Greyfriars Kirkyard was on the list for our day out in Edinburgh for two reasons – the girls wanted to see Tom Riddell’s grave (yes, another Harry Potter reference!), and we all wanted to see Greyfriars Bobby.

The first thing that struck me about Greyfriars was how busy it was for a kirkyard – I wasn’t expecting that! Having opened in 1562, it is one of the most famous kirkyards in the world, and I guess people come here for all sorts of reasons. It is estimated that between 100,000 and 750,000 people are resting here, but only 700 gravestones are visible.

The first task was to find Tom Riddell’s grave (photo 8, plus magnified below). It was no mean feat, but after wandering up and down the aisles amongst the graves of many Edinburgh citizens, both notable and everyday people, we found it.

JK Rowling wrote most of the Harry Potter book series while living in Edinburgh in the 1990s, and is believed to have used Greyfriars as inspiration for character names, including Tom Riddell, also known as the evil wizard Voldemort, and Professor McGonagall, who taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

We then found the memorial to Greyfriars Bobby, a terrier dog who lived here from 1855 to 1872 (photo 13 onwards). His owner John Gray died in 1858, and Bobby spent the remainder of his life guarding John’s grave, which we also saw (photo 12). The people in the community around Greyfriars looked after Bobby, bringing him food and other essentials for 14 years.

The Greyfriars Bobby movie from 1961 was partly filmed here, and even 65 years on, it was still very recognisable.

There is a memorial for Bobby inside the kirkyard near his grave, as well as another memorial and a pub named after him just outside on Candlemaker Row.

I remember watching the movie as a child so it was really interesting seeing where the story really took place all those years ago.