One of my favorite things to do it to troll for bargains in nice charity shops. I'm not above checking out a boot sale or church fette. Any ideas.

Edinburgh is well provided with charity shops - so much so there's even a map

http://www.changeworks.org.uk/content.php?linkid=347

As for car boot sales, I can only think of two,

http://www.edinburghcarbootsale.com/ and the one in the multi-story car park between the Omni Centre & St James Centre on a Sunday

Wow! What a great resource. I found a dozen within walking distance.

The Greenside Place (Omni) car boot sale is by far the largest in Edinburgh. Usually well in excess of 100 cars. It starts at 8.30a.m on a Sunday morning and is usually very busy.

Thanks for the links. I hit at least a dozen shops. I got two handpainted china bowls circa 1920 for less than 3 GBP for the set in St. Andrews. Edinburgh was less fruitful. I found a Charles Renee Macintosh (copy I'm sure) lapel pin for two quid.

We visited a boot sell in Glasgow. It was strangly similar to ones in the US. Except they had a meat auction. Yes, that was meat as in beef or mutton. I think I prefer the butcher or supermarket.

P.S. In case folks think that I'm nuts. The charity shops, etc. are one of the best places to find made in UK souvenirs. Most of the tourisst shops had things made in China. I also bought books.