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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Sian Traynor

Edinburgh Burns Night 2021: Interactive map shows where Robert Burns visited in capital

Today (January 25) marks Robert Burns Day, dedicated to remembering one of Scotland's most famous poets.

With a host of his work still recited and used today, the Dumfries writer is perhaps most well-known for his poem Auld Lang Syne, which is sung around the world at New Year.

Although not from Edinburgh, Burns did actually travel to the capital in 1786 with hopes of emigrating to the sunnier sights of Jamaica.

Visiting different sites around the city and meeting some other well-known Edinburgh figures, Burns definitely made his mark on the town.

To help chart his movements at the time 'Our Town Stories' have created a handy interactive map which shows each of the locations he visited in the capital.

For example, according to the site, after first arriving in Edinburgh, Burns lodged in Baxter's Close just off of the Lawnmarket. A site which is now usually rammed with tourists would have looked very different back in the 1700s.

Another iconic location would be Miss Nimmo's house in Alison Square, where the poet met what is said to be the 'love of his life', Mrs Agnes McLehose.

Mrs McLehose, better known as 'Nancy', actually lived at Potterow, a site which is now dominated by Edinburgh University.

However, the relationship did not last after Robert left the city, with 'Ae Fond Kiss' said to be about their emotional goodbye.

With many other meetings and stories on the site, such as when Burns met Sir Walter Scott, you can find the map here.

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