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Open grass on Bruntsfield Links under a blue sky, a church spire and tenements beyond the trees.
Edinburgh

Bruntsfield Links

Thirty acres of open grass beside the Meadows, the last of the old Burgh Muir, where golf has been played for centuries and a short golf course is still in use.

Welcome

There's something about a green with a long story behind it, and Bruntsfield Links, on the south side of Edinburgh beside the Meadows, has one of the best.

It is what remains of the old Burgh Muir, where King James IV reviewed his troops in 1513 before they marched to Flodden. For two hundred years stone was quarried here, and golf has been played on the Links since at least the 1700s: the Royal Burgess club traces its roots back to 1735. The Edinburgh Improvement Act of 1827 stopped anyone building on it, so its thirty acres are still open grass under old elm, sycamore, cherry and chestnut trees. Today there's a short golf course, paths across the grass and benches in the sun. It's free and open at all times, and the cafés and restaurants of Bruntsfield are right on its edge.

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The Daily for 30 October, from Scotland with love. Aerial view of a teal-coloured lochan cupped in a forested hollow, a scree slope rising on one side and autumn-tinged pines ringing the shore.
Round the cornerCastello CoffeeA speciality coffee house on Barclay Terrace in Bruntsfield, looking out over the Links, with Allpress espresso and a mezzanine.Under a mileSee itCastello Coffee
Before you go

The Links are open at all times and free, with paths crossing the grass from Melville Drive to Bruntsfield Place.

Where
Between Melville Drive, Whitehouse Loan and Bruntsfield Place, beside the Meadows.
Size
About 30 acres.
Open
At all times.
Golf
A short golf course on the grass.
Dogs
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Where it is

On the south side of the city, between Melville Drive and Bruntsfield Place, beside the Meadows.

Close byBruntsfield, Marchmont and the Meadows.
  1. Diners at Leftfield on a spring evening, at tables by big corner windows looking out over the green of Bruntsfield Links.LeftfieldA neighbourhood bistro on Barclay Terrace looking over Bruntsfield Links, with a short seasonal menu built around Scottish seafood and minimal intervention wines.Under a mile as the crow flies
  2. HendersonsHendersonsA vegetarian and vegan restaurant beside Bruntsfield Links, opened in 2021 by the grandson of Janet Henderson, who founded the first Hendersons in 1962.Under a mile as the crow flies
  3. King's TheatreKing's TheatreEdinburgh's Edwardian theatre on Leven Street, open since 1906 and reopened in August 2026 after four years' rebuilding, now step-free from street to seat.Under a mile as the crow flies
  4. BeatnikBeatnikA laptop-free specialty coffee shop in Tollcross, opened in 2022, pouring a house espresso and guest beans from roasters across Europe.Under a mile as the crow flies
  5. Machina CoffeeMachina CoffeeThe Marchmont cafe of Machina, an Edinburgh speciality roaster, a large bright room on the south side, with coffee roasted behind Arthur's Seat.Under a mile as the crow flies
  6. Cyclists pass beneath autumn trees as low sun casts long shadows across the parkThe MeadowsThe great park on the south side of the Old Town, once the Burgh Loch, crossed by tree-lined walks and a path through a whale's jawbones.Under a mile as the crow flies
  7. Wooden shelf of books in a dimly lit café interiorThe Edinburgh BookshopAn independent bookshop on Bruntsfield Place since 2007, five times Scottish Independent Bookshop of the Year, with storytime for the under-fives.Under a mile as the crow flies
Directions
Castello Coffee Bruntsfield window lettering, espresso machine visible through the glassCafeCastello CoffeeA step away
Wooden tables and benches beneath a blue artwork on a stone wallRestaurantsHarajuku KitchenA step away
Yamato restaurant frontage with panelled door and slatted wooden claddingRestaurantsYamato0.3 miles
The dark green corner front of Lauri at 105 Lauriston Place on a wet evening, with wine bottles in the lit windows and drinkers inside.BarsLauri0.3 miles
Metal tables and chairs outside Montpeliers Bruntsfield, with potted olive treesRestaurantsMontpeliers0.4 miles
The cream-painted shopfront of Nàdair at 15 Roseneath Street in Marchmont, its name in green above the door and wine bottles along the windows.RestaurantsNàdair0.4 miles
The chef at work in the open kitchen at Argile, seen across the long wooden counter where guests sit, with a wine glass and a folded napkin laid in front.RestaurantsArgile0.4 miles
The blue front of Hey Palu on Bread Street in the sun, with its red sign, wooden slatted windows and the words Modern Italian Bar on the glass.BarsHey Palu0.5 miles
Inside Lovecrumbs on West Port: a plywood counter with a pink coffee machine, shelves of cups and coffee, plants, and old iron pillars.CafeLovecrumbs0.5 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the Links, and when each is next free.

West End Muse
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from Bruntsfield Links
Check datesA round table and chairs stand before tall curtained windows looking onto stone buildings, a sofa and mounted television to the right.Moment George IV Bridge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from Bruntsfield Links
Check datesA hotel studio room with a beige fitted kitchen unit and stainless sink beside a bed dressed in white and teal cushions, a wall of black-framed pictures above a patterned headboard.Old Town Chambers
  • To stay
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from Bruntsfield Links
Check datesA turreted sandstone building with conical spires catches the evening light above rooftops, a large pine tree standing beside it.The Scott Hotel
  • A hotel
  • In Edinburgh
  • A mile from Bruntsfield Links
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in EdinburghAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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