Things To Do In And Around Edinburgh

I recently spent a couple of weeks in Edinburgh and managed to find plenty to do:-

[Please click on any photo to see a larger version.]

Afternoon tea and cake at Henderson's at St John's. I have to say that this was not a very good experience, although I have enjoyed lunch there in the past. The teapot barely held enough for one tea cup and the gluten free cake was about 2 inches square when it came out of its packaging (bought in, not made on the premises). Not very good value for money. However, it is an interesting place to sit and they do a good range of vegetarian food.

 The Scottish Gallery of Modern Art, housed in two buildings on opposite sides of Belford Road.

There are two interesting exhibitions on at the moment:- American Impressionism: A New Vision; and Generation: 25 Years of Contemporary Art in Scotland. The views above show some of the sculptures in the garden of Modern One.

I enjoyed early morning coffee and cake in the restaurant at Modern One before it was busy. A very nice place to sit and excellent gluten free cake choices!

The Royal Botanic Garden has two great cafes, glasshouses with exotic planting, and 70 acres of landscaped grounds to wander around in. This time I particularly enjoyed the mixed vegetable and flower borders, the wildflower meadow and the alpines area.

The National Portrait Gallery is set in a beautiful building that I believe was the Museum of Antiquities at one time. The library houses a rather gruesome collection of death masks. There is a John Ruskin exhibition on at the moment, and also one of John Byrne's work.

The National Museum of Scotland is well worth a visit. There is so much to see, including the 'Ming' exhibition, which is on until the 19th of October.

A short walk away is Mother India's Cafe, where you can order a variety of small dishes. Since I was on my own, I limited myself to two dishes with rice, poppadom and coriander chutney. I ate dal made with split peas, and okra with tomatoes. Everything was very tasty, with fast and efficient service.

When I had had enough of walking, I went on an open-top bus tour with Edinburgh Tour. It costs £14 for a 55 minute trip around both new and old towns. The view above shows the Scott Monument with Jenners Department Store in the background, seen at the start of the tour from Waverly Bridge.

 There are lots of East Coast beaches near to Edinburgh. The view above is of a beach near Aberlady.

 Brock on the beach at North Berwick.

 A view of boats from the beach at North Berwick. This was our favourite beach and town.

 A panorama of Portobello beach.