I've had an early taste of freedom with the Scots – and it was sweet Britain’s cities return to life from next week – and what they offer is exactly what our locked-down souls crave, says Anna Hart 13 May 2021 • 11:06am When Edinburgh opened up last week, even the residents were on holiday Credit: VisitBritain/Simon Winnall The week before last, I had an accidental city break in Edinburgh. It was accidental not because I didn’t mean to travel to Scotland, but because I did not expect it to feel remotely like a break. I had travelled north to Newcastle for the funeral of my Great Uncle Harry, who had lived a long and full life as an engineer and photographer. Uncle Harry was two weeks shy of his 100th birthday. The Queen’s card arrived regardless; Her Majesty is punctual when it comes to post. Sadly, the Irish side of the family were still unable to travel and attend, but I hope we gave Uncle Harry a respectable send-off, close to maximum capacity at 25 mourners. I am always struck by the size of the coffin at funerals. A coffin looks too small to contain a life.