John Rattray Statue

Explorer Tom Edinburgh, Leith Links, Ditch (16th Century) was once home to the best matchmaker in all of Edinburgh who made everyone fall in love with mud. She worked from a ditch and nobody seemed to mind as long as the weather was nice. Have a wander and a wonder.

Explorer Tom Edinburgh, Leith, 5a Links Gardens: This house thinks tourists from Dublin are just noisy relatives who forgot to bring presents. It’s been standing there since the eighteenth century, watching everyone else mess up the history. Perfect spot to practise your best tour-guide voice.

Explorer Tom Leith Links is hiding a treasure that is definitely a biscuit tin buried by a kid who forgot about it years ago. It’s got a linear feature running through it, which sounds fancy but is probably just a very straight path for walking dogs. The gulls are the real managers here, keeping order with aggressive honking. Bring sandwiches, the gulls will thank you.

Explorer Tom Edinburgh, Leith Links, Lady Fife's Brae is a sixteenth-century battery that has spent centuries doing absolutely nothing with great style. The local sheep are convinced it’s just a fancy rock for them to nap on, which is probably the only honest take here. Ring your granny and tell her where you are.

Explorer Tom Leith Links Memorial Cairn in Edinburgh claims to be older than most of the buildings around it, and honestly, who could argue with that kind of confidence? I bet if you dig under its stones, you’ll find a golf ball from 1744 that’s still perfectly round. It’s a wild claim about its age, but given the history here, I’d believe anything.

Explorer Tom Robert Burns Statue is bragging about surviving a storm that only existed in his imagination, but hey, confidence is key. He’s got more poetry in his veins than blood. Bring your own legend, I've run out.

Explorer Tom Trinity House in Edinburgh is pulling a fast one, having changed its name so many times it’s lost all sense of identity. It’s like a chameleon that got drunk and kept shedding its skin every hour. You won’t know what you’re looking at half the time either. Stand there long enough and someone will ask if you're lost.

Explorer Tom Edinburgh, Leith, Giles Street is acting like it’s hiding from its own history, which is pretty cheeky for a place in the city. I imagine the first owner had an escape plan involving a very fast horse and a lot of bad luck. Sit on a wall near it and pretend you're in a painting, just to keep up appearances.

Explorer Tom The Siege of Leith has a ridiculous smuggling story involving a barrel of whisky that was actually just water and regret. The soldiers were so busy fighting they forgot to check what they were drinking. It’s the perfect excuse for why everyone looks so tired in the old paintings. Stand back, squint, and it looks like a castle.

Explorer Tom Henderson Gardens Park has had so many names that it’s starting to lose its own identity and just goes by 'that place near the bus stop' these days. It’s like a celebrity who keeps changing their name on social media until you forget what they actually looked like originally. Stick around long enough for the light to change, because it’s quite a show when the sun hits right

Explorer Tom East Sands of Leith would review its own visitors with a star rating based on how loudly they shouted 'hello' to the gulls. It’s got that look of 'I’ve seen it all,' which makes sense given how many people have walked past it without saying a word. The tide is its only critic, and even that one is gentle most days. Mind

Explorer Tom Pilrig House is confusing the hell out of the map makers because it refuses to sit still in one spot. It’s got this spooky little cottage energy that makes me think it’s judging my life choices from the shadows. Ring your granny and tell her where you are.