Today is the second day of the Science Festival. While it offers many fascinating talks and exhibitions, there is one event standing out for us here at the Walton this year – all the details of which I’d like to share with you in today’s blog post!
Part of this year’s Edinburgh International Science festival is a tour called ‘Walking with Scientists’. This walking tour will take you around the south side of Edinburgh. It will focus on the quarters around the University where many great thinkers and scientists have left their mark on the history of Edinburgh. Did you know about the role Edinburgh’s Salisbury Crags played in the discoveries of Lord Hutton, changing the way in which geologists think of the formation of continents? Were you aware of Charles Darwin’s connection to the Scottish capital?
Colin Brown, actor and historian, will guide the ‘Walking with Scientists’ tour. He is an experienced guide, very adapt at taking the city’s visitors, and especially Inspector Rebus fans around town on one of his ‘Rebus Tours’. These tours are closely associated with Ian Rankin and his popular Inspector Rankin novels, which are set in and around Edinburgh. Detective stories like ‘Knots and Crosses’ and ‘Dead Souls’ are just two titles extremely popular with many avid readers of the genre. Colin Brown brings Ranking’s novels to life while taking you through the real life setting of these stories. Many people read an Ian Ranking novel before coming to Edinburgh to get a feel for the city – and its diversity. A diversity, which can easily be missed if you’re only here for a short time, focusing on the sights and more typical tourist activities.
If you’re in town for the Science Festival (still on until 15 April) we definitely recommend you try and get tickets for the ‘Walking with Scientists’ tour! However, if you’re reading this now knowing you won’t be able to make it on any of the scheduled dates be reassured that Rebus Tours will continue to offer this particular tour for group bookings of 10 people or more once the Festival is over.
Luckily, Colin Brown offers his Rebus Tours ‘Hidden Edinburgh’ and ‘Secret Edinburgh’ all through the year!
Further information on ‘Walking with Scientists’:
Dates and time: 5, 6, 12 and 13 April – starting at 12.45pm (prepare to walk around town for 2hours)
Location: Meet Colin Brown at Café Lucia / Festival Theatre on Nicholson Street
Tickets: £10 per person – book through www.sciencefestival.co.uk
How to get there from The Walton: Jump on a Lothian Bus number 23 or 27 (leaving from outside the guest house) and get off on George IV Bridge (by the National Museum of Scotland) and walk from there to the Festival Theatre. This journey should take you approx. 20 minutes.
All factual information was taken from www.rebustours.com and www.sciencefestival.co.uk