Within the confines of the Castle, there is much to see. It was the seat (and regular refuge) of Scottish Kings, and the historical apartments include the Great Hall, which now houses an interesting collection of weapons and armour.

Situated just below the Castle. This public park is the most scenic location of any in the British Isles. One sees the castle, the old town the new town and many famous buildings. Appropriately, two straight walks form the basis of the design. The floral clock and the Victorian iron fountain are notable features

15 min bus journey from the Bond
Holyrood, a royal residence which has been the scene of so many dramatic episodes in Scotland's story, was founded by James IV in 1498. However, much of the building that we see today is the result of a reconstruction in 1671 to the orders of Charles II. The palace had been knocked about a bit by the Earl of Hertford in 1544 during his notorious sack of Edinburgh, and then in 1650 some carelessness by Oliver Cromwell's troopers resulted in fire damage.

Adjacent to the palace stands the ruin of Holyrood Abbey, whose history spans 800 years. A Monastery of Holy Rood was founded here in 1128 by David I, in gratitude for his miraculous escape from an enraged stag while hunting in the Drumshelch Forest. This dense woodland at that time covered a very large area to the south and west of Edinburgh. The incident probably accounts for the fact that the coat-of-arms of the former burgh of Canongate bears a stag's head with a holy cross between the antlers.

15 min bus journey from the Bond
The collections have been built up over more than two centuries, encompassing archaeology, ethnography, numismatics, social and military history, history of science and technology, agriculture, geology and zoology.

Decorative and applied art is also well represented, including costume, accessories, ceramics, furniture, gold and silver, glass, jewellery and textiles: comprehensive collections from Scotland and the rest of the world.

The Portrait Gallery is situated in the heart of the New Town on Queen Street. It provides a unique visual history of Scotland, told through portraits of the figures who shaped it: royals and rebels, poets and philosophers, heroes and villains.
All the portraits are of Scots, but not all are by Scots. The collection also contains works by great English, European and American masters such as Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Copley, Thorvaldsen, Rodin and Kokoschka, as well as, of course, works by Ramsay, Raeburn and other Scottish artists.

The Portrait Gallery was built in the 1880s largely thanks to private generosity. It is an imposing neo-Gothic building in red sandstone, designed by the architect Sir Robert Rowand Anderson

30 min drive from the Bond.
The original course was designed by Old Tom Morris and 16 holes built by hand and horse were opened on 3rd May of 1891 with two more added in December.

Muirfield was the first course designed in two loops of nine holes, the first nine going round the perimeters of the property in a clockwise direction, the second nine contained inside the first, running anticlockwise, and since never more than three successive holes run in the same direction, any wind that blows afflicts the golfer from all points during a round.

Muirfield is home to the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers who held their first meeting on Leith Links in 1744.

Leith was a small fishing village on the Firth of Forth, and became the main seaport for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Leith Links were situated five miles from the centre of Edinburgh, and the ideal retreat for the professional gentlemen seeking fresh air and a game of golf. The Links at that time were also shared by the local citizens and military. The original Leith Links have long since been replaced by the docks.

The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers is recognized as the world's oldest golf club, although the Royal Burgess Golfing Society was formed in 1735, and also played over Leith Links, but has no documentation to substantiate this date due to the nature of the secrecy of the freemasons who founded the society.

In 1744 the first 13 rules of golf were drafted by a committee, including John Rattray, the first captain of the Gentlemen Golfers of Edinburgh, subsequently to be known as the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers.

As the home of golf, Scotland is blessed with some of the most spectacular courses in the world. Details of all Scotland's courses can be found here.