Arrival into Edinburgh in the afternoon on a delayed flight from London. Since some of the time was wasted, at the airport, I had to start with the first, and most significant tourist sight in Edinburgh - Edinburgh Castle.

Background

The two hour delay at London Luton meant that suddenly my time at Edinburgh was very limited. I originally planned to spend more time around Edinburgh Castle, before finally making my way to Calton Hill and then making my way back up to the Scott Monument. As I soon discovered, this was not to be...

Rain had also started to settle in around the city, which made it difficult as I struggled to find the hostel hidden in the narrow cobbled streets of the Old Town. Realising that I had missed a turn, I soon found the hostel and made my way back up to the Royal Mile to start my tour of Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh Castle was really something and exploring the castle was a real joy, at one stage I even forgot it was raining. The main sights are the Portcullis Gate and Argyle Tower which sits on top of the gate, St Margarets Chapel, the Crown Square where the Scottish National War Memorial, the Palace and the Great Hall can be found together and the Prison. What were most impressive were the gun batteries, and guns especially the Mons Meg and the One O'Clock gun that fires at 1 in the afternoon. These main sights are significant in that they symbolise the history of Edinburgh, from its founding, the civil wars and upheavals right up to the unification of Scotland with the rest of the United Kingdom.

Before leaving, I made a last tour of the castle ramparts to get a last look of Edinburgh City from the castle, even though it was not a particularly spectacular day. There were much less tourists now, so I was able to get some space for myself and enjoy the view.

Technical

Canon EOS 300V with 28-90 and 75-300mm USM. Fuji NPH 400 film.

Links

Historic Scotland - Edinburgh Castle