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Bringing Brave to life

inside Rosslyn Chapel

an aerial view of Edinburgh Castle

the Real Mary King’s Close

Characters from Disney•Pixar's latest film Brave sitting at a table.

Come to Edinburgh & The Lothians and experience the world of Disney•Pixar’s Brave for yourself. You’ll discover a wide range of the activities and attractions, landscapes and wildlife that so inspired the movie-makers.

Discover dramatic castles, fantastic museums, beautiful scenery, and ancient historical sites, in Edinburgh & The Lothians.

With a wide range of excellent museums and galleries, Edinburgh & The Lothians offers visitors a fantastic opportunity to explore Scottish heritage and culture. At The People’s Story Museum you can learn about the lives of ordinary people in 18th century Edinburgh, The Scottish Storytelling Centre explores Scotland’s rich story heritage, and you can find out about lives of Scotland’s great literary figures at The Writers Museum. A great place to explore Scottish history from early geological times through to the present day is at the recently refurbished National Museum of Scotland and Our Dynamic Earth.

Explore the regions and castles and ruins along the Mary Queen of Scots Castle Trail and see where one of Scotland’s most intriguing monarchs lived, hid and died. Highlights include Edinburgh Castle, Linlithgow Palace, Tantallon Castle, Craigmillar Castle, and Crichton Castle, seat of the Earl of Bothwell Mary’s third husband.

Rosslyn Chapel, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, is a must-see destination for any visitor to Edinburgh. Built in 1446, this mysterious chapel is famed worldwide for its intricate carvings and links to the Knights Templar and Freemasonry. Back in the city you can explore the hidden streets beneath the City Chambers on the Royal Mile at the Mary King’s Close. This tour will give you an intriguing insight into how real people lived, worked and died between the 17th and 19th centuries.

Other key historical attractions across the region include mysterious Pictish stones such as the Caiy Stane, the inscribed stones at Tormain Hill, and Loth Stone. You will also find a number Iron Age forts across the region, such as Castlelaw Hill Fort, Chesters Hill Fort, and the ancient Cairnpapple Hill burial site.

You can experience the magic of the natural world that inspired Disney•Pixar’s Brave at one of the many Nature Reserves or fantastic country parks, such as John Muir Country Park, Beecraigs Country Park, Roslin Glen Country Park and Almondell & Calderwood Country Park. At Edinburgh Zoo you can see an amazing variety of captive animals, including Edinburgh’s two giant pandas Tian Tian and Yang Guang. Although wild bears may no longer roam Scotland’s great outdoors as they do in Brave you can still them at the Five Sister Zoo.

At the award-winning Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick you can view a wide range of sea birds such as puffins, guillemots and kittiwakes. Take a boat trip around Bass Rock and see thousands of nesting sea birds and other exciting marine wildlife along the way.

Visit the dedicated Brave site for more information.