This is part two of a series on our recent trip to Scotland.
Edinburgh, our new favorite city, has many wonderful sites to explore. Having been there before, we visited some new places on our recent trip that we didn’t see the first time.
Here are a few of my favorites from this time around.
Dunbars Close Garden
Tucked away off of the Royal Mile lies the secluded Dunbar’s Close Garden. With the feel of a secret garden, its design is reminiscent of what gardens looked like here in the 17th century.
Although it isn’t large, eight garden rooms or areas showcase formal and informal areas, with boxwood hedges in squares and circles, vine-covered arbors, cherries trained along the long stone wall, small pockets of seasonal flowers, and a wild area.
Although the garden is free and open to the public, only a few other visitors strolled through the garden along with us. The beauty and the quiet provide a welcome respite from the busy Royal Mile. (For the history of the garden and a description of the design and layout of each garden room, click here.)
Next to Dunbar’s Close Garden is Canongate Kirkyard, where economist Adam Smith, poet Robert Fergussen, and other notables are buried.
Dean Village
We explored Dean Village, a short drive away from our hotel but still close to the city center. Set along the Water of Leith Walkway, the village was originally a milling center founded in the 12th century but is now a small quiet residential area as well as a UNESCO site.
We enjoyed walking alongside the river, taking photos of the natural beauty, and admiring the architecture. As we often do on our travels, we wondered how much it would cost to live in such a gorgeous place.
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
One chilly, dreary morning, we walked from our hotel to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery on Queen Street. Our first glimpse was this lobby area in the main hall. The frieze above the arches depicts many famous figures in Scottish history, such as Robert the Bruce, the Stuart monarchs, Robert Burns, David Livingstone, and Adam Smith.
Within the museum itself, we saw exhibitions dedicated to these and other well-known Scots. My favorite areas in the Portrait Gallery were the library and the Sir Walter Scott and the Stuart exhibitions.
Other things I’d recommend:
Take a walk through the Princes Street Gardens. Start at the Castle, and work your way down the Royal Mile. You’ll see the 19th-century Ross Fountain, monuments, and natural beauty there. Because we went in May, we saw rhododendrons and other flowers and trees blooming in profusion.
Also, make a reservation for tea (or coffee). We had early afternoon tea (around lunchtime) at Willow Tea Rooms. Reminiscent of the art nouveau style of famous Scottish architect and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the tea room has a decidedly modern feel in contrast to the view of the castle out the window.
Have lunch or dinner at the Dome Restaurant and Bar. I couldn’t stop looking at the ceiling, but I did manage to give the sticky toffee pudding my full attention.
Edinburgh offers many opportunities to enjoy yourself, whether you like history, architecture, art, gardens, shopping, eating, walking, or all those things, like me. Beauty abounds in Edinburgh.
My next post will cover more of what we saw and did in Scotland on our recent trip.
