Edinburgh Castle stands tall overlooking the city and beyond. Knowing the views would be a huge part of our visit we watched the weather and managed to have a sunny day.
We know very little about Scottish history other than the Jacobites, Bonnie Prince Charlie and Mary Queen of Scots. Saying that it is really Hubby that is the historian. For me the visit was all about the buildings and as such this post has more photos than text.
The castle stands on a now dormant volcano and walking the lower roads to reach the entrance show how steep the slopes are making it an ideal stronghold in uncertain times.
The Castle Esplanade is quite a slope upwards from The Royal Mile to the Castle Entrance above which is written "nemo me impune lacessit". It translates as "no-one provokes me without impunity" - no-one can harm me unpunished - this forceful statemant emphasises the fighting and conflicts that seems to dominate Scottish history.
Today a modern form of a cannon is fired at precisely 1pm every afternoon. This however has nothing to do with the Army but is to aid sailors. It is so ships can set their instruments accurately and therefore plot their charts. Of course in modern times satellites and GPS are used for precision but previously this daily signal was vital for navigation.
It was certainly loud, I'm sure could be heard way out on the Firth of Forth and, although expected, I still jumped as you'll see on my video.
The Royal Palace houses the Honours of Scotland and the Stone of Destiny, an ancient symbol of Scotland's monarchy. The Honours of Scotland are the oldest Crown Jewels in Britain and consist of a priceless crown, sceptre and sword of state all made from gold and silver with many precious gems.
There is a long history of royalty at the castle with one important event being the death of Queen Mary of Guise in 1560. She was Mary Queen of Scots mother and championed the Catholic faith against The Protestant Reformation.
Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to her son James VI at the castle, he was crowned King of Scotland aged 13 months and became the first monarch of both Scotland and England.
The last monarch to stay at the Royal Palace was King Charles I in 1633. The Great Hall today houses weapons and armour displaying Scotland military past but was used for great royal banquets.
The views really were spectacular stretching as far as the Forth Bridges, along the estuary and out to sea. The view over the pet cemetery looked over towards Leith and Newhaven where we were staying, in one of the high apartments to the left of the photo.
A few days earlier we had walked up Calton Hill and looking out from the castle, it too stood high above the city.
We were very moved in the Scottish War Memorial, so many had given their lives in both World Wars and in recent conflicts. This magnificent building housed the many ensigns with walls filled with memorials to serving Scottish regiments. As a dedicated space it is a quiet room with no photography or unnecessary noise, a mark of respect.
All told we were nearly four hours exploring Edinburgh Castle, complete with audio guides that really helped with its complex history and military museums. The Lang stairs, now the modern even tred way to the exit, were once the main access to the castle. Always nice to discover a related name in history.
A superb visit, certainly added to with stunning blue skies even if still chilly in the wind.
My favourite photo of Edinburgh Castle was actually taken a few days earlier whilst at Johnnie Walker. It looked stunning as the sun set, I haven't used a filter or edited the colours, this is nature at its finest.
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