EDINBURGH LIFE
SPECIAI. EVENTS
The Quilt Fair Fri l9—Sun 21 Mar. 10am—5pm. £5 (£4): half-price after 3pm. Roy: 1 Highland Centre. lngliston. info: 01603 8 I 225‘). Among those displaying their wares are the Jewel and Esk Valley College. lvlidlothian‘s Bonnyrigg Quilters and there is a feast of miniature patchwork. patchwork clocks and folk art quilts.
Five Nations Rugby Sat 20 Mar. 3pm. Murrayfield Stadium. info: 346 5000. Having beaten the Welsh and tasting narrow defeat at the hands of the all- conquering English. Scotland take on the Irish with an outside chance of still gaining the Five Nations Championship. Yeah. right.
Geowalks Sun 21 Mar. 2 ~4pm. £5 (£4). Holyrood Palace Car Park. info: 228 2410. Geowalks present a guided tour of Holyrood. looking at the Arthur's Seat volcano and the natural and human history of the park. Further tours will take place during April's Science Festival.
MAD Mondays Mon 23 x 2‘) Mar. 6.30pm. Monboddo. Ili'ead Street. info: 332 ()82‘). The Manifesto Architecture Debates (MAD) continue by asking whether contemporary architecture is driven by function or led by fashion (Mon 22) and if competitions are a good way to produce better architecture (Mon 29). Morningside Justice And Peace Group Wed 24 a: 31 Mar. 10.30am. 50p. ()pen Door. lvlorningsidc Road. info: 445 1628/22‘) 1020. The group's spring programme concludes w itli .'lIlIII(’.\.'\ lltlr’l'rlrllinllrl/ (Wed 24 Mar).
PERMANENT ATTRACTIONS
Camera Obscura
Castlehill (Royal Mile). Edinburgh. 226 370‘). Daily 10am 15pm. £3.95 (£l.‘)5-£3.l5); famin ticket £1 1.50. Pick up a pedestrian in your hand at this attraction. which gives visitors a real-time. 360' image of the city. There is also an exhibition devoted to holographs and photography on the lower floors.
Deep-Sea Word North Queensferry. Fife. 01383 41 1880. Until Sun 28 Mar. Mon—I‘ri 1 lam -5pm: Sat & Sun 10am--6pm: from Mon 2‘) Mar. Mon—Sun 10am 6pm. £6.15 (£3.55~£4.25). Famous for its underwater tunnel. which brings visitors face-to-facc vv illi a huge collection of fish native to our coastlines. Deep-Sea World also houses an .»\ma/onian rain forest display. a touch-pool and educational facilities.
1 Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh. 225 9846. Daily 9.30am 5pm. £6 (£1.5()—£4.50). Although much of the
3 castle's medieval character was lost when it was converted into barracks in the 1911i
century. continuing L‘\Cll\ill1t)ll\ airii to redress this. Other attractions include .laiiies 1\"s' famous cannon. .‘vlons Meg. lots of military silverware and. of course. The Stone Of Destiny. used to cum n Scottish kings since trrne began.
Edinburgh Zoo Corstorphine Road. Edinburgh. 334 9171 Daily ‘)am~5pni. £6.50 (£3.50 £4.50). Widely accepted as one of the finest /()()s‘ in Britain. there's plenty here to while away an afternoon. or cv en a whole day if you take your time. The penguin parade at 2pm is a must and the newly built African planes afford a fantastic view of the city.
Gorgie City Farm 51 Gorgie Road. Edinburgh. 337 4202. Daily ‘).30am--4.30pm. I~ree. Set up in 1982 on a derelict council rubbiin site. the farm is now home to a Iiost of farmyard animals and equipment. as well as orgarirc and herb gardens.
Huntly House
142 Canongate. Edinburgh. 5294143. Mon—Sat 10am—5pm. Free. Packed with historic artefacts. this restored 16th century mansion tells the story of Edinburgh's past and its people and houses important collections of Edinburgh silver and glass. Scottish pottery and shop signs. Also on show: HUI/i 'Iiixi'ecr'ein - 'Iirki‘rig Pictures. See Edinburgh Art listings. page 77.
