A very quick look around Canongate Kirkyard, with two kids in tow

We ended up here one afternoon last week, when (astonishingly) it wasn’t raining, and we’d found ourselves at a loose end on the Royal Mile. My youngest had just fallen asleep in her buggy, and her brother suggested we “go in there and look for birds”.

It wasn’t exactly bustling, but there were enough people dotted about that it didn’t feel isolated. Being so close to the road helps with that, too (I am interested in graveyards, but not very keen on oppressive silence). We are in high tourist season in Edinburgh just now, and this is where the Queen worships when she’s in town, so people are constantly wandering in and out.

The church itself was open, with an organist playing and two pleasant women at the door welcoming visitors. In the end we ventured inside as well, at their invitation, but I didn’t take photos (although you can, and people were). We just looked around.

Most of these photos are of stones near the entrance of the churchyard, or views from the central paths; I couldn’t really go into far corners because of the buggy. But it was enough to get a sense of the place, and if I can I’ll go back on my own one day, to explore a little further.