Holy Trinity Wester Hailes Church Of Scotland

The brutalist concrete structure looming over Wester Hailes isn't what you'd call a traditional Scottish kirk. Built in 1968, Holy Trinity is a stark, angular statement of 1960s church architecture - all raw concrete and geometric forms that look rather more like a spaceship than a place of worship. Inside, though, it's actually quite moving. The light falls through the windows in a way that makes you pause, and there's a genuine sense of calm despite the unconventional setting.

You'll want to go if you're interested in post-war religious architecture or Scottish modernism. It's not a tourist attraction in the conventional sense - this is a working parish church serving the Wester Hailes community, so you'll need to respect that. The building is fairly small, so ten minutes will cover the essentials unless you want to sit and soak in the atmosphere.

Wester Hailes itself isn't a destination in its own right, though it's just outside Newbridge if you're making a wider trip around Edinburgh. If you're staying at Linwater Caravan Park, it's barely six miles away - manageable for a detour if modernist architecture interests you at all. Worth a quick stop while exploring the city's lesser-known corners, but don't expect the gravitas of St Giles' or the romance of a medieval cathedral. It's different, sometimes challenging, but genuinely interesting.