Along the Royal Mile

Old Town's Royal Mile is an attraction in itself, stretching down the spine of a hill from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It bears four names along its length: Castlehill, Lawnmarket, High Street, and Canongate. Walking along, you'll see some of the most interesting old structures in the city, with turrets, gables, and towering chimneys. Some of the highlights are listed here, in order from west to east.

For Fans of Mr. Hyde -- Not far from Gladstone's Land is Brodie's Close, a stone-floored alley off the Lawnmarket. It was named after the well-respected cabinet-making father of the notorious William Brodie, who was a respectable councilor and deacon of trades by day -- but a notorious thief and ne'er-do-well by night. Brodie's apparent split personality (actually he was simply calculating and devious) was possibly part of the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Brodie was finally caught and hanged in 1788. In a final irony, the mechanism used in the hangman's scaffold was perfected by none other than Brodie himself -- and he tried to defy its action by secretly wearing a steel collar under his shirt. It didn't work. Across the street from Brodie's Close is one of the more famous pubs along the Royal Mile: Deacon Brodie's Tavern, 435 Lawnmarket (tel. 0131/225-6531).

Canongate Kirkyard & Dunbar's Close -- Take a few minutes to wander about the graveyard that surrounds the Canongate Church and the neighboring walled garden in Dunbar's Close. If you use your imagination, they can evoke the past in a way that museums, audio loops, videos, and tour guides can't do half as well.