Edinburgh New Town: A Literary Walking Tour

For centuries, Edinburgh has enthralled writers with its myriad facets, filling anthologies with the diverse reactions of visitors. Over the last decade alone, the city has provided the backdrop for literally hundreds of novels. It’s also been home to prolific writers like Robert Fergusson, Walter Scott, and R.L. Stevenson. In more recent years, contemporary authors, including Ian Rankin, Irvine Welsh, and Christopher Brookmyre, have solidified the city’s reputation as the crime capital of the world through their novels. Join me on this walking tour as we navigate the rich pages of Edinburgh’s literary history.

Our tour starts at the Waverley Bridge Street entrance of Princes Mall. We’ll discover the iconic Scott Monument and learn about the literary legacy of Walter Scott, one of Scotland’s greatest writers. We’ll pass Hanover Street and find Milnes Bar, a renowned establishment central to the Scots Literary Renaissance. After circling Queen Street Gardens, we’ll explore the birthplace of Kenneth Grahame on Castle Street, the creator of The Wind in the Willows. Finally, our journey concludes at St. John’s Scottish Episcopal Church, where you can find many more stories to enjoy at the Cornerstone Bookstore.

On this 45-minute stroll through probably the best-preserved Georgian city in the world, you’ll:

• Discover the city’s rich literary roots and find its connections to centuries of writers
• Walk the length of Princes Street with its outstanding views of Edinburgh Castle
• Find out why the Rose Street Poets left Milnes Bar to find a new watering hole
• Appreciate St Andrew Square Gardens, the first part of Edinburgh’s New Town designed by architect James Craig in 1772
• Navigate the elegantly symmetric streets of the New Town
• Visit the Oxford Bar, the regular haunt of the critically acclaimed crime writer Ian Rankin
• See the Stevenson House and discover what inspired one of RL Stevenson’s most famous verses

After this walking tour, you’ll have visited some of the most prominent sites in its literary history and found out why this city is so widely chronicled.