Fleshmarket Close, one of the narrow lanes and alleys - the 'closes' - of Edinburgh's Old Town. These lanes run off the Royal Mile, into the steep gullies on either side of the city, and remain some of the most evocative and atmospheric parts of the Old Town. Edinburgh's closes were named after significant people who lived on them, or the trades and businesses based there - Fleshmarket Close was a butcher's market, where meat would be hung along the alley, blood dripping down the steep incline of the lane to drain naturally down into the Nor’ Loch, (yes Edinburgh once’s had a man mad loch in the valley where Princess Gardens now sits). Today, Fleshmarket Close is one of the first visions that greets visitors emerging from Waverley Station, it steps stretching up out of sight - a worthy introduction to a city filled with staircases and alleys! The crime writer Ian Rankin, who lives in Edinburgh, sets his Inspector Rebus stories in the city, and often utilises the real life locations in his stories. One of his novels is entitled Fleshmarket Close after this dark and brooding passageway through the Old Town. source:edinburghexpert.com #scotland #scottish #visitscotland #explorescotland #history #scottishhistory #edinburgh #glasgow #gothic #outlander #kilt #andythehighlander #highlandertours #highlands #alba #rainyday #greatkilt #tartan #city #scotlandtravel #edinburghcity #royalmile #edinburghscotland #unlimitedscotland #edinburghphotography #hiddenscotland