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The Royal Yacht Britannia was launched in 1953, the 83rd Royal Yacht since Charles II owned the first one in 1660. Although obviously meant to be used as a Royal Yacht during peacetime, the ship was also designed to be used as a hospital in the case of war breaking out, although luckily it was never used for this purpose. In her 44 years of service Britannia travelled over a million nautical miles and visited dozens of countries. She is 125m long, the main mast reaches 42m above sea level and her top speed is 21.5 knots.
When the yacht went out of service in 1977 it was decided not to replace her with a new Royal Yacht, which means that the Royal Yacht Britannia is the last of a long line. And it is worth noting that since she went out of commission, as the Queen no longer uses her, she is officially now only known as Britannia. Now permanently docked at Leith near Edinburgh, the Britannia is open to the public. You can look through many of the rooms including the Bridge, the Royal Drawing Room and even the Queen's bedroom. The yacht is open daily from 10am to 5pm. Admission costs around £6 for adults. You will need to make a prior reservation in order to board.
Deacon William Brodie is one of Edinburgh's most colourful, and most famous, characters. Born in the 18th century, Brodie was a respected Edinburgh citizen by day, even becoming a town councillor. However, at night this was far from the case - Brodie was also a prolific burglar. He was eventually arrested and was executed in 1788 - ironically on a set of gallows that he himself had designed. Unrepentant to the last, Brodie's Will contained the facetious remark "I recommend to all rouges, thieves and gamblers to take care of theirs by leaving all wicked practices and becoming good members of society". Edinburgh has a long reputation of being a town of contrasts and Brodie is regarded by many as the embodiment of this. It is also sometimes claimed that he was the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's most famous novel - The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
Despite his dubious reputation, there is now a small close off the Lawnmarket stretch of the Royal Mile named after him - Brodie's Close - where the burglar is alleged to have lived. Robert Burns is probably Scotland's most famous writer. His birthday, on the 25th January, is celebrated by Scots all over the world as Burns' Night.
Burns was born in 1759 in the village of Alloway just south of Ayr. The son of a poor farming family he was destined to be a ploughman. However the local school inspired his love of literature and he soon began writing himself. Despite being born in Ayr, Burns is intrinsically linked with the city of Edinburgh. He first arrived in the city in 1787 at the age of 28 where he planned to make a living from writing. However, whilst he was successful at first, it soon became apparent that his writing alone wouldn't support him so he became a customs officer. He died in 1796 of a heart attack aged just 37. Burns' most famous work is the poem Auld Lang Syne, sung the world over on New Year's Eve. And another well known poem is his Address to a Haggis, now an intrinsic part of Burns' Night celebrations.