Edinburgh has been Scotland’s capital city since the 15th century. The city centre comprises the Old Town (which dates from medieval times) and the neighbouring 18th century New Town, which makes for a fascinating mix of architectural styles. Edinburgh is not short of impressive modern architecture too, with the controversial new Scottish Parliament building one of the latest to grace the city skyline. Dominated by the hills of Salisbury Crags and Arthur’s Seat, and surrounded to the east by the waters of the Firth of Forth, Edinburgh is surely one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Famous for its festivals, Edinburgh plays host to the biggest arts festival in the world every August, along with the Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo. And Edinburgh is also the centre of Scotland’s Hogmanay or New Year celebrations, with a week long festival of events culminating in a huge street party on Princes Street and fireworks over the castle.
Edinburgh is home to many great visitor attractions including Dymamic Earth, the Museum of Scotland, the Royal Yacht Britannia and Edinburgh Zoo, whose latest addition are two pandas! There is great nightlife with plenty of pubs, bars and restaurants – the food scene is buzzing, from the seafood bars of the Port of Leith area to the Michelin starred dining experiences of Kitchin and Wisharts, to name but two.
Edinburgh makes a great place to start or end your Scottish tour and in our opinion no visit to Scotland is complete without a trip to our capital city!
*If you’re travelling in the Highlands just now please be advised to avoid the Glenmore / Loch Morlich area due to wildfire 🥲**UPDATE - 14:15 on 16 July
Emergency services and partners continue to tackle a large-scale fire near Ryvoan Bothy. The emergency response is being coordinated at a national level involving the Scottish Government, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Police Scotland, RSPB Scotland, Forestry and Land Scotland, the Park Authority and multiple other partners.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have shared that the fire is currently affecting an area of approximately six squared kilometres. We are asking the public to follow the following guidance:
- Please do not travel to the area or attempt to access Glenmore Forest Park, Loch Morlich or the surrounding area while firefighting operations are ongoing. A strict cordon remains in place and road closures continue to support the emergency response.
- Those impacted by evacuations will have been contacted and we would ask everyone to cooperate fully with Police Scotland and other relevant authorities for their safety.
- Residents in Aviemore and surrounding areas are asked to close windows and doors to prevent smoke entering.
-Anyone with known respiratory conditions nearby is encouraged to contact 111 if they experience any difficulties. Contact 999 in an emergency.
Thermal drone footage captured by Park Authority staff last night has helped inform fire fighting efforts and highlight the scale of the fire, but the extent of the damage and the cause is not yet known.
Overnight emergency services, gamekeepers, NGO and estate staff were on the scene working tirelessly to control the fire. We are deeply grateful for their efforts, and those of the businesses and local community providing support to those affected.
We will provide further updates when we have them.
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Happy 250th birthday to the USA! 🇺🇸🏴
Did you know Edinburgh Castle is home to one of the earliest depictions of the Star Spangled Banner outside of North America?
Deep inside the vaults of the castle, back in about 1780, Americans captured during the Revolutionary War were incarcerated in the castle prisons. One prisoner scratched out a faint image of a ship flying the Stars and Stripes on his wooden cell door. A quiet act of defiance by a sailor far from home, you can still see this if you visit the vaults today!
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