On my last visit to Edinburgh several months ago, having been scared witless on a visit to Mary King's Close the previous day, a walk along Princes Street saw me lured into another attraction and faced with two of my biggest fears - enclosed spaces, and heights.
The Scott Monument stands almost 300 feet high and is an imposing sight from many places in Edinburgh. Standing in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle, visitors are charged £2.50 to go inside, and given a leaflet containing various bits of trivia about the monument, together with a crude map showing which way to go to get to the top.
Upon entry, you are greeted by a comfortably wide stone spiral staircase. After seeming to climb for hours you'll arrive on the first floor. Here you'll find several more interesting things to read about in the form of information boards fixed to the walls. It was at this point that my wife gave up, so I proceeded onwards and upwards by myself.
The second climb is equally gruelling, and you'll soon be aware that the staircase is somewhat narrower than before. Sooner or later you're going to be in a spot of bother should you hear footsteps coming down the staircase ahead of you, as there is barely room to pass.
The second to last staircase is frighteningly narrow, and the ceiling is very low in places. Once you're actually onto the last climb, you'll no doubt have great difficulty as the stairs are extremely narrow and low. I'm 6ft3ins tall, and at this point I was feeling very uncomfortable. However, I pressed on regardless.
On arrival at the top, you're out onto a precipice merely 12-14 inches wide, looking at a nice view of the castle, not to mention the ground a little less than 300 feet away. It was at this point that reality hit home for me and due to the stupidity of it all, I decided to make my way back down.
It was during my descent that I doscovered how ill you can be made to feel by a never-ending spiral staircase. It really makes you dizzy. The low ceilings in the upper floors were even more of a problem on the way down!
It was one hell of an ordeal for me, but at least I can say I did it!
Unfortunately, the monument itself, as an attraction, is rather boring. If you don't have a burning desire to conquer your fear of heights, better give it a miss.
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Jan 19th, 2001
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