The Return Of Giant Fresh Wreaths

Margaret Findlay is back at Lauriston Castle on Monday 7 December for The Return Of Giant Fresh Wreaths, an adult creative workshop that starts at 10.30am. It's part of the Castle's Christmas programme, and the whole thing is built around making a huge, dramatic, fragrant greenery wreath from scratch.

Rather than just working with pre-cut bundles, you start by gathering fresh greenery from the Castle grounds yourself. From there, you build the wreath from the ground up, including the straw base, which you can save and use again the following year. It's a slow, hands-on process that takes you from the garden to a finished piece you can actually hang up.

The venue is Lauriston Castle, a 16th-century L-plan tower house with substantial 19th-century 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 listed as a museum, set in gardens with views across the Firth of Forth. The gardens are free to enter all year round, while the house itself opens at set times via guided tour, alongside talks, creative workshops, film screenings and family activities. This session is one of those workshops, and it's aimed at adults.

All adult workshops here include a free supply of fresh coffee, tea and a sweet treat, and you're advised to bring a packed lunch or eat at Mimi's café on site. The cost is £50 if you want fairy lights included, or £45 without. It runs on Monday 7 December from 10.30am at Lauriston Castle, 2A Cramond Road South, Edinburgh West EH4 6AD.