Edinburgh in one day

💡Whisky is taken with a splash of water, not with ice

It isn't fussiness: water opens up the aroma and ice shuts it down. Any pub will put a little jug beside you so you can do it yourself. And ask for whisky, never for scotch on the rocks.

💡Everything is twenty minutes away on foot, and everything is uphill

The Old Town and the New Town sit at different levels and you go between them by stairs and bridges. You don't need transport: you need decent shoes and no hurry.

💡There are four seasons in a single afternoon here

It can be sunny, hail and be sunny again within two hours, in any month of the year. Hooded rain jacket, always, and forget the umbrella: in this wind it won't last five minutes.

💡In August the city triples in size for the Fringe

The world's biggest theatre festival fills every basement in town and accommodation costs four times as much. If you're going, book in January; if not, go in May or September.

💡The national museums are free, and they're the good ones

The National Museum of Scotland and the National Gallery charge nothing. What you pay for is the castle and the ghost and Harry Potter tours, which is exactly the least worthwhile part.