Rosslyn Chapel

Rosslyn Chapel is the half-day trip that surprises people most. From the outside it is a modest, buttressed sandstone church on the edge of the village of Roslin, about seven miles south of Edinburgh. Inside, almost every surface is carved: pillars wrapped in foliage and vines, arches crowded with angels playing instruments, knights, saints, dragons, devils and more than a hundred green men, the leafy faces of medieval folklore peering out from the stone. Sir William St Clair, Earl of Orkney, founded it in 1446 as a collegiate church, a place where priests would pray for his family in perpetuity, and the carving campaign went on for decades. Only the choir was ever finished; the great church he planned was never built, which is why the chapel feels like a jewel box rather than a cathedral. The most famous carving is the Apprentice Pillar, its spiralling bands of foliage linked to a legend of a gifted apprentice killed by a jealous master mason. Over the centuries the chapel has gathered theories about the Knights Templar, the Holy Grail and secret codes in the ceiling, and Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code, and the film that followed, brought a wave of visitors. The trust that cares for the chapel handles all that lightly: the guides are happy to discuss the legends, but the real story of medieval craftsmanship and faith is extraordinary enough. It is still a working Scottish Episcopal church. Opening is generally Monday to Saturday from the morning and on Sunday afternoons, there is a modest adult fee, and children under seventeen visit free as part of a family group. Book ahead in summer.

How to see it properly: the chapel is small, so the temptation is to walk round once and leave. Resist it. Join one of the regular talks given by the chapel guides, which explain how to read the carvings, from the Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Acts of Mercy on one lintel to the Dance of Death and the musical angels. Then take time on your own with the Apprentice Pillar and the Mason's Pillar beside it, and look up at the barrel-vaulted roof, carved with stars, flowers and a dove. The modern visitor centre beside the chapel has an exhibition on its history and the St Clair family, a cafe with views over Roslin Glen, and a shop. Photography rules inside the chapel are set to protect the stonework and the atmosphere, so check them on arrival.

Getting there: Roslin is a straightforward trip by Lothian bus from the city centre, roughly forty-five minutes depending on traffic, and the stop is a short walk from the chapel. By car it is around half an hour from the city, with parking at the visitor centre. Many visitors combine the chapel with a walk in Roslin Glen below, a wooded river gorge with the ruins of Roslin Castle, the St Clair family seat; paths can be muddy after rain, so wear proper shoes. If you would rather not organise transport, small-group tours from Edinburgh pair Rosslyn with the Scottish Borders, but on your own you have more time inside.

Is it worth the trip? For anyone who loves medieval buildings, absolutely: there is nothing else in Scotland like it, and the scale makes it intimate rather than overwhelming. Fans of The Da Vinci Code will find the real chapel more interesting than the fiction. Families with children under seventeen pay only for the adults, which makes it good value, though younger children may lose interest after the first half hour unless the guides catch their imagination with the green men hunt. Allow three to four hours door to door from central Edinburgh, and plan it on a day when the city is busy: Roslin is a calm, green contrast to the Royal Mile.