Leith - The Jewel in Edinburgh’s Crown
Join me on this tour as we walk around Leith including The Shore area of Leith, which just got voted the 4th hippest place in the world by Rough Guide.
Leith had a ship building history of 600 years, and we will learn about the decline of the dock area, the poverty-stricken 1980’s and 90’s, and how and why did Leith become such a trendy place to live. It is also infamous for the Tainspotting movie and books. Leith is now home to the ex-royal yacht Britannia and if you want to include a visit to the yacht, I can arrange that for you too, as the tour finishes in the Shore area of Leith and Britannia is just a 15-minute walk away.
Leith dates back to 1128 and has fought for control with the larger area of Edinburgh for control of Leith, only finally becoming part of Edinburgh in 1920! It was the main port in Scotland for centuries, and as most of the goods back then were transported by sea, Leith was obviously worth controlling purely for financial reasons. Leith is also known as Sunny Leith, and we will find out the reason why.
Leith is also the real home of Golf - not St Andrew’s - and on this tour you will find out why. Leith has suffered many highs and lows over the centuries and was also where most visiting dignitaries had to land when visiting Edinburgh and we will hear tales about Mary Queen of Scots, her mother Mary de Guise, King James VI, King George IV as well as a Jacobite heroine. Leith was destroyed by the English in 1544 and again in 1547 and we now only have one building older than 1544 - which we will visit on this tour.
The Tour will take 1.5 to 2 hours and, as always, be prepared for all weathers.
Check out our other tours.
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