Much as you'd like to linger, there's only so long you can spend inside the latest addition to Edinburgh's Christmas – but they're minutes well spent. With a steady temperature of -10 degrees, to keep the exhibits in tip-top condition, piling on the layers before you enter the Ice Adventure is as advisable as ensuring you're packing a camera/phone. Because, skill aside, this is one big photo opportunity from start to finish.

Five people worked on each of the ice sculptures, we're told via information panels on the way in, and it shows. Using chainsaws, chisels and hammers, they've bashed, sliced and carved their way through enormous blocks of ice to produce beautiful iconic images of Scotland's people and places.

Some are real (the new Queensferry Crossing, Robert the Bruce), some are fictional (the Loch Ness Monster, kelpies), some are generic (thistles and wildlife), but all have been carved to perfection. In particular, the branch-like antlers of the rutting stags and giant wing-span of the eagle leave you wondering at the hours of practise and training that must have preceded these pieces of work.

If the price (£10 / conc £7) feels steep when the duration is so short (it's hard to imagine spending longer than 20-25 minutes in there), it's worth viewing the Ice Adventure as a deposit for the memory bank (backed by photographic evidence). Younger visitors can have fun spotting the frozen squirrels, adults can warm up with a hot toddy, families can use the exhibits as a unique history lesson to talk about once you're back out in the warm (imagine that ever being the case during an Edinburgh winter) – and everyone can marvel at the craftsmanship.