SPECIAL EVENTS
Festivals
Craigmillar Festival Until Sat 26 Jun. £2 (£1.50). Various venues. info: 661 5877. Craigmillar has its moment in the festival stilt with theatre. storytelling. dance. art and poetry.
Royal Highland Show Until Sun 27 Jun. 8am. £15 (£7.50). Royal Highland Centre. Ingliston. info: 335 6200. The highlight of the country set calendar with food. livestock and horses galore. Some of the main attractions are the Food from Scotland exhibition. the Queen's Cup for the prize goat and an appearance from kids’ entertainers The Singing Kettle.
Tours
Volcano Tours Wed. Fri. Sun until Sun 26 Sep. 2pm. £5 (LI/£2.50). Holyrood Palace Car Park. Discover Edinburgh's volcanic past and explore the natural and human history of Holvrood.
McEwan's 80/- Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour Thu 24—Wed 30 Jun 6pm. 8.30pm; dain Jul & Aug 2pm. 6pm. 8.30pm. £7 (£5). Beehive Inn. Grassmarket. info: 226 6665. Celebrate the Scottish literary heritage with the aid of drink on this revamped guided tour. See photo caption.
Activities
Water 0f Leith Field Trip Main Reception. Royal Botanic Gardens. lnverleith Row. 248 2979. Fri 25 Jun. 7-8.30pm. £10. Discover the diverse range of plants which live between Canomnills and the sea with Royal Botanic Gardens staff.
Workshops
MillineryIHat Making Sat 3 & Sun 4 Jul. 10am—5pm. £40 (£35) for two days; £30 (£25) for one day. The Cutting Room. New Street. info: 558 I819. Both traditional and contemporary techniques are utilised in this weekend workshop where you can discover the joys of crafting a hat by hand without any previous experience.
Sport
The British Icelandic Horse Championships Sat 3 & Sun 4 Jul. 9am-5pm. Free. West Tarf Fartn. West Linton. info: 662 4867. Rare and spectacular breeds of horses will be displaying their form in this event for nag lovers everywhere.
PERMANENT ATTRACTIONS
Camera Obscura
Castlehill (Royal Mile). 226 3709. Sat & Sun IOam—opm: Mon—Fri 9.30am—6pm. £3.95 (£1.95—£3. 15); fatnin ticket
£1 1.50. Pick up a pedestrian in your hand at this attraction. which gives visitors a real-time. 360° image of the city. There‘s
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SCOTTISH
PRIVATE CAR PARK
also an exhibition devoted to holographs and photography on the lower floors.
Craigmlllar Castle
Niddrie Mains. 661 4445. Daily 9.30am—6.30pm. £1.80 (£1.30—children 75p). For a real taste of history. take a drive out to this ramshackle old castle. which although not quite as intact as Edinburgh Castle. is far more atmospheric and the scene of much plotting during the reign of Mary. Queen of Scots.
Deep-Sea Word
North Queensferry. 01383 41 I880. Daily IOam—6pm. £6.15 (£3.55-£4.25). Famous for its underwater tunnel. which brings visitors face to face with a huge collection of fish native to our coastlines.
.Deep-Sea World also houses an
Amazonian rain forest display. a touch- pool and educational facilities. Expert staff are on hand to answer questions and. thanks to the latest communications technology. visitors can even talk to divers as they feed the animals in the aquarium.
Dynamic Earth
Holyrood Road. Edinburgh. 550 7800. Opens Sat 3 Jul. Mon-Sun 10am—6pm. £5.95 (£3.50); famin ticket £16.50. With volcanoes erupting beneath your feet. a tropical rainstorm pouring down. earthquakes and tidal waves at every turn. the history of the earth has never been more interesting. Edinburgh's brand new visitor attraction uses stunning new
developments in interactive technology
to piece together the history of the planet. creating a thoroughly modern way to step back in time.
Edinburgh Castle
Info: 225 9846. Daily 9.30am—6pm. £6 (£2-£5). Although much of the castle's medieval character was lost when it was converted into barracks in the 19th century. continuing excavations aim to redress this. Other attractions include James IV‘s famous cannon. Mons Meg. lots of military silverware and. of course. The Stone Of Destiny. used to crown Scottish kings since time began.
Edinburgh Zoo
Corstorphine Road. 334 9171. Daily 9am—6pm. £6.80 (£3.80—£4.80). Widely accepted as one of the finest zoos in Britain. there's plenty here to while away an afternoon. or even a whole day if you take your time. The penguin parade at 2pm is a must and the newly-built African plains afford a fantastic view of_ the city.
Georgian House
7 Charlotte Square. 225 2160. Mon—Sat lOam—Spm; Sun 2—5pm. £4.40 (£2.90).
Period Georgian house. giving a taste of
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MCEWAN'S
BURGH LITERARY PUB TOUR Thu 24-Wed 30 Jun
6pm, 8.30pm; daily .Iul & Aug 2pm, 6pm, 8.30pm. £7 (£5). Beehive Inn, Grassmarket. info: 226 6665. Go on a trip round the haunts of the
country's finest scribes in the compan reborn Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour. T
y of Mr Clart and Mr McBrain in the
e footsteps of Sir Walter Scott.
Muriel Spark. Robert Burns and Irvine Welsh are all to be found here.
