What's in my Edinburgh digs? – The HandleBards

Matt Maltby is currently appearing in the UK tour of The HandleBards, cycling a 1500-mile tour route and performing in Much Ado About Nothing and Richard III in outdoor venues across the country.

We caught up with Matt before his show at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, to see just what he’s been carrying across the country for the past three months.

The Multivitamins

MM: "Here is a bottle of multivitamins we took every morning convinced they would make the cycling easier. They didn't."

The Polaroids

MM: "Our fellow actor Liam Mansfield puts these photos up wherever we go – they were given to him by his fiancé so that he (and we) could feel at home wherever we went!"

The Superfan Painting

MM: "This painting was done by one of our superfans, Nell Garland. Her and her family very kindly fed us and put us up for three nights in Northumberland near the end of the tour. Their brownies were also incredible."

The #Hounds4Huntingtons

MM: "We were given this little felt hound at Standedge Tunnel in the Peak District. A gentlemen in the audience had studied a Masters in English, specialising in Shakespeare, but had never seen a Shakespeare play. He suffers from Huntingtons and saw The HandleBards last year and loved the show. His sister gave us this dog so we could help raise awareness for the disease and we've been posting photos of Sybil on our travels since. You can find them at #hounds4huntingtons"

The Whisky Pen

MM: "In Bowhill House, in Selkirk, we were treated to a whisky tasting from the manager of the house and grounds (a formidable and wonderful man named Calum). The next day, once we had shaken off our slightly thick heads, Calum gave us all a pen which he had made himself from old whisky barrels. I use it all the time now!"

The Shades

MM: "These are the flip down sun glasses our company member and style icon Paul Hillier bought in Shaftesbury. He's been impressing people up and down the country with them ever since. "

The HandleBards are performing at the Edinburgh Fringe until the 28 August. For more information, click here.

For all our festival coverage, click here to head to our Edinburgh page