The Meadows

Unlike the much more sculpted and hilly Princes Street Gardens at the very centre of town, the flat expanse of the Meadows slightly to the south proves a magnet for joggers, sports teams and sunbathers, especially, as you’d expect, during the summer months. It’s accessorised with facilities on almost all sides – there are tennis courts, children’s play parks, a putting green, a cricket pitch and a pavilion café – but the main draw of the Meadows is the sheer wide openness of it, where plumes of barbecue smoke can be seen on pretty much every clear day from May till September. Swing by in August and you’ll also see one or two circus big tops masquerading as Fringe venues, while the community-focused Meadows Festival transforms the area into a large-scale market and entertainment jamboree every June. Keep an eye out for other mass gatherings as well, especially the newly minted Meadows Marathon and the Edinburgh Moon Walk.