list.co.uk/aroundtown
■ HOLYROOD PARK Holyrood Park Road, 652 8150, historic- scotland.gov.uk Open at all times; Holyrood Lodge Information Centre daily 9.30am–3pm. Free. The main entrance to this large royal park, east of the city centre, is flanked by the Palace of Holyrood House and the Scottish Parliament Building. Its main feature is Arthur’s Seat, an 823-foot hill which has a number of smaller peaks and ponds surrounding it.
■ MUSEUM OF CHILDHOOD 42 High Street, 529 4142, edinburghmuseums.org.uk Mon–Sat 10am–5pm; Sun noon–5pm. Free. Kids can learn about the toys, clothes and lifestyles of children of the past in this Royal Mile museum. Nostalgia for grown-ups guaranteed. ■ MUSEUM ON THE MOUND The Mound, 243 5464, museumonthemound.com Tue–Fri 10am–5pm; Sat & Sun 1–5pm; closed Mon. Free. Hosted inside the Bank of Scotland’s head office, this museum is all about money. Learn how money has evolved over the past 4000 years or try cracking a safe.
■ NATIONAL MINING MUSEUM SCOTLAND Lady Victoria Colliery, Newtongrange, 663 7519, scottishminingmuseum.com Daily 10am–5pm. £7.50 (£5.50; children free). Nine miles south of Edinburgh, this museum is one of the best-preserved Victorian collieries in Europe. Learn about the life of a miner by taking a tour around the site.
■ NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND Chambers Street, 0300 123 6789, nms. ac.uk Daily 10am–5pm. Free. Renovated in 2011, this national beacon of culture has exhibitions on natural history, science and technology, Scottish history, art and design and world cultures in galleries surrounding a beautiful naturally-lit atrium space. Vikings! Until Sun 12 May. £9 (£7.50; children £6; under 12s free). A touring exhibition from the Historiska Museet in Stockholm, enlightening us all as to the real nature of one of the most mythologised races in history. Through archaeological objects rarely seen outside of Scandinavia, explore death rituals, domestic lives, crafts, mythology and the symbolism of the Viking ships. ■ NATIONAL MUSEUMS COLLECTION CENTRE 242 West Granton Road, 247 4770, nms.ac.uk Visits by appointment only or with occasional tours. Following the redevelopment of the National Museum, two new collection buildings have also been added to the storage and conservation centre at Granton. From vintage motorbikes to whale and dinosaur bones – it’s all there.
■ OUR DYNAMIC EARTH Holyrood Road, 550 7800, dynamicearth. co.uk Wed–Sun 10am–5.30pm (last entry 4pm); closed Mon & Tue. £11.50 (£9.75; under 16s £7.20; under 3s free). Take an interactive journey through the history of the earth. Go to the tundra or the bottom of the ocean, never being more than a stone’s throw from the Scottish Parliament and Arthur’s Seat. Alien Invasion Until Fri 28 Jun. An extraterrestrial exhibition featuring memorabilia from iconic sci-fi films and TV shows, including Star Wars and Doctor Who, along with a 360° film narrated by Rupert Grint. See profile, left.
■ PALACE OF HOLYROODHOUSE Royal Mile, 556 5100, royalcollection. org.uk Daily 9.30am–6pm (last admission 5pm). £11 (£10; under 17s £6.65; under 5s free). The official Scottish residence of the Queen, this baroque palace was once home to Mary Queen of Scots and now
houses the great artworks and tapestries of its regal residents. ■ REAL MARY KING’S CLOSE 2 Warriston’s Close, High St, 0845 070 6244, realmarykingsclose.com Daily 10am–9pm. £12.95 (£11.45; children £7.45). Beneath the Royal Mile lies a warren of hidden closes where citizens of Edinburgh lived and died in the 16th and 17th centuries. Tours are led by guides in the character of real people who lived in the close. There are also souvenir shops and a courtyard café.
■ ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH Inverleith Row, 552 7171, rbge.org.uk Daily 10am–6pm. Free; glasshouse entry £4.50 (£3.50; children £1; family £9) (last admission 5pm). These gardens, founded in the 17th century, cover over 70 acres and are just one mile from the city centre. There are glasshouses and cafés within the grounds, as well as high-profile art exhibitions at Inverleith House.
■ ROYAL OBSERVATORY VISITOR CENTRE Blackford Hill, 668 8404, roe.ac.uk/ vc Entry by arrangement or at Public Astronomy evenings (weekly, Fri 6.30pm & 8pm). Public Astronomy evenings £4 (£3). See the stars through the research centre’s magnificent copper domes at weekly astronomy evenings.
■ ROYAL YACHT BRITANNIA Ocean Terminal, Leith, 555 5566, royalyachtbritannia.co.uk Daily 9.30am– 4pm. £12 (£10.50; under 18s £7.50; under 5s free; family £35). Take a guided tour of the ornate floating royal residence (and the naval quarters below) and learn about life aboard the yacht, which served the royal family for almost 50 years. ■ SCOTCH WHISKY EXPERIENCE 354 Castlehill, 220 0441, scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk Daily 10am–6pm; entry is as part of a tour. Tours £12.75–£52 (£10.25–£26; under 18s £6.50). Learn more about Scotland’s tastiest export with a tour and tasting session. There is also a bar and restaurant if you need a few more drams to help decide which is your favourite.
■ SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT Horse Wynd, 0800 092 7500, scottish. parliament.uk Opening hours vary according to whether Parliament is in session, see website for details. Free. See Spanish architect Enric Miralles’ magnificent (and controversial) Holyrood building, take a tour of the interior, sit in on a debate or look at the artwork on display.
■ SCOTT MONUMENT Princes Street Gardens East, 529 4068, edinburghmuseums.org.uk Mon–Sat 10am–7pm, Sun 10am–6pm. £3. Commemorating Sir Walter Scott, this is the largest monument of any writer in the world. Take all 287 steps to the top for a great view of the city, and occasional exhibitions. ■ SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE AND JOHN KNOX HOUSE 43–45 High Street, 556 9579, scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk. Mon–Sat 10am–6pm. Free entry to SSC; John Knox House £4.25 (£3.75; children £1; under 7s free). A stylish contemporary building appended to the 15th-century home of Protestant reformer John Knox, housing materials relating to Scotland’s rich oral culture.
■ SURGEONS’ HALL MUSEUM Nicolson Street, 527 1649, museum. rcsed.ac.uk Daily 10am–5pm. £5 (£3). Home to permanent collections on pathological anatomy, the history of surgery and dentistry, as well as temporary exhibitions, talks and occasionally gruesome hands-on events.
Museums & Attractions | AROUND TOWN
Events are listed by city, then type. Submit listings at least 14 days before publication to sport@list.co.uk for sport or aroundtown@list.co.uk for all other events. Listings compiled by Charlotte Runcie. ✽ Indicates Hitlist entry
GLASGOW Activities & Events FREE The Obliging, the Obliged: Screening and Discussion Thu 18 Apr, 6.30–8.30pm. CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, 352 4900. Artist Katherine MacBride presents a screening of and discussion about artists’ moving image work, with relation to the themes of her exhibition of the same name.
✽ Outskirts Sat 20 Apr, 3.30–10pm. £7.50–£10 without food (£12.50–
£15 with food) (under 12s free without food). Platform, The Bridge, 1000 Westerhouse Road, Easterhouse, 276 9696. Outskirts returns for a second half-day of boundary-traversing installations, performance, art and music. The line-up includes music from A Hawk & A Hacksaw and Frisk Frugt; readings from Rob Newman and Ryan Van Winkle; performance from Sonata for a Man and a Boy, Jaap Blonk is Dr Voxoid and Xana Marwick; and art by Florence To, Made By Me, Poster Club. A bus to the event (£4) departs from Mono at 3pm, returning at 10pm. See preview, page 90. FREE TYCI Sat 20 Apr, 4pm. Oxfam, 171 Byres Road, 334 7669. A new club and live event from TYCI, a Glasgow collective run for women by women. Special event in aid of Record Store Day, featuring Jo Mango, Kitty the Lion. Kirstin Innes and Siobhan Wilson. Continues at Bloc+ (117 Bath Street) from 11pm. Free entry before midnight; £2 after. See preview, page 43.
Kiltwalk Sun 21 Apr, 9am. £20. Hampden Park, Letherby Drive, 616 6000. Wear your tartan with pride and join hundreds of others on this walk from Hampden Park to Balloch on Loch Lomond to raise money for children here and overseas. Registration starts from 7.30am in the West Tunnel. Women’s Heritage Walks Sun 21 Apr, 2–4pm. £7.50. 248 9969. The Glasgow Women’s Library leads these walks in various areas around the city to unearth local histories that aren’t commemorated on plaques. This week: East End Women’s Heritage Walk. Booking essential; contact for meeting location. The Power Cut Choir Tue 23 Apr, 30 Apr, 7 May & 14 May, 7–9pm. £3. The Roxy 171, 171 Great Western Road, 331 1901. Alternative community choir, with a repertoire ranging from Ivor Cutler to Judas Priest via Sleater-Kinney and Talking Heads, gives open rehearsals. All welcome, no audition necessary. GFT Film Quiz Tue 23 Apr, 8.45pm. Glasgow Film Theatre, 12 Rose Street, 332 6535. Test your knowledge against some of Scotland’s most knowledgeable film critics. FREE Gallery Talks: Sinead Dunn and Sogol Mabadi Wed 24 Apr, 7pm. Transmission Gallery, Trongate 103, 552 7141. Talks by Glasgow-trained ceramicist Dunn and Teheran-born performance artist Mabadi. Classic Album Sundays Sun 28 Apr, 5.30pm. £6. Berkeley Suite, 237 North Street, 237 3235. A chance for audio nerds and musos to geek out over well-loved records, courtesy of Loud & Clear Hi-Fi. This month: Talking Heads’ Remain in Light (spun at 7.30pm). Nightwalk SS2013 Tue 30 Apr, 8.30pm. £10. The Arches, 253 Argyle Street, 565 1000. Independent fashion event featuring Scottish labels including Obscure Couture, Allennomis, Anna Antczak Corsets, NLM Design and more.
Visit the David Livingstone Centre Blantyre
See his home Hear the story Be inspired 2013 is the special bicentennial year of Dr Livingstone Scotland’s heroic explorer, missionary and anti-slavery campaigner
OPEN 7 DAYS
www.nts.org.uk/Property/David-Livingstone-Centre Special events at www.davidlivingstone200.org Call 0844 493 2207 165 Station Road, Blantyre G72 9BY
The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty is a charity registered in Scotland, Charity Number SC 007410 18 Apr–16 May 2013 THE LIST 41