Grab a hamper, shake out your tartan blanket and pack something to eat and drink!

There are so many amazing spots to spread your blanket in and around Edinburgh, delve into a scotch egg and soak up some of our most beautiful landscapes. From woodland walks, lush green parks and historic sites to sprawling hills and beautiful beaches, Edinburgh has them all. Here’s a small selection below of what Edinburgh has to offer:

Woods & Parks

The Meadows – It consists largely of open grassland crossed by tree-lined paths, but also has a children’s playground, a croquet club, tennis courts and recreational sports pitches.

Craigmillar Castle Park – is a natural heritage park with areas of mature and young woodland, grassland and old quarries.

The Hermitage of Braid – Trees, some older specimens are over 40 metres tall, have been on this site for over 300 years, and is designated an ancient woodland.Cammo Estate – 85 acres of woodlands, glades and grasslands, and has been named a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation.

Holyrood Park – has an array of hills, lochs, glens, ridges, basalt cliffs, and patches of gorse, providing a wild piece of highland landscape within its 650-acre area.

Lord Ancrum’s Wood – The South Esk River in Midlothian, just outside Edinburgh, has been lined with trees for thousands of years. If you look hard enough you may find “the priest hole” cavern.

Dalkeith Country Park – History, heritage, architecture and innovation work side by side. You’ll find over 300 years of history, a 700-year-old oak wood, farmland, forestry, and nature trails.

Historic Sites

The list is vast and varied but here are some amazing historic sites:

Edinburgh Castle – dominating the city centre skyline, it claims to be “the most besieged place in Great Britain and one of the most attacked in the world”.

Princes Street Gardens – are two adjacent public parks in the centre of Edinburgh, lying in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle.

Palace of Holyroodhouse – is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland.

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh – is a scientific centre for the study of plants, their diversity and conservation, as well as a popular tourist attraction.

Nelson Monument & National Monument – situated on top of Calton Hill, and provides a dramatic termination to the vista along Princes Street from the west.Hills

Arthur’s Seat – an ancient volcano and is the highest of the seven hills in Edinburgh, rising above Holyrood Park in spectacular fashion.

Braid Hill – is a small range rather than a single hill. The highest summit – Bucks-tone Snab – has a view indicator at the highest point.

Blackford Hill – With the Royal Observatory just below the summit, some reckon the view from here is the best of all the hills.

Calton Hill – Although the lowest of the seven hills, it offers one of the best views over the heart of the city. There’s also a fascinating array of monuments to view and visit.

Castle Rock – comprising a classic crag-and-tail formation, it is home to Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, and leads down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Corstorphine Hill – much of it is fine woodland and also houses Edinburgh Zoo.

Craiglockhart Hill – lesser known of the seven hills, and really 2 hills, but offer superb views over the city.

Pentland Hills – Just outside Edinburgh and home to the Midlothian Snowsports Centre, the second-longest dry ski slope in Europe.

Beaches

Portobello Beach – a Seaside Award winner, is a charming seaside suburb, with two miles of sand making it perfect for swimming and sunbathing.

Crammond Beach – the small sandy beach is a popular choice with Edinburgh residents as well as tourists who head here to walk and cycle on the beachside paths.

Longniddry Bents – is just north of Longniddry in East Lothian, Scotland. The beach is almost 2 miles in length, which includes Gosford Bay to the east side, and the rockier Seton Sands to the west.

Where’s your favourite picnic spots in Edinburgh?