancing, but don't worry they are pretty harmless!! BBQ's are generally not allowed, however that isn't to say you can't chance your luck! You can buy food and drink at the Sainsburys local on Middle Meadow walk, however it would be cheaper to walk 5 minutes to Lidl or Tesco to buy your "refreshments". Map Here. There are public toilets and a tennis court which you can sometimes play on for free. The Meadows Info
Evening
Night-time
A Poor Persons 24 Hours In Edinburgh
Only got a short time to visit Edinburgh and don't know how best to spend your time? Want to save your pennies? Well this is what I would do but obviously it would change depending on the season/weather.
Morning
- 7am - try a traditional scottish breakfast either cooked by your host, in your hostel/hotel or a cafe. Failing that i'd head to Greggs to try their fine selection of Scottish tasties, such as a sausage roll, bacon roll, chicken bake, macaroni and cheese pie which will fill you up at a fantastic price. Greggs Locations
- 8am - take a stroll up calton hill before it becomes too crowded with tourists to watch the sun rise over Edinburgh and Leith. Capture those special shots when the light is at it's best. google maps
- 9am - I'd then walk down calton hill towards regents rd, and down the footpath on the right-hand side walking towards the Canongate. Once at the bottom I'd pop into the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) and take a free tour. I'd also admire Holyrood Palace but wouldn't pay to go inside. Parliaments Visitors Informations
- 10am - Now that I'm at the bottom of the Royal Mile I'd make my way up towards the Castle avoiding the tacky tourist shops, stopping for Italian coffee for 99p in The Tron on Hunters Square. If you are a student you can purchase a yellow card which gets you cheaper food and drinks, however you only have a day so I doubt it's worth it. google maps
- 11am - walk up the royal mile towards St Giles cathedral and enter for free. Although it says you have to purchase a "photo permit" this is rarely enforced. Simply turn off your flash and be discrete and take your photos near the time you wish to leave. Even if they do catch you and say something, you can tell them you are just leaving anyways. visitors information
Afternoon
- 12pm - You've made it! You're now at the castle. If you wish you can pay £10 to look inside or for free you can pass through the gates at the front and take photos of the inner walls and areas (the admission point is not until further inside the castle)
- 1pm if you haven't decided to visit the castle you could alternitavley walk back down the royal mile for 10 meters and visit the Scotch Whisky Shop. here you can view the ridiculously priced whiskys (some cost £3400) and if you're lucky take part in some free tasting sessions.
- Lunch - Either find a shop and make a DIY lunch, or if you're with a friend or in a group head to Oddfellows on Forest Road here where you can get an SR card (if your a student) which entitles you to cheap booze and drink. If you're vegetarian and love Falafel then walk round the corner to Bristo Place to El Falafel where you'll get some of the best falafel in town.
- 2pm - Coffee in The Forest Cafe. The Forest is a volunteer-run, self-funded, independent social centre and arts space located on Bristo Place and should be at least checked out. wiki
- 3pm - Walk back towards the castle and over George the 4th bridge and keep walking down the mound past the Bank of Scotland headquaters. You can enter the muesum here for free and learn all about the history of Scottish Banking. Try and crack the safe code for free chocolates.
- 4pm - Keep heading down the hill, and down towards one of Scotlands top free visitor attractions the National Galleries of Scotland. website
- 5pm - Dinner and drinks - walk up hanover street and turn left onto george street. Keep walking until you find the Standing Order on your left-hand side. This is a great and popular pub with reasonable priced meals and ridiculously cheap drinks. Until March 31st all pints of award wining Deuchars are only 99p! Bottles of San Miguel are 99p too! You won't find cheaper or nicer beers anywhere else. If you don't drink beer, they have a fine selection of cold ciders and wines. Food is not of the highest quality, however you can try haggis here.
Evening
- 6pm - If you're skint by this point and haven't eaten then head to the Sainsburys near St Andrews square. Around this time you will find a range of food reduced, like sandwiches, sushi and some fruit. Or head back to your host and make them a slap up meal with some of the stuff they have in their cupboards. I'm sure they'll appreciate it!
