Back to work today ...

... so the best I can do, is a blip of Royal Terrace from my lunchtime walk.

The renowned Scottish architect William Henry Playfair was responsible for the elegant thoroughfare that encircles the hill on three sides. Comprising Royal Terrace, Carlton Terrace and Regent Terrace, the largest of the townhouses can be found on Royal Terrace. Playfair's plan is dated 1819 and the first house was built at what is now 40 Royal Terrace. The Pleasure gardens that cover over one half of the summit of the hill are privately administered by the local Residents Association.

The combined terraces are home to a number of hotels, international institutes and, on Regent Terrace, the United States Consulate. Royal Terrace with its fine views over the Firth of Forth was known affectionately in the 19th-century as Whisky Row. This is said to be a reference to the amount of Spirit merchants, who bought the new properties, and for their supposed abilities to see their ships return from trading trips.