Mary King's Close Tours
Meet at Mercat Cross (beside St Giles' Cathedral). Edinburgh. 225 6591. £5 (£4). Mon at Tue 1 l.30am. 2.30pm. 3.30pm. 8.30pm 8; 9.30pm; Wed-Sun 1 1.30am. 2.30pm. 3.30pm. 7.30pm 84 8.30pm (no
I l.30am tour on Sun). Advanced booking necessary. Literally. a trip to Edinburgh's underworld. Mary King's Close is part of a subterranean network of streets. walled off in the middle ages during an outbreak of the plague. Visit the restored street and hear the stories of the residents left to die.
Midlothian Ski Centre
Hillend. Edinburgh. 445 4433. Mon—Sat ‘).30am--‘)pm: Sun ‘).30am--7pm. £6 (£4). Europe's longest artificial ski slope is the perfect place to learn or hone ski-ing and snowboarding skills. The centre also houses a ski repair and maintenance facility. A special deal on Saturday night gives you three hours skiing for the price of one. which can't be bad.
Museum Of Childhood
42 High Street. Edinburgh. 52‘) 4142. Mon—Sat 10am—5pm. Free. The museum has five public galleries with all manner of archive material and old toys relating to childhood through the ages. From antique dolls to l‘)80s computer games. there's plenty here to send you off on a trip down memory lane. Also on show: Seen Bur .\"nr Heard. See Edinburgh Art listings. page 77.
Museum Of Scotland
Chambers Street. Edinburgh. 247 421‘). Mon-Sat l0am—5pm (Tue 8pm); Sun noon—5pm. £3 (£1.50): children under 18 free. This is the newest addition to our national museum selection and the only one dedicated solely to Scotland's history and heritage. The building contains five exhibitions. moving from pre-histoi‘y. through the Industrial Revolution. to the present day. at which point national heroes such as Billy Connolly and Elaine C. Smith get involved.
Palace 0f Holyroodhouse Royal Mile. Edinburgh. 556 1096. Daily ‘).30am---4.30pm. £5.30 (£2.60); family ticket £13. Starting life as a 13th century abbey. the palace has evolved into a sumptuous regal residence crammed full of parritings and ai'tcfacts dating back primarily to the 1711i century. Also on show: err’r'n l'ri rurr'ir's I’rrrnr/i. See I'Idinburgh Art listings. page 77.
Rosslyn Chapel
Roslin Crlen. Edinburgh. 440 215‘). Mon-~Sal I0aiii--4pni: Sun noon -4.45pni. £2.50 (£2). What you get otrt of a trip to Rosslyn Chapel may depend on your familiarity with books of the conspiracy theorist genre. What is certain though is that the chapel contains enough historically fascinating carvings and sy riibols to hold the attention of even the most determined philistine.
Royal Botanic Garden Invcrleith Row. Edinburgh. 552 7171. Daily ‘).30aiii-—6prii. Free. The garden is home to a wealth of flora and fauna from all over the world. and the glasshouses give you the opportunity to check out tropical plants as well. The site also hosts art eshibitions. Iiorticultural courses and various countryside events. including daily guided walks in the summer.
A guic look theairngorm Snow Festival
listings EDINBURGH lIFE
What is it? The Cairngorm Snow Festival is the highlight of the Scottish snowsporting season with skiers, snowboarders, sledgers and spectators from all
over the country making their way north.
Who is behind it? This annual event is organised by the Cairngorm Chairlift Company with support from local enterprises, Highland Council, the Association of Ski Schools of Great Britain and the British Association of Ski 1nstructors. What's on the slopes? There are snowblading masterclasses, a ski and board Jump tournament, the Grande Descente with Carrngorm's regular team of ski and snowboard instructors, children’s snow sculpting and snowbob races.
