You should be standing in West Princes Street Gardens at the Robert Louis Stevenson memorial that is a small distance to the left of big fountain and just to the south of the path that leads from t...

Keep going up the steep path. You'll hear from me when you get to Princes Street.

Stop at the railings and look back towards the Castle.

This is the view that the young Stevenson would see; listen to his thoughts through some words from his Edinburgh Picturesque Notes

“T...

Walk up Castle Street, passing Rose Street on your right.

As you walk I'll tell you more about the trail.

For Stevenson’s childhood, I’ve drawn a line at age 16. Beyond that age, he went on ...

This is George Street, which you're going to be crossing shortly. But before you do, have a look to your right. You'll be walking up that way after our next stop. So you'll need to come back to thi...

Stop here in front of the stone building with the columned facade.

Here was one of the Stevenson connections; Sir Walter Scott had this house built and wintered here for a quarter of a century. ...

Continue walking to the next junction, which also has a large statue in the middle of it.

You should be easily able to spot the flag and lighthouse high on the side of 84 George Street. You can ...

At the junction, turn left to cross George Street by the zebra crossings.

Now turn right and cross Frederick Street by its zebra crossings.

Then start down the hill on what for you is the right side of Frederick Street. I'll meet you a little further along Frederick S...

Stop here for a moment and have a look across the street at the grey stone building that houses a post office and has the Frederick House Hotel on it. This is number 40 Frederick Street.

The sec...

Cross the street ahead, Queen Street, and keep going.

Keep going straight.

We will soon arrive at 17 Heriot Row, the house where Stevenson spent the majority of his childhood. One of the pieces of furniture in Stevenson’s rooms there was a chest ma...

Cross Heriot Row, then turn right.

17 Heriot Row is just a few doors along. You should see a plaque on its wall.

Stop when you get to it.

This was Stevenson's home from the age of 7.

You can see that the street is still filled with houses of the well to do. Advocates huddle in Heriot Row. Even in Stevenson’s time, this was a stre...

Keep walking along Heriot Row.

At just about every school he attended Stevenson wrote at least one school magazine. He wrote several editions of one he called 'The Sunbeam' when he was at Rober...

Cross India Street then turn right to go downhill. This will take us past another of his early schools. But first we will pass the birthplace of James Clerk Maxwell at number 14.

Stop for a moment in front of Number 14, on your left. It's the one with the black door.

This is the Maxwell family house. Not only did Maxwell herald the next epoch of science, but his ideas le...

We're heading to the private school that Thomas S Henderson ran at number 36.

Stevenson was here fleetingly between 1857 and 1861. We know little about the school, other than that he seems to ha...

Further ahead on your left is number 36, with its white door, though there's not much to see now of the former private school.

From number 36 safely cross India Street and walk straight along t...

Turn right into Royal Circus and keep going.

We are working our way back towards Stevenson's younger childhood days. As we get there his choice of writing topics inevitably became more basic. He...

Safely cross the main road ahead and go straight down the minor road directly opposite you, with the gardens on either side.

Turn right here into North East Circus Place and keep going.

Turn left here onto St Vincent Street and head towards the large church at the end of the street. This edifice is St Stephens Church. It was designed by William Playfair shortly after he designed t...

Stop here for a moment in front of the church.

The view down to and exit from the church steps was used in the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire, about Eric Liddle, the great sprinter who refu...

Continue along St Stephens Street as it curves to your left. When you come to the next street, Clarence Street, turn right and walk along it. I'll continue our story there.

Continue to the end of the street. Along the way I'll tell you some more about him being an only child.

He often relied upon the wider family for company. Probably his favourite cousin was a son...

Once you reach Henderson Row, cross over it, then turn right and keep going.

You're passing the Edinburgh Academy on your left. You can keep walking while I tell you more about it.

The Edinburgh Academy is one of Edinburgh’s great schools. Stevenson attended here for a f...

Turn left here onto Brandon Street and continue along as it curves to your right. A big clock will soon come into view in the middle of a junction. I’ll tell you what to do when you reach that junc...

This is Canonmills, which you're going to be crossing shortly. But before you do, have a look to your left. You'll be walking along that way after our next stop. So you'll need to come back to this...

Now turn right, cross the lane that runs to your left and walk uphill following the buildings as they curve to your left.

This area became the place where rival gas companies manufactured the g...

At the furthest side of the building, you'll find a plaque. Stop when you reach it.

Here is the very first school that Stevenson went to. The plaque records this. When he went here it was a hall...

Continue going straight. This bridge crosses the Water of Leith.

Continue straight.

When Stevenson was a young man he wrote some essays that were at the forefront of thinking about childhood. He was able to anchor them on his own experience. When he was much ...

Take a left here into Inverleith Terrace.

Walk along the line of houses until you reach number 9.

Number 9 was originally no 1. It was the first of a set of houses built just after Stevenson was born. This was the edge of the countryside.

The little family of Robert Lewis, his mother Margare...

Now retrace your steps until you come to the junction with the main road. Cross it with care and go right, along Howard Place, back towards Canonmills. Continue until you find number 8, our final s...

Stop here in front of number 8 Howards Place.

In the ironwork on its front gate, you can see the letters RLS and a plaque on the front wall of the house. Here it was that Robert Lewis Balfour St...