The subtle cobbled street entrance just off Thistle St ensures only those in the 'know' are likely…read moreto discover the Henderson Gallery. It's free to enter and provides an interesting insight into the current exhibitor's work, of which I saw Darren Woodhead's watercolour paintings of flora and fauna. The gallery's attendant was more than willing to share information on the origins of the paintings, which was a welcome change to the often silent and sombre mood of big name art galleries. Why not 5 stars? While the paintings were mostly £950 + even the smallest prints were pushing the £300 pound mark, not tempting to buy but great to look at.

Art that feed the soul…read more Located in a grand Georgian building surrounded by greenery, the Dean Gallery is a wonderous art gallery that was opened in the late nineties. Owned and run by the National Gallery of Scotland, it showcases a selection of permenant and touring contemporary art. There's a selection of spacious rooms spread over two floors and I've had the good fortune to see some incredible art for free or nominal admission. Earlier this year, I was blown away by the Diane Arbus exhibition showcasing some of her seminal black and white photos from the 1950s and 1960s alongside provocative personal projects. The thing I'll never forget however, is seeing Tracey Emin's wooden rollercoaster and beach hut on stilts exhibited alongside her legendary quilts, polaroids and sketches. Art that feeds the soul indeed.

Dean Gallery (or as it is now known, Modern 2) is the smaller sister venue to the Modern Art…read moreGallery that is just across the road. The outdoor lawn is dominated by the 'There will Be No Miracles Here' permanent installation but inside the gallery it is usually home to temporary exhibitions - I was there for the MC Escher exhibition which is probably the largest collection of his work that has been seen in the UK - it's a pricey £9 but you don't often get to see so many of his works of art. There is a small cafe in the gallery where you are overlooked by a huge Paolozzi statue which we didn;t use this time. It is quite small but if it is too busy you can always cross the road to the Modern Art Gallery.

I heard about this gallery because a friend of a friend, Katie Cooke, had a pinhole photography…read moreexhibition there. I didn't get to go to the opening, because I was busy, so I wandered down on my way to Stockbridge one day. 1) The exhibition was pretty awesome. 2) The other artwork there was also very good. It's a very good space: wide open windows and loads of different little rooms with different artistic surprises. It's always kinda cool when you walk into a gallery, or any space, where you don't get the complete experience at once. A bit like a magical cave or the catacombs in Paris. Located just over the hill in New Town, when you start heading towards Stockbridge, it has magical glowing letters that read "Axolotl" and a woman sitting at a desk right underneath the glowing sign who is more than willing to answer questions. I know this because my friend asked for a job there and she was smiley and enthusiastic. Normally, what one gets is apathy, so enthusiasm is quite a refreshing attitude.

Cockburn Street is boss for stuff like this. Not only does it not feel as white and clean as other…read moregalleries, it's more friendly and approachable and there's a bigger sense of community. Collective Gallery isn't just a gallery, but somewhere that offers real opportunities to budding artists commissioning and aiding some of Scotland's upcoming talent. You can see that Collective truly care about people's perceptions on contemporary art and hold a range of classes so it's not just a case of "look what they've done" - you can get involved.

The Collective Gallery houses contemporary art, and is quite rightly a supporter of young Scottish…read moretalent! When I first read about this gallery in a copy of Lonely Planet I'd received as a gift, I was quite excited to see that it was an artist-run establishment; much like Adam Pottery in New Town. Sadly, it isn't anymore, but it's grown a lot since it's conception and now show cases a lot more international art than it initially did. I reluctant visited, expecting to find blank canvas' worth a fortune, or someone's sullied bed being passed of as a masterpiece; I had ignorantly associated contemporary art with my opinion of modern art, which frankly, isn't kind enough to write on here. I was pleasantly surprised though, and as always I can't rave enough about the awesomeness of Scottish art. Sure some paintings left me scratching my head, but I'm not that big on art so maybe I need to "conceptualize more" or something ridiculous like that... The gallery's on Cockburn street (I'll never be mature enough to say that without giggling), which is definitely worth a visit itself, as it's got little gems of unique shops and boutiques. Not to mention the fantastic underground place I got my ear pierced. But that's another story...

Tucked away in the Grassmarket in the India Buildings on Victoria Street, this was a beautiful…read moregallery space used mostly for pop-up exhibitions. I stopped in during the free exhibition "Edgelands" by Paul Martin and Idris Murphy, which featured bright, joyful, almost surreal representations of landscapes, particularly the Australian dessert. The saturated jewel and earth tones of the paintings was perfectly balanced by the austere elegance of the white gallery walls and wrought iron balcony. When and if it opens again, I highly recommend stopping by for a look.

We drove past them on the highway and I tried hard to take a good picture but as an added surprise,…read moreour tour guide stopped for an hour to give us time to explore the park. Entrance is free and a great place to enjoy. They are reported to be the to be the tallest horse sculpture in the world standing at 100 ft tall. They are an impressive sight!

We drove past the Kelpies several times the past few years. Visible from far away on the M9…read more This time we decided to spend a little time here. And indeed it's actually well worth the hype! Parked at the Helix carpark, just a short walk away. With a fixed rate of only 3.50£. It's really great that visiting The Kelpies if free of charge. As well as the grounds and the Helix Park south of the carpark. Public toilets, some food stalls and a souvenir shop are located on the grounds. The Kelpies represent the lineage of the heavy horse of Scottish industry and economy, pulling the wagons, ploughs, barges, and coalships that shaped the geographical layout of the Falkirk area. The Kelpies are 30 metres (98 ft) high and weigh 300 tonnes each, built of structural steel with a stainless steel cladding. It's an impressive sight - an amazing sight. It's a popular place to visit. But we've chosen a late afternoon and many visitors were gone already. A good decision, took some good pics. Walked along the canal heading east for a bit. Then along the canal heading south back to the carpark. Almost had the paths to ourselves. There's a lot more to walk, to see and to discover. Including a several mile long circle path (through the town). Surely a thing we will do next time. Was a lot more interesting, prettier and rewarding than we thought. We will definitely be back.

Cool house in botanical gardens with art exhibitions! Free with different artist for the changing…read moreseason. Right next to the Garden's cafe in the centre of the gardens. The Art exhibition that's here for the spring2015 is great using of the space, the artist has painted the walls to further the paintings! Really a treat!

Just across the street from City Art Centre on Market this is a great spot for lunch. This is one…read moreof the few places we've eaten in Edinburgh that has veggies and fresh salads on the menu. We had a great salted beef sandwich- like American corned beef -served with sauerkraut and a delicious eggplant dish with couscous and crispy kale. Fast friendly service in an attractive space.

I love art galleries, and I love the Fruitmarket Gallery. When I was in 1st year I chose to study…read moreHistory of Art, so my lectures were always in galleries and I fell in love with this one. It is so different from your bog-standard art gallery with the likes of Rubens, Raphael and Seurat, but the Fruitmarket has modern and interpretive art - which I love. They have really brilliant, exciting exhibitions and always have a theme. the last exhibition I visited was all about America, but not what you would expect. They showed a cowboy and indian movie on a huge plasma screen over-looking the gallery 24/7 at super slow speed - I'll never forget queuing to get into a club and looking up to see an Indian towering over me. The gift shop is great too, they don't have much but they have good things. They have a really nice little cafe too, it's always busy. Although the gallery is quite small it's still worth a visit.