In the 1800s Portobello sands were used by the Edinburgh Light Horse Dragoons for drill practice, in which Walter Scott was their quartermaster. While riding in a charge in 1802 Sir Walter Scott was kicked by a horse and confined to his lodgings for three days. While recovering he finished “The Lay of the Last Minstrel” (1805), a long narrative poem in six cantos which established his reputation as a poet.

Photograph ©VisitScotland / Kenny Lam

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