Location: 5 Royal Terrace

Scotland has many links with Finland (for example Scots helped introduce the industrial revolution into Finland) and in 1976 the Finnish government set up a Scottish-Finnish Society and a consulate in Scotland. Harry Nimmo at 5 Royal Terrace has been Honorary Finnish consul for Edinburgh since 2013 and also for Glasgow and Aberdeen since 2017.

He provides consular services for Finns and those connected with Finland, links with the Finnish Embassy in London and promotes economic, political, academic and cultural relations between Finland and Scotland. For example in February 2017, he spoke at the Keski-Euroopan aluekokous (Finnish Expatriate Parliament conference) in Glasgow and in December 2021 he held a reception at 5 Royal Terrace to mark Finnish Independence day. Photographs of the latter occasion can be found at this link.

The “Baby Box” concept was borrowed by the Scottish government from Finland. One article in the the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat suggested Scotland could become the “Sixth Nordic Country” along with Finland, Denmark, Sweden Norway and Iceland!

You can find out more about Finns living in Scotland at the web page of the Scottish-Finnish Society.

If you walk about 70 metres past the Finnish Honorary Consulate you come to the entrance to Calton Hill on your left. The Holodomor Monument (to the millions of Ukrainians who died during the forced famine under Stalin in 1932-33) is a few paces up the path on your left.

Go on to the last stop in our walk (the Italian delicatessen Valvona & Crolla) by continuing to walk along Royal Terrace and its continuation, Blenheim Place for about 200 metres until you reach the junction of Blenheim Place, London Road and Leith Walk. Cross over London Road at the pedestrian crossing, turn left and almost immediately take the next right – Elm Row. Walk about 200 metres down Elm Row and Valvona & Crolla is on your right.

Picture credits: Stuart Baillie String/Edinburgh4Europe