Bum deal for Greyfriars Bobby?

San Diego's most famous dog, Bum, is to be commemorated with a statue in West Princes Street Gardens. The statue of the Californian canine will be officially unveiled later this week, on Saturday, 19 July.

Lovers of Skye Terriers will be in for a treat, as members of the Skye Terriers Association will lead their four legged friends to the unveiling ceremony. Many of the dog owners will dress in nineteenth century costumes.

Bum was a St Bernard spaniel cross who became famous in nineteenth century San Diego. Bum managed to stow away on a ship heading for the city in 1886. He lost a leg, legend has it, when rescuing a puppy from a railway track. He was taken care of by a Chinese businessman, Ah Wo Sue. Bum would let children ride on his back. Bum was a very popular dog, so much so that when he died twelve years later, local people collected money for him so that the dog could have a proper funeral.

San Diego has been twinned with Edinburgh for thirty years. The Scottish capital has its own canine hero, who is commemorated on George IV bridge.

Bobby was a Skye terrier belonging to John Gray, a night watchman with Edinburgh Police who accompanied him on his beat. When John died of tuberculosis in February 1858 Bobby mounted a vigil at the unmarked grave in Greyfriars Churchyard. Hence the name Greyfriars Bobby.

Bobby's vigil was to last for the remaining fourteen years of his life, only leaving to eat meals at a nearby coffeehouse. The statue of Greyfriars Bobby by William Brody was unveiled in 1873.

Bobby's legend is such that his story has been resurrected twice on the Big Screen, in 1961 and again in 2006.

In 1998 Edinburgh donated a statue of Greyfriars Bobby to San Diego.

Independent travellers in the Scottish capital can hear about how Bobby's life was purportedly saved on the Royal Mile & More audio downloadable walking tour. The Royal Mile & More mp3 guided tour begins outside the city's Castle. Hear about the origins the name 'Edinburgh'. Learn about the Castle's long history. Each Walk Talk Tour comes complete with a Where & When page which provides information about the opening times and admission charges of key attractions on each tours.

Hear about the last woman to tried under the Witchcraft Act in Britain and the city's long association with witchcraft. Hear about the seemingly respectable tradesman who unwittingly built his own gallows. Visit St Giles Cathedral. See another new statue, recently unveiled, which commemorates the 'father of modern economics,' Adam Smith. To hear an audio sample of the Royal Mile & More, Edinburgh iPod travel guide please click here.

The Royal Mile & More, Edinburgh visitor guide takes in the new Scottish Parliament, before concluding outside the gates to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Hear about murder and intrigue at the Palace and an annual ceremony that takes place in the Palace's Forecourt.

Edinburgh's Old and New Towns were designated a Unesco world heritage site in 1995.

Take a journey through time on the Old & New Towns, Edinburgh city guide. The Old & New Towns audio downloadable walking tour begins outside the Castle, then guides listeners down into the Grassmarket - once the site of public executions. Hear about the woman who survived the gallows and how one infamous murder was hanged for his crimes while his accomplice got off 'scot free.'

Listeners then walk over the Mound into Princess Street Gardens, taking in the Scott Monument, before heading to St Andrew Square, once the heart of Edinburgh's financial district. To hear an audio sample from the Old & New Towns podcast guided tour please click here. Continue along George Street past the Church of St Andrew and St George and the Assembly Rooms. The Old & New Towns mp3 guided tour concludes in Charlotte Square, where a much maligned early twentieth century General was born. Charlotte Square is home to the First Minister of Scotland's official residence, Bute House, at Number 6. Next door is the Georgian House at Number 7.

Sick of standing out when you're sightseeing with a guidebook in your hands? Struggle to follow - let alone hear - the tour guide with the umbrella? With a Walk Talk Tour city guide you're in charge. Travelling with children? Are they driving you round the bend? With a Walk Talk Tour you're free to stop and start your tour as you see fit.

Each Walk Talk Tour comes complete with a downloadable map - for you to print off - so you won't miss a thing.

Each of the Walk Talk Tours of Edinburgh costs just £5.95. Customers purchasing both tours simultaneously will receive a twenty per cent discount.