Edinburgh Castle
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Dominating the city’s skyline as it has done for over 800 years, this castle is a national icon and, deservedly, the country’s most popular visitor attraction. Din Eidyn, “the stronghold of Eidyn”, from which Edinburgh takes its name, was the vital possession in Scotland’s wars. Varying roles as royal palace, barracks, prison and parliament have all helped shape this castle, home to the Scottish crown jewels and the fabled Stone of Destiny.
The Edinburgh Tattoo, a military pageant, takes place in the grounds of the Castle in August each year For the Top 10 sights on the Royal Mile – the steep thoroughfare between the Castle and Holyrood Palace (see The Royal Mile)
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1. Gatehouse and Portcullis Gate
The gatehouse was built in 1886–8 more for its looks than functionality. The two bronze statues are of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce (see North and West of Glasgow) . The original entrance was via the formidable Portcullis Gate of around 1574.
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2. St Margaret’s Chapel
This tiny, charmingly simple building is the oldest structure surviving from the medieval castle. Probably built by David I (1124–53) in honour of his sanctified mother, it is still used today, and contains some wonderful stained glass .
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3. Argyle Battery
The castle’s northern defence offers spectacular views. Don’t miss the One O’Clock Gun, fired here every day except Sunday from a great 25-pounder cannon.
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4. Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny
The UK’s oldest crown jewels have lain here since about 1615. However, the fabled Stone of Destiny has been here only since 1996 (see Edinburgh Castle) .
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5. Royal Palace
5. Royal PalaceHere in 1566, in a small panelled chamber, Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI, the first king to rule over both Scotland and England.
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6. Great Hall
6. Great HallThe outstanding feature of this hall is the hammer-beam roof supported on projecting stone corbels. Take time to study all the enchanting little carvings. Constructed around 1500, this is Scotland’s oldest wooden roof and probably its most magnificent.
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7. Mons Meg
A cannon of awesome proportions now sits outside St Margaret’s Chapel. Built in Belgium in 1449, it could fire a 150-kg (330-lb) stone ball over 2 miles (3.5 km) – cutting-edge technology back in the Middle Ages.
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8. Prison Vaults
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the vaults were used to hold French prisoners. Their graffiti can still be seen, as can the objects they made, such as bone dyes for forging bank notes.
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9. Governor’s House
An elegant and beautifully proportioned house. Alas, it can only be viewed from the outside as it is still reserved for ceremonial use.
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10. Scottish National War Memorial
Here is listed all of Scotland’s war dead since 1914. Exterior carvings include a phoenix, symbol of the surviving spirit.
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We had only a day and a half to see Edinburgh. By the time we got to the Castle it was very near closing time and the ticket office staff very nicely explained that we would not have enough time to see much at all of the castle however they agreed to allow us to come back the next day using the same ticket. We ran up the hill to see the Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny just having enough time before they closed for the day. We did get back the next day and spent several more hours exploring the castle and the exhibits. Our favorite was the Scottish National War Memorial.
about 6 months ago
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