Our July/August issue is here! This issue, with festival fever building, we’re celebrating Scotland’s enigmatic capital: Edinburgh…
This issue, with festival fever starting to build, I got to write about one of my favourite places once again: Edinburgh. It doesn’t matter how many times I visit this enigmatic city, I never tire of it, and whether you are a first-timer or a seasoned visitor like me, I hope you find The best things to do in Edinburgh useful in planning your next visit, whether you are coming for the annual extravaganza or at any other time.
One thing I am always keen to point out to those not too familiar with the capital is quite how many other tempting destinations are within reach, whether you are hiring a car or travelling by public transport, so in Edinburgh daytrips I’ve rounded up some of my favourites, including Dumfermline, which I hope will inspire your future travels.
Elsewhere in this issue, our history expert sheds some light on the long rule of King James VI in Scotland’s Absent King, while we celebrate 900 years of the iconic St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.
For many of you, however, what Scotland magazine provides is a connection to our wonderful nation, wherever you are in the world. If there’s one thing that brings the memories of a place to the fore, it’s food, which is why Clootie Dumplings: Proof of the Pudding has me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. This piece tells the remarkable story of a woman who grew her clootie dumpling company from a small startup to a global business. And if the taste of these comforting puddings, which you can have delivered to your home, don’t make you feel closer to Scotland, then I don’t know what will.
Plus, your chance to win an escape to the beautiful Isle of Arran!
Get your copy of the issue, here.
Cover information:
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo will once again light up the castle esplanade this August. © Iain Masterton/Alamy. Inset: Read more about King James VI and I on page 66. © Royal Collection Trust/His Majesty King Charles III 2024.
A taste of issue 135
The best things to do in Edinburgh
Here’s our pick of the best things to do in Edinburgh, from the Gothic atmosphere of the Old Town to the Georgian grandeur of the New Town and beyond. Read more here.
Edinburgh daytrips: 5 Scottish towns close to the capital
Extend your visit to the Scottish capital with a trip to one of these five Scottish towns, all easily accessible from the city.
Read more here.
St Giles’ Cathedral: 900 years
We tell the story of the iconic St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh in its 900th anniversary year.
Read more here.
Clootie dumplings: Proof of the pudding
Meet the lady who has built up a company making clootie dumplings, the original Scottish comfort food, for a worldwide audience.
Read more here.
Win an escape to the Isle of Arran
We’re offering you the chance to win a stay at the beautiful Auchrannie Resort on the Isle of Arran.
Read more here.
Also inside the issue:
-
A new online portal offers access to Robert Burns’ manuscripts and letters as you’ve never seen them
-
Three lighthouse keepers went missing in 1900 and conspiracy theories still run wild
-
Spend a leisurely day on Easdale, one of the Slate Isles, best known for its unusual annual competition
-
Our ancestry expert explains the origins of two similar-sounding names that are surprisingly unconnected, and only one is a clan