Botanical Watercolours For Christmas

Tessa Asquith-Lamb is leading a botanical watercolour workshop at Lauriston Castle on Saturday 12 December, just a few weeks before Christmas. It's one of the adult creative workshops the castle runs, and this one focuses on winter greenery: holly, ivy and fir. The morning starts with sketches of those plants, which then build into soft washes and finer detail, and the afternoon moves into a looser approach inspired by 1920s designs. There's step-by-step guidance throughout the day, so you don't need to be an expert to get stuck in.

Lauriston Castle and Gardens is a 16th-century L-plan tower house with Victorian extensions and early 20th-century interiors, left to the nation in 1926 by its last private owner, Mrs Reid. It's run by the City of Edinburgh Council and sits in gardens with views across the Firth of Forth, housing the diverse collections left by the castle's final residents. The gardens are free to enter all year round, while the house itself opens at set times by guided tour, alongside talks, creative workshops, film screenings and family activities.

All the adult workshops include a free supply of fresh coffee, tea and a sweet treat, and they're for ages 16 and over. The session runs from 10:30 at Lauriston Castle and Gardens, 2a Cramond Road South, Edinburgh EH4 6AD, and costs £35.