Edinburgh Daytrips

South Queensferry. Eight miles west of Edinburgh and easily accessible by the #43 bus, the town of South Queensferry lies at the narrowest part of the Firth of Forth, where two bridges—the Forth Road Bridge and the Forth Rail Bridge —cross the waterway. From Hawes Pier, under Forth Rail Bridge, the Maid of the Forth ferries visitors to Inchcolm Island. Float by colonies of seals to Inchcolm Abbey, the best-preserved 12th-century abbey in Scotland. (Ferry ☎0131 331 5000; www.maidoftheforth.co.uk. Runs from mid-July to early Sept. daily; Oct. and Apr.-June Sa-Su. Round-trip ticket includes abbey admission. £14.70, concessions £12.70, children £6.) Two miles west of South Queensferry stands the stately Hopetoun House and its 150 acres of sprawling land, including a wooded deer park. Begun around 1700 and designed by Sir William Bruce (who is also responsible for Holyroodhouse), it offers views of the Forth and is the setting for many British television shows. (No public transportation runs to Hopetoun; take a taxi from South Queensferry. ☎0131 331 2451; www.hopetounhouse.com. Open from mid-Mar. to late Sept. daily 10:30am-5pm. Last entry 4pm. £8, concessions £7, children £4.25.)

Roslin. The Rosslyn Chapel, in the village of Roslin, 7 mi. south of Edinburgh, is one of the many British sites some suspect harbors the Holy Grail. The stone carvings filled with occult symbols raised eyebrows in 15th-century Scotland; check out the danse macabre, or “dance of death,” an image in which skeletons meddle with people from all walks of life. The chapel found new popularity after its mention in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. Thousands of recreational Grail hunters flock to its intricate walls. Outside the chapel, footpaths lead to the ruined Roslin Castle in Roslin Glen. (From Edinburgh, take bus #15A from St. Andrew Sq. (40min.). ☎0131 440 2159; www.rosslynchapel.com. Open M-Sa 9:30am-6pm, Su noon-4:45pm. £7.50, concessions £6, children free. Renovations on the chapel began fall 2008; call for details before planning your visit.)

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