94 TIIE LIST 24 Jun-8 Jul 1999
NATIONAL GO BOATING WEEKEND Sat 26 & Sun 27 Jun.
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Campbeltown
Sailing Club. Low Ashomil. Campbeltown, Argyll. info: 01784 472222. If you have anything like a small inkling to do stuff in the water, the National Go Boatin Weekend isjust the event. It gives ou the chance to try out boating, sai ing, water skiing, jet biking and the atest craze in watersports, wake boardin - a mix of water skiing and snowboarding. Other participating venues in Scotland are St Andrews Sailing Club and
Loch Tumme
Sailing Club near Pitlochry.
‘ life in Edinburgh when the New Town
was first built.
Gladstone's Land
477b High Street. 226 5856. Mon—Sat IOam—Spm; Sun 2—5pm. £3.20 (£2.20). Restored to the splendour enjoyed by the merchant classes in the l7th century. Gladstone’s Land gives an authentic representation of life in the medieval Old Town of the time.
Huntly House
142 Canongate. 529 4143. Mon-Sat lOam—Spm. Free. Packed with historic artefacts. this restored 16th century mansion tells the story of Edinburgh's past and its people and houses important collections of Edinburgh silver and glass. Scottish pottery and shop signs. Also on show Outta]. See Arts listings page 89.
Museum Of Childhood
42 High Street. 529 4142. Mon-Sat 10am-5pm. Free. Founded in 1955. the museum has five public galleries with all manner of archive material and old toys relating to childhood through the ages. From antique dolls to I980s computer games. there's plenty here to send you off on a trip down memory lane.
Museum Of Scotland
Chambers Street. 247 4219. Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; Sun noon—5pm; Tue 10am-8pm. £3 (£1.50); under 18s free. This is the newest addition to our national museum selection and the only one dedicated solely to Scotland‘s history and heritage. The building contains five thematically-arranged exhibitions. moving from pre-history. through the Industrial Revolution. to the present day. at which point national heroes such as Billy Connolly attd Elaine C. Smith get involved. Also on show The Parliament QfSt'nI/(lllll. See Art listings page 89.
Palace 0f Holyroodhouse
Royal Mile. 556 1096. Daily 9.30am—4.30pm. £5.50 (£2.70—£4): family ticket £13.50. Starting life as a 13th century abbey. the palace has evolved into a sumptuous regal residence crammed full of paintings and artefacts dating back primarily to the 17th century.
Rosslyn Chapel , Roslin. 440 2159. Mon-Sat IOam—Spm: Sun noon-4.45pm. £3 (£ I -£2.50). What you get out of a trip to Rosslyn Chapel may depend on your familiarity with books of the conspiracy theorist genre: a stronghold for the Knights Templar'?; proof of pre-Columbian trans-Atlantic travel'?; even the final resting place of the Holy Grail'?!‘? What is certain though is that the chapel contains enough historically fascinating carvings and symbols to hold the attention of even the most determined philistine.
Royal Botanic Garden
lnverleith Row. 552 7171. Daily 9.30am—7pm. Free. A sea of tranquility in the hubbub of the city. the Botanic Garden is home to a wealth of Bdra and fauna from all over the world. Also on show in lnverleith House. Richard Wright and Pan! Morrison. See Art listings page 89.
Royal Museum Of Scotland
2 Chambers Street. 247 4219. Mon-Sat lOam-Spm: Sun noon—5pm; Tue 10am—8pm. £3 (£1.50—children under 18 free). A 19th century museum housing international collections of natural history. geology. science. technology and the decorative arts. Also on show Trunsixtmzv and The Millennium Canteen of'Cnr/eijv. See Art listings page 89.
The People‘s Story
Canongate Tolbooth. I63 Canongate. 529 4057. Mon—Sat lOam—Spm. Free. Situated in the Canongate Tolbooth. the sights. sounds and even smells of Edinburgh folk from the 18th century onwards are faithfully reproduced.
Writers Museum
Lady Stair’s House. Lady Stair's Close. 529 4901. Mon—Sat 10am—5pm. Free. A treasure-house of items relating to three of Scotland’s most famous writers: Robert Louis Stevenson. Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott. Also on show l/Int Ever Yours. See Art listings page 89.
OUTSIDE THE CITIES
Events Kelburn Grandparent’s Weekend Sat 3 & Sun 4 Jul. noon—5pm. £4.50 (£3) family ticket £13. Kelburn Castle and Country Park. Fairlie. Largs. Live music. traditional games and a chance to see the whole country centre shooting match in this pretty innovative idea. As an added bonus. free entry is granted to all grand arents. . . he ame Conservancy Scottish Fair Sat 3 & Sun 4 Jul. 9.30am-6pm. £9 (£1) free for under fives. Scone Palace. Perth. 01738 552300. Another of those big events in the countryside calendar comes to the grand setting of Scone Palace with 250 trade stands and a programme of events including tug 0‘ war. clay pigeon shooting. fly casung competitions. the unarmed combat team of the Royal Marines and a cookery detnonstration from Clarissa Dickson Wright. Activities . National Go Boating Weekend Sat 26 & Sun 27 Jun. Campbeltown Sailing Club. Low Ashomil. Campbeltown. Argyll. info: 0I784 472222. After the success of the NGBW earlier this year.
it’s back to make a splash in various venues across Britain. See photo caption.