This expansive view of the city encompasses much of the central city. The entrance to Edinburgh Castle is on the far left, Scott Monument and Festival Wheel are in the center, and St Andrew’s House (Scottish government building) is at the base of Calton Hill on the right. Vantage Point: Holyrood Park. Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
This vantage point from Holyrood Park includes Edinburgh Castle in the background (left to and above center) and to its right the spire from the old Highland St. John’s Tolbooth Church, both of which are located on the Royal Mile. Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
The castle compound is located on, appropriately, Castle Rock, which has been inhabited by humans since the Iron Age. Vantage Point: Scott Monument. Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
The view of the castle compound shows the Royal Scotts Dragoons building on the left, Dury’s Battery in the center right, and a bit of the Military Prison on the far right. The vantage point is from the street below. Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
The curved structure is the Forward and Half Moon Battery with the Royal Palace to the left. Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2023.
This is a night view similar to the previous image of the Forward and Half Moon Battery on the right and the Royal Palace above and to the left. Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2023.
The view from the castle grounds provides commanding views of the city. Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2023.
The castle is comprised of multiple buildings on several elevations reached by stairways. Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2023.
Passageway, Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2023.
A 6th century Irish Abbot and missionary, Columba came with a group of his followers to the Scottish island of Iona. Artist: Douglas Strachan (1875-1950). St. Margaret’s Chapel, Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
Artist: Douglas Strachan (1875-1950). St. Margaret’s Chapel, Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
Landmarks shown include the Scottish National Gallery (bottom), Festival Wheel and Scott Monument (center left), Edinburgh Waverly Station (right), Balmoral Hotel (above and to the left of the station), and Calton Hill (upper right). Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
The Scott Monument (right) is a Victorian Gothic monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. The tower is 200 feet high and has viewing platforms reached by a series of spiral staircases. Looking from the street, there doesn’t seem to be enough room for stairs inside the columns, and indeed, the stairwells are very tight and narrow allowing passage by one person up or down at a time. The monument is near Edinburgh Waverly Railway Station, which is named after Scott's Waverley novels. Festival Wheel is not, fortunately (personal bias), a permanent installation and is primarily an attraction for the Edinburgh Christmas and Winter Festival. Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
Several buildings and monuments are located on top of Calton Hill (background), including the National Monument, the Nelson Monument, the old Royal High School, the Robert Burns Monument, the Political Martyrs’ Monument, and the City Observatory. Calton Hill also offers expansive views of the city and surrounding area. The Balmoral Hotel (right) was the first 5 star rated hotel in Scotland. Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
The Scott Monument is built from the dramatically striking Binny sandstone quarried near Ecclesmachan in West Lothian. Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
The seasonal Festival Wheel and ice rink. Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
This view includes Calton Hill (far background) and The Balmoral Hotel (top center). Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
Busy holiday shopping on December 21, 2013. Edinburgh, Scotland.
One of the distinctive features of the old buildings in Edinburgh are the rows of orange chimneys best seen here along the top of the image, but visible throughout. Vantage Point: Scott Monument. Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
View of Holyrood Park (top left) and the eastern edge of the center of the city. Vantage Point: Scott Monument. Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
Holyrood Park is a 650-acre public park in central Edinburgh about 1 mile to the east of Edinburgh Castle that provides a wild piece of highland landscape unlike any other city I’ve visited. The park was created in 1541 and is associated with the Palace of Holyroodhouse and was formerly a royal hunting estate. Arthur’s Seat, an extinct volcano, is at the center of the park. The hike is moderately challenging . Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
Holyrood Palace is center right with Calton Hill in the background. Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
The steeple of old Highland St. John’s Tolbooth Church is to the far left, The Scott Monument and Festival Wheel are center, Scottish Parliament is center, with views of Calton Hill and The Balmoral Hotel in the background right and center. Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
The existing building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 16th century with significant alterations made in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the addition of the Thistle Chapel. The cathedral is about .2 of a mile from Edinburgh Castle along the Royal Mile. Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
Knight ‘stalls’ form the sides of the chapel with the Soverign’s centered on the end. Above each are tall, crocketed spires, surmounted by the coronet and Helmand crest unique to each Knight. Whenever a Knight dies and another Knight is appointed in his/her place, the deceased Knight’s crest is replaced with that of their successor. The chapel was completed in 1910. Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
Tops of the stalls for eight Knights. St. Giles’s Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
St. Giles’s Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
Ceiling detail. St. Giles’s Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
Detail of the intricate carving on the ceiling. St. Giles’s Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
Sculpted crest of one of the Knights. St. Giles’s Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
Sculpted crest (detail) of one of the Knights. St. Giles’s Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
Building exterior. Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
The Palace (1679) is the official residence of the British Monarch in Scotland and is located at the bottom of the Royal Mile at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle. The 19th century fountain features intricate carvings of historical figures, soldiers, musicians, and heraldic emblems. Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2023.
Science center with Holyrood Park in the background. The principal focus of Dynamic Earth is to facilitate a better public understanding of the processes that have shaped the Earth including the Big Bang, abiogenesis, plate tectonics, and glaciation. Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
The clock tower of the Balmoral is a handy reference point for orienting oneself in Edinburgh (I’m sure it’s a great place to stay, too). Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
Market street runs parallel to the Royal Mile further up the hill. Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
Facade of Giles’ Cathedral. The old town centered around the Royal Mile features numerous medieval passageways. Advocates Close, shown here, winds its way up to the Royal Mile from Cockburn’s Street. Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.
Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2013.