It doesn’t matter how many times I visit Edinburgh, I never tire of wandering up and down the Royal Mile, which stretches from Holyrood Palace to Edinburgh Castle. The shops are eclectic, and the architecture fascinating. Some of the buildings have been used recently in the filming of the popular TV series of the OUTLANDER books, such as this archway, although I’m sure they would have removed the car from that scene!

Something I noticed this time was several dedicated Christmas shops – I wonder how they fare, being open all year round?

One of the places in Edinburgh that I’d been meaning to visit for a while, was the WRITER’S MUSEUM (surprise, surprise), and seeing as my companion, Giselle, is also a writer, naturally, we visited.

This is us, posing at the back gate to the Writer’s Museum, which is approached through one of the many passages that lead off the Royal Mile

The museum is dedicated to just three famous Scottish writers: Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson, and contains books, manuscripts, portraits, and the odd statue, along with information giving insight into each writer’s life story

Statue of Burns (1759-1796). In this section of the museum, we found Burns’ draft of ‘Scots wha hae’ – ‘Bruce’s Address to his troops at Bannockburn’.

In the area devoted to Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) there is a precious first edition of his novel Waverley, a printing press, a chess set, an inkwell, and the rocking horse he used as a child. 

One of Scotland’s best-loved writers, Robert Louis Stevenson, (1850 – 1894), is probably best known for his novels ‘Treasure Island’, ‘Kidnapped’, and ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’. Alongside other personal mementos, the museum displays his riding boots and Stevenson’s wardrobe, made by the infamous Deacon Brodie, respected tradesman by day and thief by night, whose double life is believed to have inspired the latter novel.

Even the building housing the museum has a detailed history

And there you have it: Edinburgh continues to offer so much to see, including the zoo, which will be the subject of future post. But for now, I hope you have enjoyed yet another taster of the eclectic history and buildings of the capital of Scotland.