- 7pm
- 8pm - Edinburgh transforms at night when the castle lights up and the people of Edinburgh come out to gather in the pubs and coffee houses. Edinburgh has something to suit every taste. For the photographers, why not take a walk around taking snaps from South Bridge and up the Royal mile. For those who like a drink, but don't have enough money to do so, then why not find a house party. Most parties will be posted on the groups page. Get people involved in playing drinking games and you'll have a constant supply of booze!
- 9pm - Avoid places on the Royal Mile and Grassmarket, as the pubs are usually busy and expensive. However if you visited Oddfellows previously in the day, you can head to Biddy Mulligans on the Grassmarket and use your SR Card to buy discounted drinks.
- 10pm - Royal Oak
- 11pm - Jazz Bar
- 12pm - Hit the clubs
- 1am - Night buses/walking/safety
- 3am - No place to sleep? Too poor for a hostel. If you're stuck then contact an ambassador who will offer you advice. Edinburgh airport is an excellent option, however not always ideal. Good if you need to catch a flight the next day.
- 5am - You've survived 24 hours in Edinburgh! And you havent bought a tacky t-shirt or given all your money to a beggar. Well done, and come back soon!
How To Get Here
By Air
Edinburgh has one major airport, however most vistors from abroad using Ryanair will find themselves travelling to Glasgow Prestwick. .When buying your train ticket on the train to Glasgow make sure you ask for a return to Edinburgh and show your ryanair ticket/confirmation and the tickets will only cost £11. You will save around £15 and the ticket is valid for 1 month. If flying into Glasgow, why not spend a night and day there and enjoy the equally fantastic city. Mega buses leave for Edinburgh every 15 mins and can be booked online for as little as £1. From Glasgow it should take around 1.5 hours by bus and 50 mins by train from Queen Street Station to Waverley.
A cheaper alternative to taxis or the expensive Airport bus is the ordinary Lothian Buses number thirty five, which runs from the bus stance outside the arrivals building to Ocean Terminal via the Royal Mile/High Street. Although slower, and with less provision for baggage than the 100, it is far cheaper at £1.10 single, and also allows the use of day tickets and other options that work on all Lothian Buses services - a great option for getting straight to the city if travelling light, or on a budget.
If you're traveling to the south-side or want a quicker service then if you walk for 5 mins towards the park and ride see map you can then get the x48 for £1.10 (exact change only) which goes directly into the city centre in 35mins.
For ride-shares or carpooling, try EdinburghGumtree.
Related Articles: Ecological traveling|Rideshares|Checklist for long-term travel
By Rail
Haymarket and Waverley are the two main train stations in Edinburgh. The Farefinder of thetrainline.com allows you to search for the cheapest tickets in a certain period.
By Bus
General note on buses in Edinburgh: There are two bus companies running in Edinburgh: Lothian and First. However, for travel within Edinburgh "Lothian" has a more dense network. On the Lothian buses, you need exact money when you pay, they don't give you change. Single is £1.10, and an unlimited day ticket is £2.50. (From January the 18th there will be a unfair price hike to £1.20 for a single, and £3 for an all day.)
By Tram
Coming Soon! Estimated date of opening for Phase 1a is July 2011, at a cost of £512 million
Festivals & Events
Original list courtesy of Edinburgh Love blog
January
All the hoo ha after the Hogmanay party has gone, town very quiet, tourist sights empty, good accommodation deals. It’s either freezing and sunny, or mild and rainy. Good chance of rain.
February
Same as January but also busy around Valentines Day, local schools have week off mid February. Good chance of rain.
March
Same as January, weather getting slightly warmer, town a little busier. Easter school holidays (2 weeks) either fall now or April. Prices rise a little . Good chance of rain.
April
Slightly warmer again, but can get a lot of April showers. Nights are getting light, tourist sights getting busier. Most things open 7 days now. Good chance of rain.
May
Can be warm (low 20s), nights are long - getting dark after 10pm. Tourist sights busier. Good chance of rain.
June
Normally warmest month of year, dark at 10.30pm, everything open longer hours, considered high season. Last month before local schools go on summer holidays. Good chance of rain
July
Last month before the Festival, can be very warm. Locals schools on holiday. Accommodation harder to find, prices rise. Good chance of rain.
