The story of my travels to Scotland, Wales and England with my parents (who visited in March) continues with these photos from Edinburgh Castle.
The approach to Edinburgh Castle, at the top of the Royal Mile.
We were there in mid-March and I couldn't believe how wonderful the weather was. Temperatures were probably around 40-50 Fahrenheit (not bad, trust me) and it was sunny every day. The daffodils and crocuses were just starting to come out around the city and the grass was green. We loved it, and views from the castle were stunning.
Looking out over the city from the castle, which is built on an extinct volcano.
Edinburgh Castle is a fantastic site, maintained by Historic Scotland. Most of the buildings are from the 1500s, but St. Margaret's Chapel is a surviving 12th-century structure.
Windows
But it's not just a bunch of old buildings. There are scores of fascinating exhibits, including the Honours of Scotland, Scotland's crown jewels. Alongside the Honours of Scotland you'll see the Stone of Destiny, the ancient stone used in the coronation of Scottish and British monarchs. Seeing that stone felt like being in a legend come to life.
View of King Arthur's Seat, another extinct volcano at the opposite end of the old town, from Edinburgh Castle.
You also learn scores about Scottish and British military history, and one unexpected treat was visiting the former prison, which displays graffiti and handiwork by American prisoners who were held there during our Revolutionary War (though in Britain they perfer to call it the War of Independence).
View of the city from an old gun hole (probably not its technical name).
While exploring the castle, I highly recommend buying a personal audio guide to help you understand the site. The explanations on the guide are simply packed with fascinating history, trivia and architectural information, and improved my visit immeasurably.
A row of guns, picturesque now but extremely important during the days of sieges and wars.
If you are visiting Scotland for less than 10 days, I also suggest purchasing a Historic Scotland Explorer Pass. Our 3-day passes gave us free access to all Historic Scotland sites for just 21 pounds per person, as well as 20 percent discounts on audio guides. As we visited both Stirling Castle and Caerlaverock Castle over the next few days, it was a bargain, indeed.
Castle walls.
Finally, I recommend spending an entire day at the castle. We were there about four hours and, even though we were a group of history buffs and keen explorers, there was just so much to see and take in that our eyes started to glaze over about 1:00 and we left for lunch and an afternoon of continued sightseeing.
Sounds like you had a fantastic time in Edinburgh. I was there a short time ago taking some 360 panoramas of Edinburgh Castle. Hope you enjoy them.
I am a first time reader of your blog as I just happened upon it online today, I must say the photos you share here are wonderful. I have not been to Scotland but visit Newcastle upon Tyne in England, which is about 50 miles south of the Scottish border, in fact I just returned from my third trip there last week as I have close friends who live there.
I am an Anglophile and also a history buff that never gets tired of sightseeing when I am there. Next time I am over I will have to try and travel up to Scotland, and south to Wales as I have heard many wonderful stories of journeys to both and would love to have my own story to tell.
I look forward to reading more here and hopefully will see more photos too. My heart is warmed by looking at the photos I have taken during my visits over the pond, every time I look at them I wish I was back over there and yours do the trick for me too.
Thanks for sharing. ~Judi