To Absent Friends Wander in Holyrood Park

To Absent Friends Wander takes place in Holyrood Park on Saturday 7 November, from 11:00 to 12:15. It's a guided walk led by Lara, a Humanist Celebrant and Community Engagement Manager for Humanist Society Scotland, and it's part of To Absent Friends, a People's Festival of Storytelling and Remembrance. The festival's aim is to revive faded Scottish traditions around loss and remembrance, and to create new ones in their place.

Along the route, the group pauses at the poet-tree to read poetry. From there, it's open to you: you can share a memory of a loved one, or write a name on an autumn leaf and scatter it into the wind. The walk continues up to Dunsapie Loch, so it's a fair bit of ground to cover over the hour and fifteen minutes.

One practical thing to keep in mind: the route isn't suitable for wheelchairs, as there are steps and muddy or uneven surfaces to deal with. If that's a dealbreaker, it's better to know before you set off.

It's free and open to the public, though booking in advance is recommended. The meeting point is the Lilyhill Terrace entrance to Holyrood Park, EH8 7DR, inside the park gate and opposite 49 Lilyhill Terrace. It runs from 11:00 to 12:15 on Saturday 7 November.