So, it's all snow and ice? No, there's a bit of fire, too, with Saturday's Torchlight Street Parade and Nrtefire Spectacular led by anarchic theatre group, te Pooka. So, it's all snow, ice and fire? No, other attractions include face-painting for kids and the Aviemore Brewery Party fcr non-kids.
is Cairngorm Snow Festival, Sat 20 Mar, 70am, Sun 27 Mar, 70.30am. Free. Cairngorm Skr'Area, Avie/more, info: 07479 867267.
Royal Museum Of Scotland
2 Chambers Street. Edinburgh. 247 421‘). Mon—Sat 10am—5pm (Tue 8pm): Sun noon—5pm: £3 (£1.50); children under 18 free. A 19th century museum housing international collections of natural history. geology. science. technology and the decorative arts. plus two permanent exhibitions: Arr (k lllt/l!.\'ll’\' and The Ivy Ilir (iri/lcr'v. Also on show: C/rr'nr'sc I.(l('(/Il(’l' and I)(lllf.\'/l 'Iirpi'srrv'. See Edinburgh Art listings. page 77.
Royal Observatory Visitor Centre Blackford Hill. Edinburgh. 668 8405. Mon -Sat 10am—5pm: Sun noon—5pm. £2.50 (£1.50). This attraction is a mine of information on the heavens. from the latest interactive CD-Roms on space and astronomy to the obser'vatory‘s on- going work iri Hawaii and Australia. Public star-gazing sessions take place every Friday night from October to March.
Royal Yacht Britannia
()cean Drive. I.eith. Edinburgh. 555 5566. Daily I().30ani—6pni (last entry 4.30pm). £6.50 (£3.75—£5). The former royal yacht opens its doors to members of the public after a £25 million refit. The on-shore visitor centre contains historical information on the boat and its furnishings while. on the yacht itself. members of the public can have a good riosy round the r‘oyals‘ former quarters.
Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre
354 Castlehill. The Royal Mile. Edinburgh. 220 0441. Daily ‘).30am«4.30pm. £4.95 (£2.50—£3.50). Take a romp through the traditions and history of yer national drink at this fully interactive attraction. Highlights include a lesson from a ghost iiiaster-blendei'. a barrel-car ride through whisky history and a well-stocked bar in which to test your newly-acquired expertise.
The People's Story
Canongate Tolbooth. 163 Canongate. Edinburgh. 52‘) 4057. Mon-Sat 10am—5pm. Free. Situated in the Canoiigate Tolbooth. the sights. sounds and even smells of Edinburgh folk from the 18111 century onwards are faithfully reproduced.
Witchery Tour
Meet outside The Witchery restaurant. Castlehill (Royal Mile). Edinburgh. 225 6745. £7 (£4). 9pm & 10pm and additional times during peak seasons. Take a trip to the dark side of Edinburgh with your guide. Adam I.yal deceased. who will regale you with stories of torture. murder and witchcraft -- but watch out for ghosts and ghouls lurking in the shadows.
Writers Museum
Lady Stair's House. lady Stair's Close. Edinburgh. 529.4901. Mon-Sat 10am—5pm. Free. A treasure-house of items relating to three of Scotland's most famous writers: Robert Louis Stevenson. Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott. Also on show: Nun/iii .l’filC/IIS‘UII. See Edinburgh art listings. page 77.
CUTSIDE THE CITIES
SPECIAL EVENTS
Cairngorm Snow Festival Sat 20 Mar 10am; Sun 21 Mar 10.30am. Free. Cairngorm Ski Area. Aviemore. 0147‘) 861261. See photo caption.
PERMANENT ATTRACTIONS
New Lanark World Heritage Centre New Lanark Mills. Lanark. 01555 661345. Dain 11am—5pm. £3.75 (£2.50). Now a world heritage site. New Lanark has much to teach trs about life in the industrial era and the pioneering work of philanthropist Robert ()wen. Attractions include ‘The Annie McLeod Experience‘. an audio- visual trip to Victorian times. as well as a full programme of specialist events and hands-on activities.
18 Mar—1 Apr 1999 THE llST 81