August
Festival month. Edinburgh Military Tattoo starts. Town unbearably busy. Harder to find accommodation, places to eat. Traffic very heavy. Local schools on holiday till middle of month. Great atmosphere in town, tourist sights over run. Guaranteed to rain at some stage - it’s Festival time and it always does !!
September
The lull after the festival. Town seems empty compared to August, but still high season, tourist sights very busy, nights getting a little darker. Often get good weather, last of the summer but also good chance of rain.
October
Back to low / shoulder season. Often beautiful Autumn days, tourist places a little quieter. Locals schools off for a week mid October. Easier to get accommodation, good chance of rain
November
Quiet month, good time to visit if you don’t mind the chance of cold weather / rain. Tourist places much quieter, shorter opening hours, dark by 5pm. Good chance of rain.
December
Busy season. Winter Markets open up, lots of events on in town for lead up to Christmas. Dark by 4pm, can be very cold / windy / rainy, but can also be a cold, but wintery sunny day. Tourist places pretty empty. After Christmas, lead up to Hogmanay / New Year celebrations, town is very busy. High season, accommodation harder to get, shop sales on, prices increased. Good chance of rain / snow / strong winds !
Links
Lothian Buses
Edinburgh Weather
MyVillage.com
Itchy
The List
Edinburgh International Airport
Mega Bus
First Scotrail
Virgin Trains
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
- POLICE STATIONS
If you are unlucky enough to land yourself in trouble or for whatever the reason you need to contact a local police station, there's a list of all Police stations serving Edinburgh. Details, addresses and contact numbers can be found at: http://www.lbp.police.uk/contact/index.asp#stations Of course if out of hours your personal safety is at risk do not hesitate to call 999.
- HOSPITALS
Again, should you need to get yourself medical attention, a list of hospitals in the Edinburgh area can be found at: http://www.edinburghdirectory.info/category/hospitals.html
- MEDICAL ADVICE HELPLINE
You can also contact an NHS nurse over the phone at the NHS Direct helpline (Tel:08454647) for medical advice and suggestions if you are having minor medical emergency or you can no reach a hospital. The will usually take your telephone number and have a nurse give you a call back within 5 minutes, so you can talk them through your situation and they can offer you their free advice. http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/
- WALK-IN CENTRES'
- EMBASSIES & CONSULATES
All foreign embassies are located in London, the UK capital city. There are however several country consulates in the city of Edinburgh, should you need any help or information. Contact details for all Edinburgh-based consulates can be found here:
http://www.edinburghdirectory.info/category/consulates.html
- LAST MINUTE HOSTEL & TRANSPORT
- RAPE CRISIS UNIT
In case of rape, do get in touch with the nearest hospital. Visit them, get examined and of course report the incident to the nearest police station. Should you need to discuss the incident further and require support do not hesitate to contact Rape Crisis Scotland. Their confidential helpline is T: 08088 010302. Check their website for further details: http://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/
- WALK-IN REFUGE
This is a women's aid unit/ refuge center for women who have experienced domestic violence. It provides safe temporary accommodation & support for women who need it. For more information please check their website: http://www.scottishwomensaid.org.uk/info-for-women/local-womens-aid/local-groups/edinburgh-womens-aid
- CITIZEN'S ADVICE BUREAU
The Citizen's Advice Bureau is the main official place where one can get information and advice on pretty much anything! They help people resolve their debt, benefits, housing, legal, discrimination, employment, immigration, consumer and other problems and is available to everyone regardless of race, gender, sexuality, age, nationality, disability or religion. If you can't find an answer to your problem anywhere else, they will be able to help and if not help you, then at least will point you to the right direction. They will offer advice in person if you walk in or over the phone, and their locations as well as further information can be found here: http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/getadvice.htm
- THE IMMIGRATION ADVISORY SERVICE
If you have trouble with immigrations, they will be able to offer you initial free consultation and depending on your circusmatnces, take it from there. http://www.iasuk.org/C2B/document_tree/ViewAdocument.asp?ID=305&CatID=49&Search=true
- YOUR LOCAL CS AMBASSADOR
If you have any questions that are not answered through this list, you may want to ask the nearest CS ambassador. Edinburgh's resident CS ambassadors are:
Calum MacUisdean CS Username: Calum
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