Edinburgh - a week in pictures (Saturday)

So here we are, the last set of photos from my week away. On my last day we had a poke around the National Gallery of Scotland (spotting an early Titian, a couple of Cranachs and a Goya) and then went walking, shopping and drinking.

The ever-present Scott monument

The excellent and very historic World's End tavern, so called because it marks where the limits of the old city walls used to be. We stopped off here for haggis, neeps and tatties. Very tasty with a couple of oat biscuits. Thanks to Chrissy for recommending it to me!

One last view before it was time to head off to pack... what a shame! Well I suppose all good things must come to an end.

Edinburgh - a week in pictures (Friday)

By the end of the week we had been doing so much running about that we decided to have a more relaxed day. So, after a nice lie-in we headed to the Botanic Gardens for a gentle stroll.

While there we encountered the memorial gardens for the Queen Mother, including this little summer house. It's ceiling is decorated with pine cones.

And the walls are decorated with all different types of shells!

A view out over the rock garden, I loved all the different textures, shapes and colours.

Edinburgh - a week in pictures (Thursday)

Rather less pictures for this one, as by this point I had a stinking cold so was managing to stagger round one or two things before collapsing in a pub. This day we headed over to Ocean Terminal, which is basically a shopping centre... with a friggin' big boat on the side!

Thar she blows - The Royal Yacht Britannia

The royal speed-boat, pimpin'! You can just imagine Charles and Diana having a romantic afternoon on this during their honeymoon, which they spent on the yacht (no wait, don't)

Edinburgh - a week in pictures (Wednesday)

On day three we tackled the mighty Edinburgh Castle.

After being rained on for about 45 minutes straight, we finally got up to the castle where we could enjoy stunning views out over the town (despite our wet feet). This is the view out to Calton Hill, where you can see the Nelson Monument and National Monument.

This is a cemetery for the soldier's and officer's pet dogs

The altar inside St. Margaret's chapel

One of the great halls inside the castle

On the way back to town we popped into The Red Door Gallery, which was kindly recommended to me by Cut Copy Create on twitter. It had lots of beautiful goodies to please illustration and design fans everywhere. Hannah Zakari also looked amazing, though sadly at the time we were passing we didn't have the time to stop and have a good look. Next time!

Edinburgh - a week in pictures (Tuesday)

On my second day we decided to head out of the city to lovely Queensferry, so named because it was the site of a ferry crossing across the Firth of Forth. There is still a ferry crossing somewhere in the area but these days most cross the Forth via the railway or road bridges.

We had a walk down to the beach

And then went for a walk on a footpath beside the coast

We had a rest at this little secluded beach, then headed back the way we came

The railway bridge going across the Forth

Edinburgh - a week in pictures (Monday)

Hello everyone! Well I'm finally back and busy getting my life in order post-holiday. I had a fantastic time hanging out with my big brother and his lovely missus (whose pad I was crashing at) and seeing all the sights and sounds of the glorious city. I can really see why people fall in love with Scotland, it was a beautiful place and I was made to feel very at-home.

I was going to publish all the pictures in one post, then realised that there are far too many. So instead, they will be split into a series of six posts that I will be putting up throughout the day.

So without further ado, here's last monday in pictures...

First, a tour around the Old Town

The Edinburgh cityscape and Scott Monument

A little walk around Greyfriars Church graveyard

The famed Greyfriars Bobby

The High Kirk of St. Giles

A stroll through Princes Street Gardens

Edinburgh Castle viewed from the Gardens

The impressive interior of the Dome

Fortunately they didn't mind us poking our heads in to take photos!