Last Thursday I took you to Edinburgh, a city of medieval charm with its Gothic structures, palaces, gardens and the ancient Castle, home to the Scottish crown jewels and the Stone of Destiny, used in the coronation of sovereigns. 
Your Scottish weekend continue… discover the surroundings of Edinburgh.A short distance from the city you will find places where time seems to have stopped.Ready? Let’s go!
HighlandsThese fascinating Scottish lands are not only home to the famous Loch Ness Monster, but also some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country.Duddingston VillageTreat yourself to a well-deserved stop at the Sheep Heid Inn, one of Edinburgh’s oldest pubs, great for a snack or a local beer.
Rosslyn ChapelThe fame of this mysterious Gothic structure is linked to the Templars, the Holy Grail and above all to Dan Brown who made it the protagonist of his famous Da Vinci Code.Desire of sea? Just a 10-minute walk from North Queensferry station, a village in Fife, be amazed by the Deep Sea World, a colossal underwater world populated by thousands of marine creatures. In its exciting tunnel, considered the longest in the world, you can swim face to face with sharks, encounter ferocious piranhas, electric eels, poisonous frogs and Amazon snakes.
Dean Village, where time seems to have stopped in 1128, when the village was founded by the friars of Holyrood Abbey. This ancient mining village has perfectly preserved buildings, bridges and stone houses, the perfect setting for a romantic 19th century novel. It can be reached via a bucolic route that starts from Balerno, arrives at Canonmills and then reaches the sea, leaving the noise of the city behind. Along the way you will encounter bridges, waterfalls, ancient wrought iron gates, walls covered in moss. Leaving the village behind you, you can continue along Miller Row towards Stockbridge, along a charming pedestrian path surrounded by nature, on the banks of the River Leith, which is part of the “Water of Leith Walkway”
StockbridgeAn unmissable neighborhood that is becoming increasingly trendy.
St. Stephen Street and the surrounding streets are populated by shops and small artisan businesses, tea rooms, vintage clothing, vinyl paradises, charity shops, art galleries. Every Saturday there is a market with stalls of local producers selling homemade cheeses and desserts.
A gem not to be missed: Circus Lane, a romantic cobbled street, overlooked by the mews, former stables with colored doors that seem to come out of the pages of a Dickens book.
A couple of minutes from Stockbridge we find a real gem: the 4 star boutique hotel Nira Caledonia which is part of Shanti Hospitality, a hotel chain focused on building and developing exceptional brands, including the Nira Alpina properties in St Moritz and Shanti Maurice in Mauritius.
This magnificent Georgian residence is located in a quiet corner of the New Town from which the city center can be reached with a pleasant walk through some of the most evocative places in the neighbourhood. 
From the reception, welcoming and informal, you go up to the sleeping area which boasts elegant rooms and suites, refined furnishings, luxurious beds, goose down pillows. hydromassage tub, 42-inch plasma TV, DVD player, espresso machine while the spacious slate bathroom features Occitane shower products.
In addition to large windows and a private garden, the property offers the excellent Backwoods restaurant which serves fresh cuisine , with Scottish and often organic ingredients, you will find careful preparations, meticulous dishes and local fish, from sea bass, pumpkin purée and tender-stemmed broccoli, to delicate cod with carrots, to rich pan-fried salmon finished in the oven. 
Generous dishes come from the Josper grill of meat such as Scottish Chateaubriand fillet matured for 21 days or slowly braised lamb shoulder, oregano flowers, béchamel sauce, parmesan flakes, aromatic rosemary oil. 
Ample space for local vegetables and herbs, from sweet potatoes to beetroot, from onion to thyme. The traditional chips are flavored with tasty sauces such as peppercorn and murder cheese. Among the desserts, a rhubarb pannacotta and kiwi carpaccio triumphs.
At the helm of the restaurant we find a young Italian chef: Andrea Peviani, a native of Dovera in the province of Cremona. Having graduated from the prestigious Alma school in Parma, after numerous experiences abroad he landed at Blackwoods, remaining a spokesperson for made-in-Italy cuisine and respecting the traditionalities of Scottish cuisine, always focusing on manual skills, from flour to meat, like his oxtail ravioli, 30 egg yolks, a kilo of flour and braised oxtail, a tribute to the fresh pasta of grandmother Gabriella, his “muse” who still prepares her legendary garganelli with truffle mushrooms, every time Andrea returns to visit her.Long live grandmothers!
Did you miss the first part of our weekend in Edinburgh?No problem, click to see it hereINFOVisit Scotland
