Barnton Bunker is Joining National Cold War Heritage Week 2026
Barnton Bunker is proud to be taking part in the UK's annual National Cold War Heritage Week. A nationwide celebration of Cold War history led by The Cold War Network and supported by The National Lottery Community Fund.
Running from 18 to 24 May 2026, the week brings together heritage sites, museums, and communities across the UK to shine a light on one of the most defining and often overlooked chapters of British history.
What is National Cold War Heritage Week?
National Cold War Heritage Week was established to ensure the stories, sites, and legacies of the Cold War era are preserved and shared with future generations. From nuclear bunkers to radar stations, listening posts to civil defence infrastructure, the UK is home to a remarkable network of Cold War history and much of it remains hidden in plain sight.
This year's programme includes events, tours, and experiences at participating sites across the country. You can explore the full national programme at coldwarnetwork.co.uk/ncwhw.
Go underground at Scotland's largest Cold War nuclear bunker
Right here in Edinburgh, Barnton Bunker offers one of the most extraordinary Cold War experiences in the UK.
Built into the hillside at Barnton Quarry, this was Scotland's Regional Seat of Government, the place where officials planned to govern from the ashes of nuclear war. It housed RAF crews tracking Soviet bombers across the North Sea, the BBC's four-minute warning broadcast studio, and the infrastructure of a nation preparing for the unthinkable.
Today, thanks to years of grassroots volunteer restoration, you can walk through it all.
Our five-star immersive guided tour takes you deep into the bunker's history, past the operations rooms, through the communications corridors, and into the spaces where decisions about Scotland's fate would have been made.
A different kind of Edinburgh experience
When most people think of underground experiences in Edinburgh, they think of vaults, ghost tours, and medieval history. Barnton Bunker is something else entirely. This isn't a recreation or a museum display, it's a real Cold War command centre, built for a moment that thankfully never came, and restored by volunteers who believed the story was too important to lose.
Stepping inside feels like entering another world. The operations rooms, the communications corridors, the BBC four-minute warning studio. It's the kind of place that stays with you long after you leave. Rated 4.9/5 stars on Google, and fully underground, it's one of the most unique and weatherproof things to do in Edinburgh, whatever the season.
See our brand new tote board, rebuilt from living memory
This Heritage Week, there's something new to see inside the bunker. We've rebuilt and installed a 1950s tote board, placed exactly where the original once stood in the operations room. Using historic photographs, input from historians, and the first-hand memories of Alan Treloar who worked here in 1955. We reconstructed how it would have looked, then printed it onto canvas and hand-stretched it over a timber frame.
Alan described the original as similar to the old railway station departure boards, except instead of trains, it showed aircraft squadrons, airfield readiness, and how many planes were available for immediate takeoff. Seventy years on, he helped us bring it back. There is nothing quite like standing in front of it knowing that someone who once read it in real time is still here to tell the story. Read the full blog about it here.
Book your tour during Heritage Week
Tours run on the of the week from 18 to 24 May 2026. Whether you're a history enthusiast, a curious local, or visiting Edinburgh for the first time, this is your chance to go underground and experience the Cold War like nowhere else in Scotland. Spaces are limited on each tour and advance booking is recommended.
👉 Book at barntonbunker.com/book-your-tour
Heritage Week is the perfect moment to visit to be part of a national moment of remembrance, discovery, and living history.
