Core Edinburgh Walking Tour

(Numbered Stops)

1. College Wynd (Guthrie Street):  Birthplace of Sir Walter Scott (1771).

2. High School Yards:  Site of the Royal High School attended by Scott.

3. 25 George Square:  Family residence and student lodgings during Scott’s youth.

4. Buccleuch Parish Churchyard:  South-side parish burial ground associated with Scott’s student district.

5. Greyfriars Kirkyard:  Burial place of Scott’s father and other family members.

6. Parliament Hall (Parliament House):  Scott’s workplace as Clerk of Session.

7. Signet Library:  Professional setting linked to Scott’s legal career.

8. St Giles’ Cathedral:  Principal church of Edinburgh’s civic and legal community during Scott’s lifetime.

9. National Library of Scotland:  Repository of Scott manuscripts and related archival material.

10. The Mound:  Link between Old Town and New Town during Scott’s Edinburgh life.

11. 39 Castle Street:  Scott’s residence (1802–1826); written here: the Waverley novels.

12. Assembly Rooms (George Street):  Venue where Scott publicly acknowledged authorship in 1827.

13. Scott Monument (Princes Street Gardens):  Victorian monument commemorating Scott (completed 1844).

14. Edinburgh Castle:  Location of the rediscovery of the Honours of Scotland in 1818, led by Scott.

15. 5 North St David Street:  Lodgings used by Scott after the financial crash of 1826.

16. Douglas Hotel (St Andrew Square):  Where Scott stayed on his final return to Edinburgh in 1832.

17. 3 Walker Street:  Later New Town residence associated with Scott.

18. 16 Atholl Crescent:  Residence of Robert Cadell, Scott’s later publisher.

19. Old Calton Burial Ground:  Burial ground containing monuments linked to Scott’s era and associates.

20. National Monument (Calton Hill):  Early nineteenth-century national monument overlooking Edinburgh.

21. Canongate Churchyard:  Historic burial ground near Scott’s Old Town associations.

22. Museum of Edinburgh (Huntly House):  Museum housing material culture from Scott’s Edinburgh.

23. Sciennes Hill House (Former Site):  Site associated with the meeting of Walter Scott and Robert Burns.

Associated Literary & Institutional Sites

(Alphabetical)

A. Lady Stair’s House:  Later home of Scott’s dining furniture following the 1826 sale.

B. RSA / Royal Institution (The Mound):  Meeting place of the Royal Society of Edinburgh during Scott’s presidency.

C. Blackwood’s (45 George Street):  Publishing house associated with Scott and his contemporaries.

D. Cadell’s Shop (St Andrew Square):  Premises of Robert Cadell, Scott’s later publisher.

E. Raeburn’s House (York Place):  Studio of Sir Henry Raeburn, painter of Scott’s portraits.

F. Lockhart Vantage Point (George Street):  Location from which Lockhart claimed to observe Scott writing Waverley.

H. Statue of George IV (George Street):  Monument linked to the 1822 royal visit organised by Scott.

I. Rose Court (Thistle Court):  Proposed chambers considered by Scott after 1826.

J. Mrs Brown’s Lodgings (6 North St David Street):   Temporary lodgings taken by Scott in 1826 after the financial crash.

K. 6 Shandwick Place:   West End residence occupied by Scott in 1827 during his later Edinburgh years.

L. Mackenzie’s Hotel (Castle Street):  Temporary accommodation used by Scott after leaving Castle Street.

M. James Ballantyne’s House (St John Street):  Residence of Scott’s printer and business partner.

N. Paul’s Work (North Back Canongate):  Printing premises used by the Ballantyne firm.

O. Archibald Constable’s Shop (High Street):  Publishing premises of Scott’s principal pre-1826 publisher.

P. John Ballantyne’s Hanover Street Premises:  Business premises associated with Scott’s literary agent.

Q. St John’s Episcopal Church (West Princes Street):   Burial place of Scott’s mother, Anne Rutherford Scott.

R. 12 South Charlotte Street:  Office of John Gibson, WS tertius, who managed Scott’s legal affairs from 1822 until his death.

S. 23 Lynedoch Place:  Home of John Gibson, WS tertius, where Scott was a frequent guest after the sale of 39 Castle Street.

T. Theatre Royal (site; now Waverley Gate, Waterloo Place):  Scott involved in the 1794 Theatre Riot; “Rob Roy” staged here during George IV’s 1822 visit.

Scott Beyond Edinburgh

Supplementary National Context

I. Smailholm Tower:  Childhood residence where Scott stayed with relatives.

II. Sandyknowe Farm:  Childhood home following illness; early exposure to Border traditions.

III. Ashiestiel House:  Residence where Scott composed major narrative poems.

IV. Abbotsford:  Scott’s home and estate near Melrose.

Abbotsford estate: 

IV(a). Huntlyburn: Stream running through the Abbotsford estate and part of Scott’s immediate surroundings.

IV(b). Cauldshiels Loch: Loch near Abbotsford associated with Scott’s walks and Border landscape setting.

IV(c). Rhymers Glen: Glen near the Eildon Hills linked to the Thomas the Rhymer legend known to Scott.

IV(d). Turnagain Stone: Antiquarian boundary stone associated with the Abbotsford estate.

IV(e). Kaeside: Locality within the Abbotsford estate lands forming part of its working landscape.

V. Dryburgh Abbey:  Burial place of Sir Walter Scott.

VI. Lasswade Cottage:  Early marital residence of Scott and Charlotte Carpenter.

VII. Scott’s View:  Landscape viewpoint associated with Scott’s attachment to the Tweed valley.

VIII. Rosebank Cottage (Kelso):  Retirement home of Captain Robert Scott; frequented by Scott in youth.

IX. Kelso Mail (Headquarters):  Newspaper associated with the Ballantyne brothers.

X. Walton Hall (Kelso):  Villa built by John Ballantyne near Kelso.

XI. Tibbie Shiels Inn (St Mary’s Loch):  Meeting place for Scott and Border literary contemporaries.

XII. Selkirk Sheriff Court (Selkirk):  Court where Scott served as Sheriff-Depute of Selkirkshire.

Scott’s Literary Landscapes

L1. Eildon Hills:   Border hills overlooking Abbotsford and Melrose; central to Scott’s lived landscape and poetic imagination.

L2. Yarrow Valley:   Border valley associated with ballad tradition and Scott’s poetic engagement with Yarrow.

L3. Ettrick Forest:   Historic Border region central to Scott’s sense of medieval and feudal Scotland.

L4. Melrose Abbey:   Cistercian ruin near Abbotsford, famously evoked in The Lay of the Last Minstrel.

L5. St Mary’s Loch:   Border loch associated with Scott’s visits and the wider literary circle of the Tweed valley.

L6. Leaderfoot (near Dryburgh):  Tweed crossing and landscape referenced in Scott’s poetry.

We believe this is the most comprehensive public listing of Sir Walter Scott locations in Edinburgh and its immediate regional network. If we have missed any site of significance, please let us know via the form below.