Edinburgh, The Other Capital of Britain
There are certain places I don’t like, each for different reasons. In the case of London, England, that reason is ‘I’ve been there’. London isn’t all that nice, at least not if (like me) you’re a Northerner used to cities like York and Durham. But since London is the business and governmental capital of Britain, a lot of people have to live and work there. Pity about that.
Edinburgh, on the other hand, is quite different. It’s the capital of Scotland and seat of the Scottish Parliament as well being home to a lot of businesses and industry. But Edinburgh has somehow resisted being turned into London-by-the-Highlands and stayed, well, pleasant. Seriously, if you want to visit an important and historic British city give London a miss and go to Edinburgh.
Edinburgh is an ancient city whose skyline is dominated by the imposing castle. Many of the buildings are very old and have retained their character though the centuries. Yes, centuries. In that time the city has accumulated a lot of history, much of which you can see as you wander around.
It’s a big city, with the usual suburbs and business areas, but within the central area there’s an excellent concentration of things to see and do. The area around Princes’ Street is the main shopping district, which means it’s also got all the restaurants and bars you could want. The main railway station (Edinburgh Waverley) is in this area too. Outside, you can marvel at posters advertising the Red Hot Chilli Pipers (go back and read that again) and similar acts.
Close to the station is the impressive Scott Memorial, a sort of Gothic rocket-ship tower thing that you can climb if you want. There’s enough steps that they give you a certificate if you survive the experience, I’m told. Close to this edifice is the National Art Gallery and a really impressive park where squirrels will literally steal chocolate from your hand if you’re not careful. I don’t mean they’ll allow you to feed them; I mean they’ll mug you for it.
On the far side of the park from Princes’ Street there’s more shopping and eating/drinking places, located on the sides of steep and cobbled streets leading up to the Royal Mile. This runs from the ruins of Holyrood Abbey all the way up to Edinburgh Castle, and past the rather peculiar building that houses the Scottish Parliament. The cobbles and steep slopes make this area hard work if you’re walking around all day, but it’s worth the effort.
Holyrood Abbey dates from 1128 or so and was an important site for much of its existence. It was badly damaged during some of that history I mentioned above, but what’s left is still worth a look. The abbey is right next to Holyrood Palace, which is a Royal residence but is open to the public most of the time, i.e. when the Royal Family are elsewhere.
From the Abbey and Palace, you can walk all the way up to the castle, provided you don’t get side-tracked into one of the bars or shops. There are numerous museums on this stretch or close by, some of which are small and/or specialised, such as the Police Museum or the Toy Museum, and some are huge and impressive like the National Museum Of Scotland. It’s not a good idea to refer to this as the Scottish Museum of Scottishness. Just don’t…
Some of the historical attractions are reminders of a rather unpleasant past, in which the population of the city lived packed to together in buildings up to 12 floors high. We’re not talking modern skyscrapers here; these were filthy tenements that just grew upward. These rickety and unplanned constructions occasionally collapsed or caught fire, such as in the Great Fire of 1824, and most traces of them are long gone. However, there are areas preserved as museums that serve as a reminder of how folks used to live.
Near the top of the Royal Mile is a converted church called the Hub, which is the headquarters of the Fringe Festival when it’s on (in August) and a nice coffee shop year round. There’s also a sort of museum type thing (not sure what to call it exactly but I like it there) dedicated to Scotch Whisky nearby. It has a restaurant and a very well-stocked bar where you can order from an immense selection whisky using the menu… or just grunt and point at bottles if that’s more your style.
Keep on walking and you’ll reach the top of the Royal Mile. Cross the esplanade where the Edinburgh Military Tattoo is held (it’s not as big as it looks on TV), and you can enter the castle itself. Edinburgh Castle is really, really impressive. Chances are if you were a medieval invader you’d just turn around and go home when you saw this place. It’s perched atop a high hill, with steep slopes in most directions, and formidable fortifications.
Within the walls are two regimental museums, a war museum and all kinds of other interesting things, including the Crown Jewels of Scotland. Known as the Honours of Scotland, these were last used at a coronation in 1651. They were locked away at the time of the Union with England and more or less forgotten about. The writer Sir Walter Scott led a bid to find them in 1818 (small wonder they built that monument to him!) and they are now on view in a very secure room in the castle.
From the walls of the castle you can look over the historic city, which is a pretty awesome scene, and out over the Firth of Forth. If you like cannon and guns in general there are several around the walls, and three very special ones. The first is the huge cannon Mons Meg, which was delivered to the King of Scotland in the 1450s and was used to fire salutes until the 1680s. It doesn’t work any more, sadly.
There is also a rather more modern artillery piece, the 1-o’clock gun, which fires from the castle (but not at anyone in particular) every day. The current gun is a 105mm light gun as currently used by the British Army, and one of its predecessors, a 25-pdr howitzer of Second World War type, is on display as well.
