This was a walk on a beautiful day in November taking in some of the well-known heritage sites of Edinburgh...and also a good hill walk! Even a little bit of scrambling!
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. Historically part of the county of Midlothian, it is located in Lothian on the Firth of Forth's southern shore.
I started this walk at Edinburgh Castle, an 11th century castle and barracks housing the Crown Jewels and National War Museum of Scotland. The postcode is: EH1 2NG. From the castle, I turned east into probably Edinburgh's oldest street, The Royal Mile. This famous street connects Edinburgh Castle with the Palace of Holyroodhouse, usually called Holyrood Palace. There is so much to explore on either side of this historic road. The term, The Royal Mile, was first used descriptively in W. M. Gilbert's Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century, "...with its Castle and Palace and the royal mile between", and was further popularised as the title of a guidebook, published in 1920.
Holyrood Palace is the official Scottish residence of Queen Elizabeth II. Located at the bottom of The Royal Mile, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace has served as the principal residence of the Kings and Queens since the 16th century.
At the palace, turn right on to Holyrood Park, a 640 acre Royal Park. The park's highest point is Arthur's Seat, an ancient volcano, which sits 251 metres above sea level. It is also the site of a large and well preserved fort. This is one of four hill forts dating from around 2000 years ago. With its diverse range of flora and geology it is also Site of Special Scientific Interest. Within the park you can also visit: St Anthony’s Chapel - a 15th century medieval chapel; Salisbury Crags – a series of 150 foot cliff faces dominating Edinburgh’s skyline; as well as Duddingston Loch – a fresh water loch rich in birdlife.
There are several different paths up to Arthur's Seat, some steeper than others. However, whichever route you take, there are spectacular views of the city and beyond. For me, there was a bit of scrambling towards the end but there were easier paths to take! I was amazed that one minute, I was in a city surrounded by heritage sites and then the next I was hill walking with beautiful views.
After taking a different path down from Arthur's Seat and back through the park, I wandered back through the city via a different route. I went through St Leonard's, then past the University of Edinburgh, and up past Greyfriars Kirkyard, and back to the castle.
I always advocate using a map but this was one day when I wandered without a map, just heading from one large rock to the other!
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