This public park was originally common grazing land but is more famous as the birthplace of modern golf. Although St Andrews has the oldest golf course in the world, it was at Leith Links in 1744 that the first official rules of the game were formulated by the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. A stone cairn on the western side of the park bears a plaque describing how the ancient game was played over five holes of around 400yd each.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
2.07 MILES
Edinburgh Castle has played a pivotal role in Scottish history, both as a royal residence – King Malcolm Canmore (r 1058–93) and Queen Margaret first made…
7.96 MILES
Many years may have passed since Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code and the subsequent film came out, but floods of visitors still descend on Scotland's…
0.91 MILES
Built on Clydeside, the former Royal Yacht Britannia was the British Royal Family's floating holiday home during their foreign travels from the time of…
25.37 MILES
One of Scotland's great country houses, Traquair House has a powerful, ethereal beauty, and exploring it is like time travel. Odd, sloping floors and a…
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
2.8 MILES
Edinburgh's gallery of modern art is split between two impressive neoclassical buildings surrounded by landscaped grounds some 500m west of Dean Village…
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1.33 MILES
The Scottish Parliament Building, on the site of a former brewery and designed by Catalan architect Enric Miralles (1955–2000), was opened by the Queen in…
1.76 MILES
Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden is the second-oldest institution of its kind in Britain (after Oxford), and one of the most respected in the world…
26.32 MILES
Completed in 2002, the Falkirk Wheel is a modern engineering marvel, a rotating boat lift that raises vessels 115ft from the Forth & Clyde Canal to the…
Nearby Leith attractions
0.28 MILES
This neoclassical building dating from 1816 was the headquarters of the Incorporation of Masters and Mariners (founded in 1380), the nautical equivalent…
0.49 MILES
The most attractive part of Leith is this cobbled waterfront street alongside the Water of Leith, lined with pubs and restaurants. Before the docks were…
0.55 MILES
A multi-purpose, family-friendly arts hub, Out of the Blue occupies a magnificent old drill hall dating back to 1901 and hosts events, exhibitions,…
0.65 MILES
This recent addition to Leith’s hipster scene is a creative arts hub housed in an old biscuit factory, also home to Edinburgh Gin’s second distillery…
0.91 MILES
Built on Clydeside, the former Royal Yacht Britannia was the British Royal Family's floating holiday home during their foreign travels from the time of…
6. Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop
1.16 MILES
This state-of-the-art building located on an old railway siding is the first purpose-built centre dedicated to sculpture in the UK. There are regular…
7. Edinburgh Printmakers’ Workshop & Gallery
1.2 MILES
Founded in 1967, this was the UK’s first ‘open-access’ printmaking studio, providing studio space and equipment for professional artists and beginners…
1.24 MILES
David I founded this abbey in the shadow of Salisbury Crags in 1128. It was probably named after a fragment of the True Cross (rood is an old Scots word…