Edinburgh has green spaces that are more glamorous, but it’s the Meadows, arranged in a half-moon around the southern end of the University of Edinburgh campus, that stills my soul, even now, a good decade after I lived and studied in this part of the city.

In spring the paths are thick with blossom. In summer the grass is laden with students making a half-hearted stab at their reading lists. Autumn is glorious as the park falls into a riot of gold and red, and in winter there is a sparse serenity to this expanse of green, deep in the heart of the bustly capital.

To the south-west of the park lies Bruntsfield, long the home of pocket-sized restaurants and independent retailers. There’s a fantastic bookshop at Holy Corner, a chocolatier and a string of quirky boutiques to browse.

For a perfect morning, dawdle round the shops at Bruntsfield and then wander across Bruntsfield Links towards the Meadows in the footsteps of Muriel Spark (the author lived on Bruntsfield Place, and nearby James Gillespie’s is thought to have been inspiration for Marcia Blaine School for Girls in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie). The view north reveals the spikes and spires of the Royal Mile rising above the sandstone Victorian tenements.

All paths lead to Middle Meadow Walk, and halfway up lies Peter’s Yard, a gorgeous glass-and-wood Swedish bakery selling cardamom-scented pastries, artisan breads and fine strong coffee. Take a cappuccino to the window and watch the hopeful, the learned and the purposeful stride by. It’s a good place to ruminate on the fact that wonderful parks needn’t be stuffed with blooms or curiosities – all they need to offer is air, space and perhaps a decent cinnamon bun.

Images by Anita Joseph