Edinburgh Part 3 - Edinburgh Castle

I finally was able to send the last post, though it took four attempts over several hours before I was successful. At least there were no technical issues with the photos, which was great. This post took a few sessions too. I am finally sending it at 3 am local time. Today is our last full day on the ship. I will not be able to complete further posts until I am off the ship, as my internet package has just about run out. 

Just a mile way from the palace, on top of a hill and some cliffs on top of that, stands the very old stone fortress of Edinburgh Castle. We first completed a guided walking tour of the castle, which included some free time, and then returned that night for the wonderful, magical Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which will be the subject of my next post. 

With the exception of important official vehicles and cars carrying people with significant physical disabilities, tourism coaches and other vehicles cannot drive within a mile of the castle, at least in the month of August when the Tattoo is held. Everyone must walk up the steep cobblestone pathways up into the castle, along the main street that is part of the Golden Mile. But what with the Tattoo and the Fringe and Book festivals taking place at that time, the atmosphere was so electric with excitement and anticipation we barely noticed the walk. 

After entering the main gate, along with very big crowds from all over the world, the first thing we saw was the temporary large stadium built to accommodate the audience for the Tattoo. Another steep walk and finally we entered the castle itself, which is really quite small, though you could see why it would have been a very effective fortress with its solid, thick walls made of huge stones, and old cannons pointing outwards from various points. When we were there, some of the cannons were fenced off because the fireworks for the evening’s display were stored next to them. At different points near there we could see great views of the city below us.

Eventually we reached the top and saw the tower with the very tall scaffolding that I presumed the lone piper would climb for his performance at the end of the Tattoo. We also saw a very old building that houses the Scottish crown jewels (and the inevitable souvenir shop), an old chapel that now is a memorial to Scottish soldiers who died in World Wars 1 and 2, and a splendid-looking tea room, which unfortunately was full. (And its food looked so delicious!) A little bit further down we saw the barracks that are still used, a small shop offering tastings of famous Scottish whisky and a fairly ordinary cafe.

I hope the following photos will convey something of the rather sombre, austere, dignified nature of the castle. But wait to you see the photos when it comes ‘alive’ during the Tattoo!  

The castle and its clifftop perch.

The castle from the street near our hotel.

The stadium.

The entrance gate to the castle.

You can see here how the castle is virtually woven around the cliffs.

The next entrance.

The square slits mark the cannons.

Walking further up into the castle. 

I was surprised to find trees growing out from the stone pathways.

The now modernised barracks.

An old church.

Just about at the top.

I was wondering if this is what the lone piper climbs, or just scaffolding to repair the tower.

The chapel that is now a war memorial.

The very lofty towers.The building on the left is the chapel. The building on the right is the royal residence, now the museum that holds the crown jewels and memorabilia from the reign of the Stuarts.

A view from one of the cannons. One cannon is fired once at 1.00 pm every day to tell everyone the time is. It is painted green to distinguish it from the others.