Dean Village was the only destination outside Edinburgh Old Town on our day out in Edinburgh. By the end of the day our feet were aching and we were ready to head back to our accommodation, but we pushed on for this one last stop which was an extra 20 minutes walk. We were glad we did!

As we neared Dean Village, we walked down a steep street called Bells Brae (although apparently this is not where Bellbrae in Victoria got its name, to my surprise!). As we descended towards the river, a distinctly rural feel took over the peak hour chaos we were escaping from – it was literally a little oasis in the middle of the city.

Dean Village was established as a grain milling community in the 12th century and had operated along the Water of Leith (river) for 800 years. By 1700, 11 mills were operating, with some of the remnants still visible today (see photos 9 and 10).

Dean Village was as fairytale-like and picturesque as photos we had seen before our visit, and was totally worth the steep walk at the end of a long day!