Five non-Fringe cultural highlights of Edinburgh to visit this August
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Edinburgh is a place where the Medieval dances with the Georgian, the modern with the ancient. That northern light of cobbled streets, winding alleys and places to discover. In August it shines and shakes with joy and laughter... but when you spill out on its streets where can you go next? Well…Where do we start?
Edinburgh Castle
An active volcano 350 million-years-ago, the 430ft Castle Rock has been home to Edinburgh Castle since at least the 12th century. Towering over Old Town, Scottish rulers, good and bad, have walked within. It hosted the Black Dinner involving the Douglas clan, which inspired GOT’s Red Wedding, was where Mary Queen of Scots delivered James VI and I and couldn’t be captured by the Jacobites. It is a place of ghosts and spectres. Particular places of note are the oldest building: St Margaret’s Chapel and Mill’s Mount Battery where the One O’Clock Gun is shot.
Image: Kim Traynor
The Cameo Cinema
This tiny Tollcross building is actually a cinematic marvel. It began as the King’s Cinema in 1914 and is one of Scotland’s oldest cinemas still operating. Behind the modern exterior is original architecture. Called the Cameo since 1949, it’s known for arthouse films and is involved in the Film Festival. Famous visitors include Lillian Gish and Orson Welles, Quentin Tarantino, Gael Garcia Bernal and Tommy Wiseau. The cinema’s 2005 B-Listing by Historic Scotland mean its building will remain unchanged. Go catch a film in its historic walls…
Image: Kim Traynor
The Camera Obscura Having wowed for over 150 years, it uses natural optic phenomena to show the live city of Edinburgh from one vantage point and is the oldest purpose-built attraction in Edinburgh. It was and is marvellous. Today it collaborates “with artists, inventors and technical wizards” to show audiences a “world of wonder”. Although the Camera Obscura is the main attraction there is more. The roof offers fantastic views while the illusion museum has 150 illusions. A topsy-turvy amazing place to explore on the royal mile.
Image: Christian
Visit a Gallery or Museum
A trip to Edinburgh isn’t complete without a wander around the many amazing museums, galleries and collections that are keeping Edinburgh’s historical and cultural past alive. The Surgeons’ Hall Museums tell the story of Edinburgh’s role as a historical medical capital. The People’s HistoryImage: dun_deagh
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