Princes Street Gardens & Scott Monument

You're now crossing into the New Town, and the green valley beside you tells a remarkable story. Princes Street Gardens occupy what was once the Nor Loch — an artificial lake, and for centuries the fetid dumping ground of the Old Town, into which all manner of waste flowed downhill. It was drained around the turn of the 19th century as the elegant Georgian New Town rose to the north, and transformed into these beloved public gardens. Towering over them is the Scott Monument, completed in 1846 in memory of the novelist Sir Walter Scott — at just over 61 metres, it's said to be the largest monument to a writer anywhere in the world, a Gothic rocket of dark sandstone. Climb its 287 spiral steps for a superb view, if you don't mind a tight squeeze. Beside the gardens you'll also find the Ross Fountain and, in season, the world's oldest floral clock, planted anew each year since 1903. Before we carry on, there's something on offer. Fifteen minutes east of here, where Princes Street runs out, a small hill rises over the city — Calton Hill, and the view from the top is the one on every postcard Edinburgh has ever sold. It's an easy climb, a few minutes of steps rather than a hill walk, and this guide will meet you up there. If you'd rather stay on the flat, that's no loss at all: turn your back on the monument, head north into St Andrew Square, and we'll pick you up in the New Town.