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Edinburgh
![]() Source: ECB/ Edinburgh Brand Edinburgh is charming, vibrant, historic and famed for its exciting year-round programme of cultural events and festivals. In the city’s compact centre, the Old and New Towns are designated World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The skyline of Edinburgh is instantly recognisable with Edinburgh Castle perched high above the city on an ancient volcanic plug. The Scottish capital and seat of its parliament, offers over sixty galleries, five major performing art theatres, a host of wide-ranging visitor attractions, an extensive range of quality accommodation and more restaurants per head of population than anywhere else in the UK. It also boasts a centuries long tradition of excellence in both science and the arts with Charles Darwin, James Young Simpson, Alexander Fleming, Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle, Sean Connery and JK Rowling just some of the famous names who have lived, worked and studied in Edinburgh. In the 18th Century, Edinburgh was a major centre for the Enlightenment earning it the nickname of ‘The Athens of the North’. However, it has also had its darker inhabitants. The body snatchers Burke and Hare, did not just rob graves to obtain corpses to sell to the anatomist Robert Knox, for dissection – but also committed serial murders to do so. ![]() Source: ECB/ Edinburgh Brand Today the city is a global leader in many areas of research and development in medicine, new technologies and the life sciences. Indeed, the first mammal ever to be cloned - Dolly the sheep - occurred in Edinburgh. It is also a major educational centre with four Universities as well as being a financial capital of Europe. Outside Edinburgh lies the beautiful countryside, coastline and mountains of Scotland. Famed for its castles and other historic buildings, Scotland is also a wonderful country for all kinds of outdoor pursuits including fishing, climbing, walking, sailing and mountain biking as well as being the birthplace of golf with many world class courses lying within easy reach of Edinburgh. ![]() » Click here for Pocket Map (PDF) Links:
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