Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland located in the Central Belt region of the country. With a population of approximately 450,000 (1 million in the city region), "Auld Reekie" (Edinburgh) manages to combine both ancient and modern in a uniquely Scottish atmosphere. Watched over by the imposing castle, the symbol of the city, Edinburgh combines medieval relics, Georgian grandeur and a powerful layer of modern life with contemporary avant-garde. In Edinburgh, medieval palaces rub shoulders with the best of modern architecture, Gothic churches with amazing museums and galleries. Scotland's throbbing night-life centre, Edinburgh, "the Athens of the North", is also a feast for the mind and the senses, playing host to great restaurants, shops and an unequaled programme of city festivals throughout the year. Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year, kicks off the festivities, which culminate in the high summer with the Tattoo, the International and the Fringe, amongst many others.

The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh were listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1995. In 2004, Edinburgh became the first member of the UNESCO Creative Cities initiative when it was designated a City of Literature. In a 2009 poll by YouGov, Edinburgh was voted the most desirable city to live in the UK. Edinburgh has been the royal capital of Scotland since 1437.

Edinburgh's historic centre is bisected by Princes Street Gardens, a broad swathe of parkland in the heart of the city. Southwards of the gardens is the castle, perched on top of an extinct volcanic crag, and flanked by the medieval streets of the Old Town following the Royal Mile along the ridge to the east. To the north of Princes Street Gardens lies Princes Street itself - Edinburgh's main shopping boulevard - and the Georgian period New Town, built after 1766 on a regular grid plan. 

Edinburgh is a compact city - most of the sights and major tourist attractions are within the Old Town and New Town and are no further than a 15 minute walk apart. Walking along elegant or atmospheric streets is one of the pleasures of the city. There are however, a number of hills to be navigated; for example from Princes Street, up The Mound towards Edinburgh Castle requires some significant legwork, but it's worth it for the views en route.

Princes Street (New Town), north of the castle, is the main shopping street in Edinburgh. It runs through the middle of the city from the train station to Lothian Road. There are many more upmarket shops, restaurants and bars on George Street (New Town), which runs parallel to Princes Street. Cockburn Street (pronounced "co-burn") in the (Old Town) has many small alternative shops selling music, novelty toys, underground clothing, body piercings and spiritual items. The Royal Mile (Old Town), especially the higher end near the castle, has many tourist-oriented shops selling Scottish souvenirs from postcards to whisky and kilts. Victoria Street (Old Town) is a nice street which is well worth a visit. You can find colourful buildings and interesting boutiques which are worth having a look at. Victoria Street also leads onto the Grassmarket (Old Town), a street which gives stunning views of the castle, which dominates right over it, and is also full of interesting and nice shops, as well as several pubs and restaurants. The Grassmarket is definitly well worth visiting. Multrees Walk (also known as The Walk), for high-end labels such as Vidal Sasoon, Armani, Vuitton, Harvey Nichols or Calvin Klein (New Town). Other malls include Princes Mall or St James Mall which are both just off Princes Street, and Ocean Terminal in Leith. Take home a bottle of Scotland's finest export, a single malt whisky.

Edinburgh is a great city for the food lover. There is a vast selection of eateries scattered throughout every part of the city, catering for all tastes, prices and styles - from fast-food to Michelin-starred grandeur. Just be careful around the castle and in the Grassmarket area, where many restaurants are tourist traps. As well as the centre of Edinburgh, it is also worth checking out Leith and the West End when looking for a place to eat. Rose St, running parallel to Princes St is a pedestrian precinct that has a huge number of pubs offering a variety of pub fare food. The Scots are well known for having a penchant for fried food which has resulted in such gastronomic delights as deep fried pizza, deep fried hamburgers, deep fried Black Pudding (a type of blood sausage), deep fried haggis and deep fried Mars bars. If you're up to it, be sure to drop by a chippy (fish and chip shop) and experience these Scottish delights. Edinburgh chippys are unique in the UK for offering salt'n'sauce as standard in place of the salt'n'vinegar usually provided elsewhere in the country. The sauce is a kind of runny, vinegary version of HP or Daddys style brown sauce. Most chippys will provide vinegar on request if you prefer, but you really should try salt'n'sauce at least once! 

As for Scotland's first drink, you will find The Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre at the top of The Royal Mile, which offers an interactive "tour" of the history and practise of Whisky distilling, complete with a rather sedate barrel ride. This is a good place to go if you want to sample whisky, as they have a very large selection (200+?) at a fairly reasonable price. Older whiskys tend to cost more and the rarest on offer can cost up to £50.00 per measure! The atmosphere is less pub-like than some might like as it tends to be fairly quiet - if you don't fancy the interactive tour and just want to try some whiskys then check the listings for some good whisky pubs but in any event, the majority of Edinburgh pubs tend to have a reasonable array of Scotch whiskys on offer. The food at the Centre is reasonably priced and fairly good. Lots of traditional pubs are all around the city. Lots of modern clubs are around Cowgate and Lothian road including Base, Gig and Diva. George Street in the New Town hosts many of Edinburgh's trendier bars. 

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Edinburgh Highlights & Link to Edinburgh Tourist Office

Steeped in history, Edinburgh seamlessly blends old and new, providing visitors with the perfect destination to experience the sights, sounds and tastes of a diverse and vibrant city. 

It is home to some of the world’s most recognisable cultural and historic sites such as the stunning Scott Monument and the iconic Edinburgh Castle. The city is also a first class food and drink destination, boasting an array of outstanding and award winning restaurants, cafes and bars. Shoppers can also find a superb variety of retail outlets, from high street to designer, from vintage to boutique.

For more information about best things to do, see and enjoy in the city visit www.thisisedinburgh.com – the official guide to Edinburgh. 

