Free tour

As seen on ITV's This Morning - Brian Pendreigh's Film, TV and Books tour

Duration: 2h

Languages:

Quality Verified Registered on October 11, 2023

A bit of history, a bit of trivia and a wee dash of stand-up. Born and bred in Edinburgh, I worked as a staff reporter, feature writer and cinema editor on The Scotsman for 17 years and subsequently wrote regularly for the Guardian and London Times. I have written and edited several books, including The Times on Cinema and On Location - The Film Fan's Guide to Britain and Ireland.

Free booking and cancellation

Free payment tour, no set price, booking and cancellation are free
Accepts electronic payment

This tour allows payment by electronic means or credit card

Tour description

Visit some of Old Edinburgh's most amazing locations and hear their history and how they were used in Oscar-winning movies and in blockbusters like Avengers - Infinity War. Learn about links with best-selling authors from Charles Dickens and Daniel Defoe to Arthur Conan Doyle and JK Rowling. This is your chance to get the inside story of Edinburgh, and its literary and cinematic heritage, from an award-winning film critic and author, born and bred in Edinburgh...

Hear how a meeting I had with an American tourist took me to the Oscars and changed my life.
Visit the scenic location of "The Kiss" in the Netflix hit One Day.
Compare the size of your handprints with those of JK Rowling.
Walk the same historic streets that were trod by a famous author who came here as a secret agent 300 years ago.
Learn about Edinburgh's link with Marvel superheroes and The Wizard of Oz and why Fast and Furious was not really quite so fast or furious.
Discover the link between James Bond and Sean Connery that goes back to school days.
Follow in the footsteps of Julia Roberts when she set a world record with a $10 million fee for a movie no one has heard of.
Visit Scrooge's cemetery and hear why Dickens got it all wrong.
Find out why the grave of a sea captain who died in obscurity 200 years ago is now visited by dozens of people every day.
Hear about the cute little dog who received the city's highest honour, had two statues erected in his honour and inspired a hit Disney movie.
Discover the truth behind Jekyll and Hyde.. and Sherlock Holmes... Conan Doyle, Stevenson, Scott and Burns.
This is me on TV talking about the One Day locations https://we.tl/t-oQTSgSn956

Highlights

What will we visit on this tour?

Meeting point:

43 High St, Edinburgh EH1, UK

43 High St, Edinburgh EH1, UK

View on map

Meet at the wellhead outside the John Knox House, 43-45 High Street (Royal Mile), Edinburgh, EH1 1SR. I will have a large umbrella.
1

Outside visit

Royal Mile
2

Outside visit

Scott Monument
3

Outside visit

Edinburgh Castle

4

Outside visit

Victoria Street
5

Outside visit

Grassmarket
6

Outside visit

JK Rowling’s Handprints
7

Outside visit

The Vennel Viewpoint Edinburgh Castle
8

Outside visit

Thomas Riddell's Grave
9

Outside visit

Greyfriars Kirkyard

How much does this tour cost?

Free tours do not have a set price, instead, each person gives the guru at the end of the tour the amount that he or she considers appropriate (these usually range from €10 to $50 depending on satisfaction with the tour).

Tour opinions

12 ratings

4.9

By category

Professionalism

5.0

Fun

4.73

Expression

4.82

Quality

5.0

Route

4.82

Generic

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Julio 01 Jan 2024

Lisbon

Verified booking

Travelled alone - Dec 2023

I enjoyed very much the walking tour with Brian, it was full of very, very interesting curiosities about the Scottish writers, about hidden places that have curiosities not covered in other free tours (at least not on the other 3 I took ahaha). Also he has some incredible personal experiences (I am not going to give spoilers ahaha) I just want to say thank you very much for the tour Brian, I am grateful for it

janet 13 Dec 2023

Brian has a very wide knowledge of Edinburgh and of films having publsihed many books n the subject. He is fun and has a good sense of humour and provides a really good balance between factual info and fun facts and goss. I'd definitely recommend his tours.

Anne 01 Dec 2023

Almuñécar

Verified booking

Travelled in couple - Dec 2023

Excellent tour focused on Edinburgh tales, book and movie memorabilia throughout the ages

Catherine 25 Nov 2023

London

We had a fantastic Edinburgh tour with Brian. As someone from Edinburgh, who has lived and worked there most of his life, he was clearly drawing on a real depth and breadth of knowledge. He was able to pitch things at just the right level and pace for us, tell some great stories, weave in some personal anecdotes and make us laugh! It was fascinating to see and hear things we'd have otherwise missed. The tour with Brian was a real highlight of our stay in Edinburgh - would highly recommend!!

Paul 17 Nov 2023

London

Anyone who’s interested in Edinburgh or film will enjoy this tour. It takes you to the most interesting historical places in the old town, but also adds fascinating insights from Brian’s career as a journalist and film critic.

Show 12 reviews

Who is this tour for?

Accessibility

Non suitable for people with reduced mobility.

Groups

Does not accept large group reservations.

Pets

Not suitable for pets.

What should you know?

Minimum of attendees

A minimum of 5 people is required for the tour.

Additional costs:

The tour does not require the payment of entrance fees or additional expenses.

Free cancellation

If you will not be able to attend the tour, please cancel your booking, otherwise the guide will be waiting for you.

Payment methods

Electronic or credit card payment is accepted.

Free tours

United Kingdom

Edinburgh walking tours

When do you want to go?

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

See availability