Inspired by Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, the famous set of Japanese woodblock prints, I have decided to create my own version here in Edinburgh: 36 Views of Arthur’s Seat. The Japanese artist Hokusai captured Japan’s highest peak from different view points, in different weather conditions and in different seasons. His depiction of Japanese fishermen battling giant winter waves, while a snow-topped Fuji looks on in the background is probably the most recognisable piece of Japanese art ever created.

My walk to work takes me past Arthur’s Seat which, like Fuji, is a volcano (though in Edinburgh’s case, a long extinct one) and I enjoy observing its moods. Whether peeping through thick mist, basking in a sunny moment, or soaking up an Edinburgh downpour, this mini-mountain watches over the city, and has seen it grow from primitive Bronze Age settlement to a capital of almost half a million.

Arthur’s Seat and the Salisbury Crags are a wild piece of highland landscape, sat almost right in Edinburgh’s centre; turn your back on the city, and it’s easy to imagine you’re a long way from civilisation, yet within ten minutes’ walk, you could be sipping a single malt whisky in a cosy Royal Mile pub.