Why Edinburgh?
In addition to having some great Guest Houses and B&B establishments, Edinburgh must surely be one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
You can easily visit many of its attractions and landmarks on foot or take one of the bus tours which are "hop on - hop off", one ticket lasts all day for as many short hops as you wish. These are well worth a whole day's excursion. Check out our Useful Links page for some suggestions. You can also download a useful Welcome to Edinburgh Guide from Welcome to Scotland.
The main thoroughfare, Princes Street, has some world famous stores along its length. It is flanked by Waverly Gardens to the south with it's beautiful monuments, gardens and art galleries. The gardens are dominated by Edinburgh Castle which sits atop the Castle Rock. Running parallel to Princes Street are the famous Rose Street and the further back is George Street, the main shopping street of the New Town.
The Castle itself is in the Old Town area of the city, at the head of the Royal Mile. Should you choose to walk, you can pass through Grassmarket with its varied array of pubs, bars and curious range of shops.
Once past Grassmarket you will find youself at the top of the High Street, very close to the Castle. Edinburgh city centre is fairly compact and it is well worth obtaining a local street map for a walking tour such as noted above.
In and around the city there are castles, palaces, museums, galleries, cathedrals, churches and municipal buildings enough to satify the most ardent scholar or tourist. You can even visit the Royal Yacht Britannia at Ocean Terminal, Leith.
For entertainment there are many fine theatres and music venues especially during the various festivals that take place throughout the year.
The Jazz and Folk Music festivals are only two of the yearly musical events and we must not forget the International Festival (Aug-Sept) and the Fringe, when every hall in the town is transformed into a theatre for the duration.
Edinburgh can also boast some of the finest bars and restaurants to be found in any city. All tastes are catered for whether it is Pub Grub and a pint, haute cuisine and fine wines or something in between. You can see a list of Pubs and Clubs in Edinburgh here.
You can see a list of Restaurants in Edinburgh here.
Cathedrals - Theatres
- Music Halls
- Jazz Festival
- Folk Festival
- The Festival
- Fringe
- Tattoo
- Fireworks
- Hogmanay
- Brilliant Pubs
- Art Galleries
- Great Guest Houses
- Architecture
- Museums
- Castles
- Palaces
- Parks
- Hills
- Seaside
William Wallace, 'Braveheart', a short history.
Hero of Scotland
William Wallace lived 1270 to 1305, William was a Scottish patriot who led his country against the English occupation of Scotland and King Edward I of England as part of the wars of Scottish Independence. In 1296, Scotland was effectively under English control. The following year, the English sheriff of Lanark had murdered Marion Braidfute, Wallace's wife, and Wallace took his revenge by killing the sheriff and burning his castle. He joined the growing popular revolt against the English and won a decisive battle of Stirling bridge when the Scots won against the English.
Following the victory, Wallace was made a knight and Guardian of Scotland. However a year later the English invaded Scotland and successfully won against the Scots at Falkirk although Wallace managed to escape. He evaded capture until 1305 when he was betrayed near Glasgow by a Scottish knight loyal to Edward. After a show trial, he was horribly executed by the English in London as a traitor. There is a plaque on the wall of St.Bartholomew's Hospital, near the site of Wallace's Execution on 23 August 1305 at Smithfield in London.