Edinburgh, Scotland: The city where Harry Potter meets Treasure Island

"She never stayed the night here," he confides. "She just used the room to write the final chapter. She must have wanted to make a point. She was virtually penniless when she was working on the first draft of Harry Potter in a cafe. But by the time she was finishing her final Harry Potter book, she could afford the best hotel room in Edinburgh."

So apart from Scott and Rowling, who else is worthy of attention on Edinburgh's well-worn Literary Trail?

There are lots of excursions keen to entice the reader, including the Edinburgh Book Lovers' Tour (see edinburghbooktour.com) and the Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour (see edinburghliterarypubtour.co.uk).

But since I'm here with a brother, a best friend and a godson – all notoriously parsimonious – we opt for the the free self-guided map of Edinburgh's literary quarter (www.cityofliterature.com), issued to celebrate the Scottish capital's recognition as the world's first UNESCO City of Literature.

A PINT WITH REBUS

As both my brother and I are confirmed Rebus fans, we begin in that part of Edinburgh known as "New Town". This is one of Scotland's more sophisticated jokes. Most buildings in New Town date from the 1760s to the 1830s. That is, before Sydney was settled or Melbourne "discovered".

Rankin, who created Rebus, chose his fictional detective's drinking hole of choice wisely: it's hard to find. The Oxford Bar, on Young Street, is a curious establishment. When you walk in off the street, you're confronted by a Lilliputian snug packed with locals on the left hand side, each one supposedly surprised to see a stranger venture over the threshold (despite the photos of Rankin and the actors who have played Rebus behind the bar).

Press on and you'll find the compact lounge. Then order a pint of Deuchars IPA – not only Rebus's favoured tipple, but Rankin's too. The author has written that he has been safely sipping a pint at the Oxford when Rebus fans have come in and failed to recognise him.

SHOULD OLD ACQUAINTANCE...

Robert (Rabbie) Burns was 27 and much thwarted in love when he borrowed a pony and set out for Edinburgh in 1786.

Unknown when he arrived, he soon became the toast of the city thanks to Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish dialect which was published the following year.

Burns lodged for a week in 1791 at the White Hart Inn, in Grassmarket, which claims to be Scotland's oldest pub while visiting his lover, Nancy Macklehouse. Here he wrote one of his most enduring love songs, Ae Fond Kiss.

A famous painting shows him being introduced to the 16-year-old Walter Scott.

Burns, Scott and Stevenson are all commemorated in the Writers' Museum (just off the Royal Mile) – a must-visit for anyone interested in Edinburgh's literary pedigree.

THE HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN

It's difficult now to appreciate how highly Sir Walter Scott was regarded as a literary genius in his lifetime. He was the (initially anonymous) inventor of historical fiction, revered by everyone from Tolstoy to Virginia Wolff.

His most famous books – Rob Roy, Ivanhoe, The Lady of the Lake – are still read, and his presence is felt everywhere in Edinburgh.

For example, if you walk up the Royal Mile and pause to admire St Giles' Cathedral on your left hand side, you will see stones in the shape of a heart marking the site of Old Tolbooth Prison as featured in Scott's novel, The Heart of Midlothian (which in turn gave its name to the perennially unsuccessful Edinburgh soccer club).

AND A BOTTLE OF RUM

Today Robert Louis Stevenson is the most famous of Edinburgh's classical triumvirate – thanks to the enduring popularity of Treasure Island, Kidnapped and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Kidnapped, set around an 18th century murder in the aftermath of the Jacobite Uprising, clearly has Scottish roots. So too does Jekyll and Hyde.

When you're venturing up the Royal Mile, take a moment to examine Deacon Brodie's Tavern.

Brodie was a respectable cabinet maker and locksmith by day, but a burglar, gambler and womaniser by night who was hanged before a crowd of 40,000 in 1788. Stevenson used Brodie's double life as the inspiration for Jekyll and Hyde.

Brodie also appears in Muriel Spark's excellent The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, with the protagonist claiming to be his descendant. It too was set in Edinburgh.

A GIGANTIC HOUND

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – inventor of Sherlock Holmes – was born in Picardy Place, just a stone's throw away from Leith Walk where Irvine Welsh set his semi-autobiographical drug-abuse novel, Trainspotting. There's a large statue of Holmes in Picardy Place, and take a glance inside the Conan Doyle pub just across the road which is a shrine to both the author and his creation.

SCOTLAND STREET

Fans of Alexander McCall Smith's 44 Scotland Street series may be surprised to learn the street actually exists even if there is no number 44. In the heart of the New Town, Scotland Street is a typically elegant road filled with large, granite Georgian Townhouses. Head for the The Cumberland Bar, in nearby Cumberland Street, where many of McCall Smith's characters hang out – including Cyril, the beer-guzzling dog.

Cumberland Street is also where JM Barrie – author of Peter Pan – had his lodgings while studying literature at Edinburgh University (writing drama reviews for the Edinburgh Evening Courant in his spare time). His contemporary Kenneth Grahame was born in Castle Street.

And yes, of course there are more. On the Royal Mile you'll find the restaurant (formerly inn) where Dr Johnson met James Boswell – and another former inn where Daniel Defoe wrote part of Robinson Crusoe.

Do you need it writ large? Edinburgh is a literary city with few equals.

TRIP NOTES

MORE INFORMATION

thisisedinburgh.com​

GETTING THERE

Both Qatar Airways and Emirates/British Airways fly from Sydney and Melbourne to Edinburgh with one change of plane.

Edinburgh is a four-hour, 30 minute train journey from London (see raileurope.com.au)

TRAVELLING THERE

Captain's Choice 17-day, fully inclusive Bespoke British Isles tour aboard the MS Hebridean Sky visits London, Portsmouth, Dublin, Douglas, Kirkwall, the Outer Hebrides and Edinburgh. Departs Australia on June 4, 2017, priced from $22,270 per person twin share. For more information call 1300 176 681 or see captainschoice.com.au.

Steve Meacham travelled as guest of Captain's Choice.