Harry Potter was born in Edinburgh.
Well, not exactly, but JK Rowling famously conceived (the idea of) the boy wizard on a train from Manchester to London and then spent chunks of time writing the series in locations around Edinburgh, including the Balmoral Hotel on Princes Street where the last chapter of the final instalment was completed. They could do with a bit of Meteolojinx Recanto in Scotland sometimes.
‘The Harrods of the North’ is in the New Town.
Princes Street is shopping central for locals and visitors alike, with a clutch of big-name department stores. Jenners, however, which first opened in 1838 and is affectionately known as ‘The Harrods of the North’, is the world’s oldest department store and the largest shop in the country.
All phone lines lead to Edinburgh (sort of).
Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, was born on South Charlotte Street in Edinburgh’s New Town in 1847. Unfortunately, he didn’t hang around too long and his family emigrated to Canada 23 years later. Probably, he didn’t know about Meteolojinx Recanto.
The world’s longest electric blanket is in Edinburgh.
The Mound is an artificial slope that was formed by the dumping of over a million cartloads of earth excavated, when the New Town was being constructed, into the infamous Nor’ Loch. In 1959 an electric blanket was installed under the surface of the road on The Mound to keep it free from ice and snow, although it is no longer operational.
Edinburgh is the greenest city in the UK.
Scotland’s capital boasts more trees per head of population than any other city in the United Kingdom. The New Town is littered with small parks and gardens, while Calton Hill and the Royal Botanic Gardens, which fringe the district, resemble mini-Amazons.
PHOTO BY @sunxjin
PHOTO BY @exploringedinburgh
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There’s so much to see and do in Edinburgh’s city centre, however, if you’re a local whofancies a change of scene or a visitor who would rather avoid the city’s busier, more well-known attractions, Newhailes Estate is a lovely option for a countryside day trip.
There’s so much to see and do in Edinburgh’s city centre, however, if you’re a local whofancies a change of scene or a visitor who would rather avoid the city’s busier, more well-known attractions, Newhailes Estate is a lovely option for a countryside day trip.
The “lost” Walled Garden on Corstorphine Hill was built for Hillwood House, a mansion adjacent to the garden, but due to lack of upkeep became overgrown with weeds and sections of the walls were in need of repair.
Sitting in the shadow of the Pentland Hills, the Secret Herb Garden stretches out over seven acres and is home to a beautiful shop, cafe, rose garden, fairy wood, several vegetable gardens, beehives, plus it’s the only gin botanical garden with a distillery in the UK.
Sitting on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Jupiter Artland is a spectacular hidden gem set in over 100-acres of meadow, woodland and indoor gallery space.
Sandwiched between Leith Docks and Granton Harbour, Newhaven (meaning “New Harbour”) is a charming neighbourhood which was once a thriving, tight-knit fishing village and, despite its close distance to Edinburgh, was known for its distinctive dress and traditions.
