Readers’ pictures of the week, 9-15 August

A selection of pictures submitted to our picture desk in the past week by our readers, including several shots of Edinburgh in the midst of the Festivals

Thu 15 Aug: This photograph of a swan rising up to its full height at Ardwell, Mull of Galloway, was taken by Ranald Spicer

Wed 14 Aug: Sylvia Beaumont captured an unsual view of the front of the Witchery restaurant near Edinburgh’s High Street from the top of Camera Obscura

Tue 13 Aug: Edinburgh’s Old Town has a special glow as the sun goes down, as this photograph by Sue Macnaughton, taken from the National Galleries of Scotland on the Mound, shows

Mon 12 Aug: Staff photographer Phil Wilkinson took this image of a dragon being paraded through Princes Street Gardens on Saturday to promote the Taoist Tai Chi Society’s international awareness day

Sat 10 Aug: Reader Bill Thomson photographed the old pier at Craighouse, the main settlement on the Inner Hebridean island of Jura, looking towards the island’s famous hills, the Paps of Jura

Fri 9 Aug: Alex McSorley from St Boswells wondered what they are feeding their Highland cows in Orkney to make them look so big