Edinburgh Castle & The Royal Mile
My first time to Scotland, it’s long been on my list of must-see countries. I am starting my adventure in Edinburgh. I’ve heard nothing but fantastic things about this city and I can attest to sharing that sentiment after spending several days here. I walked over 10 miles in the first 24 hours. It’s a gorgeous city.
Dramatically perched overlooking the city is one of Scotland’s most iconic landmarks, Edinburgh Castle. Built on top of a long extinct volcano the famous Castle Rock was formed by an explosion 340 million years ago. Archaeological evidence suggests humans have been living on Castle Rock since 850 BC. The first castle that existed on the rock was known as “The Castle of the Maidens.” According to legend, the castle had been a shrine to the “Nine Maidens,” one of whom was Morgan le Fay. However, this Edinburgh Castle was built during the 12th century by David I, son of Saint Margaret of Scotland.
The castle has been attacked by hostile forces 23 times. This is the most attacks of any fortress in the UK, and some believe it to the most of any fortress in Europe. The castle is said to be haunted by the ghost of a lone piper, a young boy who is said to have disappeared within the walls and still seeks to be found to this day.
Walking around, I took pictures of this landmark from many different vantage points. Located in the heart of Princes St. Gardens, Ross Fountain is certainly one of these lovely spots. Sculpted by artist Jean-Baptiste Jules Klagmann, this fountain has been made from cast-iron, a shining example of 19th century sculpture. If you take a closer look at the base of the fountain, there are mermaids, walrus and lion heads and cherrubs. At the top are featured four female figures representing science, arts, poetry and industry.
In 1862, a local gun maker Mr Daniel Ross saw the fountain in London at the Great Exhibition and described it as "obtaining universal admiration". As a gift to Edinburgh city, in September 1869 Daniel Ross bought the sculpture and had the 122 pieces shipped to Leith where they would later be sent to Princes Street Gardens to be asembled. Sadly before the fountain was completed and offically opened in 1872, David Ross died one year before, missing the opportunity to see the masterpiece displayed in the gardens.
The castle can easily be seen just walking down towards Princes Street.
Another lovely spot is from the The Vennel Steps Viewpoint both day and night.
AND yet another lovely location to view the castle is upstairs in Starbucks on Princes Street. Even if you are not a fan of the coffee, the view is worth the visit.
The Royal Mile, in the heart of Old Town, runs from Edinburgh Castle down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament. I went there in the middle of the day and was overwhelmed with the hordes of people, so many people! It was just awful. I got out of there as quickly as I could and made the decision to get up early Sunday morning to wander around. Great decision, I practically had the place to myself. Big win for picture taking!
St. Giles’ Cathedral, founded in 1124 by King David I, stands out in the middle of the mile. Saint Giles is the patron saint of lepers and cripples, as well as the patron saint of Edinburgh itself. Interestingly, St. Giles’ Cathedral has just recently starting being referred to as a “cathedral.” In the 1600s, it served as a cathedral for only approximately 30 years, but other than that, it isn’t truly a cathedral at all. The High Kirk of Edinburgh would be the correct name because “kirk” is the Scottish phonetic pronunciation of “church.” St. Giles’ Cathedral High Kirk of Edinburgh is the full name of the institution.
In the courtyard in front of St. Giles’ is the Heart Of Midlothian, a pattern of colored cobbles embedded into the pavement, which marks the place where the old Tolbooth, a prison built in the 1400s, once stood. This used to be the location of the administrative office, the jail, and the public execution site. Criminals would make sure to leave their mark on the location by spitting on the door as soon as they were freed from prison. People spit on the heart nowadays for good luck AND as luck would have it…no one was around on this lovely Sunday morn so I happily spit on the heart and am now feeling ever so lucky!
A bit further down there is a statue depicting the controversial philosopher David Hume (1711–76), proudly sitting before the High Court Building on the Royal Mile incongruously portrayed as an ancient Greek philosopher rather than a mid-eighteenth-century man of letters. He is perhaps the best-known figure of the Scottish Enlightenment. The blank tablet balanced on his right knee is intended to represent his scepticism. In eighteenth-century Edinburgh there was an “unprecedented flowering of science, literature and philosophy.” Hume became known for his rejection of religion and superstition in favor of rationality and reason, as was ingrained in the Enlightenment itself. That said, people rub the David Hume Statue’s toe as a ritual, believing that this will bring luck or knowledge, a superstition he would most definitely scoff at. Yet, when in Edinburgh…
The Writers Museum is housed off the Royal Mile down an alleyway in the beautiful mansion called Lady Stair’s House. The museum commemorates the lives and works of three of great Scottish writers: Sir Walter Scott, Robert Burns and Robert Louis Stevenson.
Old Town’s cobbled street known as the Royal Mile is well worth seeing, before or after the throngs of people and tourists bus queues. It’s an odd mix of gorgeous Medieval buildings side by side with souvenir shops selling overpriced and generally poor, mass-produced everything tartan. Also best to find food and drink someplace not quite so touristy, in my humble opinion.
