AROUND TOWN | Museums & Attractions
■ 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–4pm. £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. FREE Hunting the Higgs Boson Until Sun 16 Feb. An exploration of the quest to understand the fundamental structure of the universe, told using personal artifacts from Prof Higgs and CERN. ■ 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; closed Mon & Tue (last entry 4pm). £11.50 (£9.75; under 16s £7.50; 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.
■ PALACE OF HOLYROODHOUSE Royal Mile, 556 5100, royalcollection. org.uk Daily 9.30am–4.30pm (last entry 3.15pm). £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 Sun–Thu
Wednesday 18th December STOP FOR SOUP: buy a cup of our soup for your lunch and help a homeless person.
Wed 18th
December
1 –
3 pm
The List Courtyard
14 High Street, EH1 1TE
£3 for soup & bread
plus your
Christmas goodwill donation
Help us get rough sleepers off Edinburgh’s streets this Christmas
All proceeds from this event support the work of Bethany Christian Trust’s Winter Care Shelter. Giving homeless and vulnerable people
in Scotland hope and a future. www.bethanychristiantrust.com
Bethany is a registered charity no SC003783 60 THE LIST 12 Dec 2013–23 Jan 2014
10am–5pm; Fri & Sat 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. The underground tours are led by guides in the character of real people who lived in the close. ■ ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH Inverleith Row, 552 7171, rbge.org. uk Daily 10am–4pm. Free; glasshouse entry £4.50 (£3.50; children £1; family £9). 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 7.30–9pm). 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 10am– 3.30pm. £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. Andrew Carnegie: The Legacy that Changed the World Until Sun 25 Jan (closed 21 Dec–5 Jan). Learn about the extraordinary legacy of the steel tycoon and philanthropist.
■ SCOTT MONUMENT Princes Street Gardens East, 529 4068, edinburghmuseums.org.uk Daily 9am–4pm (last admission 3.30pm). £4. 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, plus occasional exhibitions. ■ SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE AND JOHN KNOX HOUSE 43–45 High Street, 556 9579, scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk Daily 10am–6pm; closed Sun. 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 Mon–Fri noon–4pm. £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.
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 Kirstyn Smith. ✽ Indicates Hitlist entry
GLASGOW
Activities & Events FREE Two More Than Most Thu 12 Dec, 7–11pm. Brechin Bar, 803 Govan Road, stim@fablevision.org A night celebrating the history, heritage and community of Govan, with short film screenings, live music and food. FREE Mystery Guided Walk Sat 14 Dec, 10am–2pm. Pollok Country Park, Pollokshaws Road, 276 0927. Countryside Rangers take you on a walk without telling you the destination. Remember to dress warm and bring along a snack. Booking essential. Ceilidh Dance Classes Wed 18 Dec, 7.30pm. £5.50. St Andrews in the Square, 1 St Andrews Square, 559 5902. All this festive merrymaking got you worried about your lack of coordination? Never fear – Tricia Matthews is here to help you shape up your footwork. Now, What’s That You Call Music Thu 19 Dec, 7.30pm. £2. The Glad Café, 1006a Pollokshaws Road, 636 6119. Nab bragging rights as the most encyclopedic muso of them all at this quiz night.
✽ Irn-Bru Carnival Fri 20 Dec–Sun 12 Jan, times vary. £12. SECC,
Finnieston Quay, 0844 395 4000. From the traditional waltzers and dodgems to the brand new Voodoo Dancer and equally stomach-churning Matterhorn, Speed Buzz and Extreme. Plus of course there are gentler rides for wee ones. FREE All Night Long Sat 21 Dec, noon–4pm. Scotland Street School Museum, 225 Scotland Street, 287 0500. An afternoon of crafts and song in celebration of the Winter Solstice. FREE Decorate the Decades Mon 23 & Tue 24 Dec, 1.30–4pm. Riverside Museum, 100 Pointhouse Place, 287 2660. Create a Christmas bauble inspired by vintage toys. FREE The Kelvingrove Family Ceilidh Mon 30 Dec, 2–4pm. Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Argyle Street, 276 9599. Dance away the year with the Gunna Sound Ceilidh Band. Early arrival recommended. Glasgow Loves Hogmanay Tue 31 Dec, noon–10pm. Prices vary. George Square, glasgowloveschristmas.com A full day of family-friendly fun, including traditional music, children’s activities and Scottish food and drink. Ashton Lane Hogmanay Street Party Tue 31 Dec, 7pm. £25. Ashton Lane. Ring in 2014 with fireworks, a piper, street performers, live music, DJs and tasty food and drink. A portion of each ticket goes to the STV Appeal. FREE Big Wood in Winter Sat 11 Jan, 1–3pm. Cathkin Braes Country Park, Cathkin Road, 287 8118. Take a walk through the beautiful woodland at Cathkin Braes and learn how nature copes with the frosty season. FREE TalkSeePhotography Mon 13 Jan, 7pm. CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, 352 4900. Photo types share, discuss and look at still photography. Playwrights’ Studio Scotland: Urlar Thu 16 Jan, 7.30pm. £3. CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, 332 4403. ‘A New Gaelic Play Laboratory’ to develop, rehearse and devise new scripts, led by Iain Macrae. Accessible to Gaelic and non-Gaelic speakers. Ages 16+. Top Gear Live Sat 18 Jan, 3.30pm & 7.30pm. Sun 19 Jan, 2pm & 5.30pm. £49–£99. SSE Hydro, Exhibition Way, 248 3000. The show heads to Scotland for the very first time, with hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May in tow. The Top Gear Live Stunt Team take on crazy challenges and show off some mighty fancy cars.