Brodies Invitational at Gleneagles

French Open finalist Henri Leconte joins legendary line-up at the Brodies Invitational at Gleneagles

29TH MARCH 2018

French Open finalist Henri Leconte will put his famous left-handed swing into action this summer when he joins fellow tennis legends at the Brodies Invitational at Gleneagles.

The former World No. 5, who notched up nine singles titles and 10 doubles titles during his illustrious career, will take part in the two-day event that will see former British No. 1 Tim Henman, former World No. 1 Thomas Muster, former World No. 8 Mark Philippoussis and eight-time ATP World Tour doubles champion Colin Fleming, competing in the only Scottish date on the prestigious ATP Champions Tour on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 June.

Tennis fans will be treated to a display of experience versus youth when the all-star line-up shares the court with some of Scotland’s most promising young tennis talent. Former Fed Cup Captain Judy Murray has also confirmed her return to support the event, alongside Tennis Scotland and Scottish sports broadcaster Alison Walker as MC.

Henri Leconte said: “I’m really looking forward to playing at the Brodies Invitational, Gleneagles is a beautiful location to play. I know the Scots are very passionate about sport, so I’m sure it’ll be a great atmosphere.”

Established in 1997, the ATP Champions Tour spans the globe with former champions competing in tournaments in cities including London, Brussels, Palma de Mallorca, Mexico and Delray Beach.

Nick Scott, managing partner elect of Brodies, said: “I’m delighted that Henri Leconte will be joining us at Gleneagles for the very first time, it’s great to add another legend to what is already an exciting line-up of tennis stars. I’m sure his performance will be much anticipated by fans and business people alike.”

Der French Open Finalist Henri Leconte ist Teil des legendären line-up beim Brodies Einladungsturnier in Gleneagles

29. März 2018

Der French Open Finalist Henri Leconte wird seinen berühmten Linkshänderschwung zum Besten geben wenn er mit den anderen Tennislegenden beim Brodies Invitational in Gleneagles antritt.

Die ehemalige Nummer 5 der Weltrangliste, der in seiner illustren Karriere 9 Einzel- und 10 Doppeltitel gewann, nimmt neben der früheren britischen Nummer 1 Tim Henman, dem ex Weltranglistenersten Thomas Muster, ex Nummer 8 Marl Philippoussis und dem achtfachen ATP World Tour Doppelchampion Colin Fleming beim einzigen ATP Champions Tour Event in Schottland am 22. und 23. Juni teil.

Tennisfans werden in den Genuß von Jugend und Erfahrung kommen wenn sich die Allstars den Platz mit einigen der vielversprechendsten schottischen Tennistalenten teilen. Die ehemalige Fed Cup Kapitänin Judy Murray hat ihr Kommen auch bereits zugesagt neben der schottischen TV-Kommentatorin Alison Walker, welche die Rolle des Conferenciers übernimmt.

Henri Leconte sagte: „Ich freue mich wirklich sehr beim Brodies Invitational zu spielen, Gleneagles ist wirklich schön. Ich weiß, dass die Schotten sportverrückt sind also ist eine großartige Stimmung garantiert.“

Seit 1997 treten ehemalige Champions bei der ATP Champions Tour an und spielen weltweit auf Turnieren in Städten wie etwa London, Brüssel, Delray Beach oder Palma de Mallorca.

Nick Scott, Managing Director bei Brodies: „Ich bin sehr glücklich, dass Henri Leconte zum ersten Mal in Gleneagles spielen wird. Er ist eine weitere Legende in unserem hockkarätigen Spielerfeld von Tennisstars. Ich bin mir sicher, dass die Besucher seinen Auftritt jetzt schon kaum erwarten können. “

Henri Leconte, finaliste de Roland Garros, rejoint le légendaire line-up au Brodies Invitational à Gleneagles

29 mars 2018

Le finaliste français Henri Leconte mettra son fameux Swing gaucher en action cet été quand il se joindra aux autres légendes de tennis au Brodies Invitational à Gleneagles.

L'ancien monde no. 5, qui a entaillé neuf titres de simple et 10 titres de double au cours de sa carrière illustre, participera à l'événement de deux jours qui verra l'ancien n ° 1 Britannique Tim Henman, ancien monde n ° 1 Thomas rassemblement, ancien monde n ° 8 Mark Philippoussis et l'ATP World Tour double champion de huit fois Colin Fleming, en compétition dans la seule date écossaise sur le prestigieux ATP Champions Tour le vendredi 22 et samedi 23 juin.

Les amateurs de tennis seront traités à un affichage de l'expérience par rapport aux jeunes lorsque le All-Star Line-up partage la Cour avec certains des plus prometteurs de l'Ecosse jeunes talents de tennis. L'ancien capitaine de la Fed Cup Judy Murray a également confirmé son retour à l'appui de l'événement, aux côtés de tennis Scotland et le radiodiffuseur sportif écossais Alison Walker comme MC.

Henri Leconte a dit: «je suis vraiment impatient de jouer au Brodies Invitational, Gleneagles est un endroit magnifique pour jouer. Je sais que les écossais sont très passionnés par le sport, donc je suis sûr que ce sera une bonne ambiance. "

Créé en 1997, l'ATP Champions Tour s'étend sur le globe avec d'anciens champions en compétition dans des tournois dans des villes comme Londres, Bruxelles, Palma de Mallorca, Mexico et Delray Beach.

Nick Scott, associé directeur élu de Brodies, a déclaré: «je suis ravi que Henri Leconte se joindra à Gleneagles pour la première fois, c'est génial d'ajouter une autre légende à ce qui est déjà une passionnante line-up de stars de tennis. Je suis sûr que sa performance sera très attendue par les fans et les gens d'affaires semblables.