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This weekend I made my first visit to Edinburgh. Being such a famous and well visited city I was looking forward to doing some sight seeing. Whilst I had to do a little research to complete my list of the attractions I wanted to see, Edinburgh Castle needed no such introduction. So, full of excitement for my long overdue visit to the Scottish capital, I boarded a GNER train in London and arrived at the other end of the country (well, it seemed like it!) four and a half hours later.
On exiting Edinburgh Waverley station onto the bridge one of the first things I saw was Edinburgh Castle, floodlit and standing proud and tall over the city. As Edinburgh's most famous landmark and tourist attraction, the Castle was the first destination on my extensive list!
The very first people to settle in Edinburgh are thought to have based themselves around the area of the Castle. In the first decade of the 11th Century, despite the tendency for Scottish rulers to base themselves further North across the Forth, Malcolm III Canmore built his castle in Edinburgh and a
chapel was built for his wife, Queen Margaret, which is still standing today. Over the centuries Edinburgh Castle became pivotal to the major events in Scottish history, for example during the Wars of Independence it was captured by the English until Robert the Bruce made a daring recapture. Various rulers continued to make additions to the Castle, for example the Great Hall which was built around 1510 and the Half Moon Battery in the late 16th Century. After the Union with England in 1707 the monarchy was no longer based in Edinburgh but the city continued to grow and prosper and additions have still been made to it's castle in the last century. *
The Castle is Edinburgh's, and Scotland's, most visited historical building with more than 1 million visitors a year. To put this in perspective Edinburgh Castle is the second most visited historical monument in the United Kingdom, the Tower of London being in first place.
Dominating Edinburgh's skyline the Castle rises above the city perched on top of an extinct volcano. Finding the castle is unlikely to be a problem thanks to it's high visibility but, for the record, it is situated in Edinburgh's Old Town (the city is effectively divided in two by an old loch which has been drained to form gardens, to the north is the New Town which was built in the 18th Century so not so new, and to the south the Old Town which was the original settlement area). The castle stands at the eastern end of the Royal Mile, a fancy tourist title for the three streets that lead west to the Palace of Holyrood House.
If finding the Castle is not problematic, reaching it may well be. Being situated on an extinct volcano there is something of a climb to get there! Taken from the High Street (Royal Mile) the ascent is a reasonably gentle slope, but to reach the castle from the north (New Town) or south will involve quite a few steps. Anyone able bodied and reasonably fit will not find the climb to the Castle very challenging but for disabled visitors car parking is available on the Esplanade right outside the Castle (except during the Edinburgh Military Tattoo from June to October) for a cost of £3 per car.
We made our way to the Castle from Princes Street in the New Town and across The Mound from where excellent views of the Old Town are provided. Once in the Old Town we took a short cut through one of the famous close's (narrow passageways that travel under the tall tenement buildings) onto the Royal Mile, a touristy thoroughfare complete with tartan and whiskey shops and a man dressed up as Rob Roy! At the top of the street the road widens into the Esplanade and the Castle comes into view!
After a considerable pause to take in the views of the city (see photos below) we proceeded to buy our entrance tickets. Here I must add the first negative - the price. An adult tickets costs £10.30 (Child £4.50, Concession £8.50). Admittedly it's cousin the Tower of London costs a magnificent £14.50 nowadays, but to me a tenner is unreasonably capitalizing on a "must-see" attraction.
Once inside the outer walls, Edinburgh Castle doesn't actually look much like a castle at all. It consists of many separate buildings built at various times throughout its long history. The main attractions within are as follows:
· St Margaret's Chapel - Apparently Edinburgh's oldest building. A very small and not particularly interesting Norman building but it does date from the 1100's so that alone is impressive.
· Crown Square - the main courtyard area. Again, there are excellent views over the city.
· The Great Hall - An impressive hall of 15th Century origins with a hammerbeam roof built by James IV of Scotland, who was instrumental in Edinburgh's practical and scientific advancement.
· The Royal Apartments - As the seat of the Scottish monarchy Edinburgh Castle has played host to many historic events, most notably Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to King James VI of Scotland, who later became King James I of England, in the Royal Apartments. The apartments themselves consist of two rooms which are somewhat disappointing in their abject lack of any finery, but do contain some interesting portraits of the Stuart family.
· The Scottish National War Memorial - This moving memorial was added to the Castle after the First World War and now commemorates Edinburgh's losses in both world wars. I found the huge leather bound books which list the whole lost generation from the area particularly moving.
· Prisoner of War exhibition - A small but interesting exhibition about the sailors who were held prisoner at the Castle in the 18th and 19th centuries.
· The Honours of the Kingdom exhibition - The Honours are the Scottish version of the Crown Jewels and this exhibition, which I found one of the most interesting and informative aspects of the Castle, tells the tale of how the jewels were miraculously saved from Cromwell's destructive clutches!
· The One O'Clock Gun - Apparently you can set your watch by it!
So it is worth the admission price? A tricky question to answer. Obviously Edinburgh Castle really is a must see attraction. I did particularly enjoy both of the exhibitions and I learnt a reasonable amount about Scottish history. On the other hand there are no truly awesome sights (nothing, say, to compare to the Crown Jewels) and we had pretty much seen everything in an hour. Unfortunately we missed the guided tour, which I have since heard is really informative, so I think I would recommend making use of this amenity.
Opening Times
Summer 1 April to 30 September Monday to Sunday 9.30am to 6.30pm
Winter 1 October to 31 March Monday to Sunday 9.30am to 4.30pm
Closes at 6pm in summer and 5pm in winter
* Historical information taken from www.aboutscotland.com
Thank you for reading & I look forward to hearing your comments. Triciax
27.04.2007 03:05
I went to Edinburgh castle back in 2004 and thought it was awesome....Another outstanding review from you!!! Chris xxx
26.04.2007 01:06
Great review. John
10.11.2006 15:52
Good review its many years since I last visited Cheers Elspeth