Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and features the architectural contrast of a mediaeval Old Town and a New Town in Georgian style.

In the centre of the old town, Edinburgh Castle sits atop the basalt cone of a long-extinct volcano and is the most visited castle in Scotland. It was subject to a total of thirteen separate attacks and, including a time when Mary Stuart lived within its walls, defied a siege of almost two years.

The Royal Mile leads from the mighty fortress, downwards, a sloping road from which narrow streets branch off. Saint Giles Cathedral is closely associated with Scottish history and is one of the main churches of Presbyterianism, named after the patron of the city. John Knox was once its pastor and succeeded in making Presbyterianism Scotland’s official religion.

The Palace Of Holyrood House is the official Scottish residence of the British Queen and was originally just an extension to an eponymous abbey. James The Fourth initiated construction of the palace in 1498 which was subsequently extended and for some years was the residence of Mary, Queen Of Scots.

Leith, Edinburgh’s historic port, features a seaside promenade, renovated warehouses and residential buildings that reveal its former prosperity. In the twelfth century it was a tiny fishing village but in Victorian times became an important maritime trading centre for Edinburgh.

Edinburgh is a city of poets and culture and one of the oldest urban regions in Europe as well as being home to the Scottish nation!