Springtime Flowers in Edinburgh
Edinburgh - Spring is on Its way here In Edinburgh by David Wheater
A couple of days ago I noticed that many of the beautiful spring flowers were starting to bloom and I thought it’d be nice to try and capture some of them in lovely Princes Street Gardens, here in the heart of Edinburgh.
Princes Street Gardens lie under the shadow of Edinburgh Castle and you really can’t miss them when you’re exploring central Edinburgh. The area the gardens occupy (including Waverley Train Station) were once covered by the ‘Nor Loch’ which was drained to further the development of the New Town in the 1760’s. The Tummel Burn which fed the loch still exists, and you can even hear it if you find the manhole cover which covers it near the central pathway (not far from The Ross Bandstand).
As well as being a popular place to sunbathe in the summer and enjoy a picnic, there are lots of interesting things to see in the gardens which are all worth visiting, including -
The Scott Monument
The Foral Clock
The Gardener’s Cottage
The Ross Fountain
St. John’s Church and graveyard at the West End
St. Cuthbert’s Church and graveyard at the West End
Wojtek The Soldier Bear statue
The Royal Scots Monument
The Scottish American Memorial
The Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial
Plus lots of interesting statues of famous Scots, including explorer David Livingstone, minister & philanthropist Dr Thomas Guthrie, Sir James Young Simpson the physician who discovered chloroform as an anaesthetic, poet Allan Ramsay and publisher Adam Black.
The gardens are split into East and West Princes Street Gardens by the National Galleries of Scotland on The Mound and are open all year round, except for big ticketed events like Hogmanay and concerts. There is usually a yellow sign on the garden gates letting you know when the gardens will close in the evening. There are toilets in the Ross Band Stand at the centre of West Princes Street Gardens which are open most days. If you find these are closed, use the one’s at the National Galleries of Scotland on The Mound.
If you want to have a picnic, Marks & Spencer foodhall is just over the road from the Scott Monument in Princes Street Gardens East and if you want a coffee and ice-cream try the Sir Walter’s Cafe in said gardens. If you’re after a good Scottish breakfast, or a hearty lunch, try the Scottish Cafe & Restaurant at The National Galleries of Scotland on The Mound which is adjacent to the gardens.
If you’d like a private tour of Edinburgh with me, you can book directly on this website and it’d be wonderful to see you and show you around my amazing home city of Edinburgh.
If you’d like more information about visiting Edinburgh, I’ve written a 100 page Edinburgh Guidebook with 300 colour photos which you can download here from my website.
Thanks so much for watching and have a brilliant time when you visit.
If you’d like to see more of my videos about Edinburgh & Scotland here’s my YouTube Channel - http://www.youtube.com/@DavidWheaterScotland
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David Wheater is a Writer, Guide, Photographer & Filmmaker living and working in Edinburgh, Scotland.
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