The whole castle has odd bits of history to be discovered, such as the story of prisoners of war imprisoned there in the 1800s, and re-enactors who tell stories of the nation’s past in the stunning Great Hall. And there’s a coffee shop that sells hot chocolate with whisky in it.
Something for everyone, really.
Edinburgh, on the other hand, is quite different. It’s the capital of Scotland and seat of the Scottish Parliament as well being home to a lot of businesses and industry. But Edinburgh has somehow resisted being turned into London-by-the-Highlands and stayed, well, pleasant. Seriously, if you want to visit an important and historic British city give London a miss and go to Edinburgh.
Edinburgh is an ancient city whose skyline is dominated by the imposing castle. Many of the buildings are very old and have retained their character though the centuries. Yes, centuries. In that time the city has accumulated a lot of history, much of which you can see as you wander around.
It’s a big city, with the usual suburbs and business areas, but within the central area there’s an excellent concentration of things to see and do. The area around Princes’ Street is the main shopping district, which means it’s also got all the restaurants and bars you could want. The main railway station (Edinburgh Waverley) is in this area too. Outside, you can marvel at posters advertising the Red Hot Chilli Pipers (go back and read that again) and similar acts.
Close to the station is the impressive Scott Memorial, a sort of Gothic rocket-ship tower thing that you can climb if you want. There’s enough steps that they give you a certificate if you survive the experience, I’m told. Close to this edifice is the National Art Gallery and a really impressive park where squirrels will literally steal chocolate from your hand if you’re not careful. I don’t mean they’ll allow you to feed them; I mean they’ll mug you for it.
On the far side of the park from Princes’ Street there’s more shopping and eating/drinking places, located on the sides of steep and cobbled streets leading up to the Royal Mile. This runs from the ruins of Holyrood Abbey all the way up to Edinburgh Castle, and past the rather peculiar building that houses the Scottish Parliament. The cobbles and steep slopes make this area hard work if you’re walking around all day, but it’s worth the effort.
Holyrood Abbey dates from 1128 or so and was an important site for much of its existence. It was badly damaged during some of that history I mentioned above, but what’s left is still worth a look. The abbey is right next to Holyrood Palace, which is a Royal residence but is open to the public most of the time, i.e. when the Royal Family are elsewhere.
From the Abbey and Palace, you can walk all the way up to the castle, provided you don’t get side-tracked into one of the bars or shops. There are numerous museums on this stretch or close by, some of which are small and/or specialised, such as the Police Museum or the Toy Museum, and some are huge and impressive like the National Museum Of Scotland. It’s not a good idea to refer to this as the Scottish Museum of Scottishness. Just don’t…
Some of the historical attractions are reminders of a rather unpleasant past, in which the population of the city lived packed to together in buildings up to 12 floors high. We’re not talking modern skyscrapers here; these were filthy tenements that just grew upward. These rickety and unplanned constructions occasionally collapsed or caught fire, such as in the Great Fire of 1824, and most traces of them are long gone. However, there are areas preserved as museums that serve as a reminder of how folks used to live.
Near the top of the Royal Mile is a converted church called the Hub, which is the headquarters of the Fringe Festival when it’s on (in August) and a nice coffee shop year round. There’s also a sort of museum type thing (not sure what to call it exactly but I like it there) dedicated to Scotch Whisky nearby. It has a restaurant and a very well-stocked bar where you can order from an immense selection whisky using the menu… or just grunt and point at bottles if that’s more your style.
Keep on walking and you’ll reach the top of the Royal Mile. Cross the esplanade where the Edinburgh Military Tattoo is held (it’s not as big as it looks on TV), and you can enter the castle itself. Edinburgh Castle is really, really impressive. Chances are if you were a medieval invader you’d just turn around and go home when you saw this place. It’s perched atop a high hill, with steep slopes in most directions, and formidable fortifications.
Within the walls are two regimental museums, a war museum and all kinds of other interesting things, including the Crown Jewels of Scotland. Known as the Honours of Scotland, these were last used at a coronation in 1651. They were locked away at the time of the Union with England and more or less forgotten about. The writer Sir Walter Scott led a bid to find them in 1818 (small wonder they built that monument to him!) and they are now on view in a very secure room in the castle.
From the walls of the castle you can look over the historic city, which is a pretty awesome scene, and out over the Firth of Forth. If you like cannon and guns in general there are several around the walls, and three very special ones. The first is the huge cannon Mons Meg, which was delivered to the King of Scotland in the 1450s and was used to fire salutes until the 1680s. It doesn’t work any more, sadly.
There is also a rather more modern artillery piece, the 1-o’clock gun, which fires from the castle (but not at anyone in particular) every day. The current gun is a 105mm light gun as currently used by the British Army, and one of its predecessors, a 25-pdr howitzer of Second World War type, is on display as well.
The whole castle has odd bits of history to be discovered, such as the story of prisoners of war imprisoned there in the 1800s, and re-enactors who tell stories of the nation’s past in the stunning Great Hall. And there’s a coffee shop that sells hot chocolate with whisky in it.
Something for everyone, really.