My favourite Airbnb: Rustic charm meets Art-Deco style in this nature-inspired playground just outside Edinburgh

I know Edinburgh well. I’ve written about it many times, visited it more times than I can possibly remember and yet it never fails to amaze me.

With a historic castle and a palace and no shortage of world-class museums and art galleries, Scotland’s capital has serious cultural credentials. Indeed, its commitment to the creative arts is so steadfast that the whole city becomes one big, swirling arts extravaganza each August during the annual Edinburgh Festival.

However, away from the cultural powerhouses, the street artists, and the laugh-out-loud comedy clubs, lies another cultural asset, just beyond the city limits, that very few visitors seem to know about.

Sally Coffey

Sally Coffey

Just 10 miles from the frenzy of the Royal Mile, Jupiter Artland is a 100-acre sculpture park set within the grounds of a Jacobean house that is like a giant, surreal playground-cum-serene sanctuary that feels much further from Edinburgh than it really is.

I’ve heard of this place, founded by Robert and Nicky Wilson in 2009 – the art-collecting couple who own Bonnington House, the grand property that sits in its centre – over the years, but nothing prepares me for the effect it has on me.

Allan Pollok-Morris 2010

Keith Hunter

As I walk along the driveway, dragging my small suitcase behind me, I’m immediately struck by the sense of peace and calm. The road on which I’ve just disembarked the bus from Edinburgh, is but a distant hum, my ambient noise replaced with the gentle rustle of the trees and the occasional bird call.