Starting and ending at the Scottish Poetry Library – the only purpose-built poetry library in the world – this leisurely, informative walk on and around the Canongate takes in world-famous landmarks like Holyrood Palace and the Scottish parliament, as well as hidden squares, closes and gardens. It uses the Old Town as a shifting stage for a performance of poetry by some of the poets – residents and visitors – who have been moved to write about the city over the centuries.

Ken Cockburn says: ”I’ve always loved poems for the charge they pack in a small space. Reading poems while walking the city, we can slow down and appreciate our surroundings. The poems offer new perspectives on the city of today, revealing how someone from another century or another country experienced it.”

“A privilege… to enjoy the poetry and discover places and features that I didn’t know down the Royal Mile. I would never have explored them on my own.” Walker, 2024

Ken Cockburn has presented poetry in schools, galleries, historic buildings and gardens. He combines his work writing, teaching and translating with leading poetry walks on the Royal Mile, linking poems and places along the way. He has led walking tours in Edinburgh's Old Town since 2007.

11.00-12.30, 1-24 August 2025 (Tuesdays, Fridays, Sundays)
Meet outside the Scottish Poetry Library (Venue 451)
Bookings at www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/embro

Ken Cockburn 07513 545742
edinburghpoetrytours@gmail.com

Facebook @edinburghpoetrytours
instagram @kencockburnedinburgh