Chapter 13: Edinburgh

We arrive by train at Waverly Station from Kings Cross in London, a long but scenic journey. I have joined with two friends from the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, Gary & Cindy Parrish. I am piggybacking on their vacation to Scotland, Ireland and London.

Our first realisation that this is a richly historical city is as the train moves beneath the sheer cliffs, atop which sits Edinburgh Castle. But it is late, so first we catch the airport shuttle to find our rental car; then we find our B&B, Craigbrae Farmhouse, further out towards South Queensferry, near Dalmeny, at Kirkliston.

Early the next morning we take a train back downtown, our hostess telling us she would not allow Gary to drive the rental into Edinburgh traffic, what with his one hour of experience driving in the UK! Makes sense to all of us!

We notice the Sir Walter Scott Memorial, inaugurated in 1846. It is 61m in height, and we decide to climb the 287 circular, narrow steps to the top! Of course, I am frightened of heights, and I fully expect any one or all of my legs, lungs, or heart to give out! But the view is spectacular and worth the small fee, the time, and the threat to my mortality!
Sir Walter Scott is revered in Scotland, and we hear of him more often than Robbie Burns. His statue sits at the base of the tower. The view becomes more and more revealing as we climb and pause for photos at each level.


The intricacy of the stone work is impressive. The blackness of the stone is evident all over Edinburgh.

Looking towards Edinburgh Castle with the National Gallery of Scotland below.

The Castle, the National Gallery and the Royal Scottish Academy (right).

Edinburgh Castle is built atop the core of an ancient volcano. There are three sheer cliffsides, but the entrance has historically been more vulnerable to attack. The hill is called Din Eidyn or Castle Rock. The Castle was captured and recaptured several times during the Wars of Independence with England, and greatly damaged during the 16th century Lang Siege of 1571-1573. By the time of King James VI's birth here in 1566, the castle was little more than a garrison fortress. The Jacobite siege in 1745 proved to be the last. Eventually the ancient castle became a national icon, a major tourist attraction and a World Heritage Site.

The entrance to the castle from the Esplanade, the site of the annual Scottish Tattoo. Just visible at the right is the plaque recognising our own province, Nova Scotia, or New Scotland. The guidebook claims that it is a myth that under the square is soil from Canada.

Your traveller, pictured before the gate and moat at the entrance to Edinburgh Castle.

The Portcullis Gate from 1573, against which sit the steep Lang Stairs, the main way to the Summit in Medieval times.

The Great Hall. When Cromwell captured the castle in 1650, he used the Great Hall as a barracks--and so it was used for 230 years. Eventually, the great Edinburgh architect, Hippolyte Blanc, re-designed the interior, famous for its hammerbeam ceiling. Below are some images from the Hall.

The Royal Palace was the residence of the Royal Family. The single most significant event to take place here was the birth of James VI of Scotland, (James I of England) 19 June 1566. His mother, Mary Queen of Scots, had moved here in April 1566, from Holyrood Palace. The last sovereign to sleep here was Charles I on 19 June 1633, the night before his Scottish coronation. James VI returned to the castle for his Golden Jubilee in 1617. The Royal Palace was completely remodelled for that visit, and what we see now largely dates from that renovation. The rooms are mostly empty now, but still hint at grandeur.

Inside the Royal Palace are housed The Honours of Scotland--the Crown, Sceptre, and Sword of State--the most ancient crown jewels in the British Isles. Created during the reigns of James IV and James V, they were first used for the coronation of Mary Queen of Scots in 1543. From 1651 to 1660 they were hidden elsewhere, away from Oliver Cromwell. After the Treaty of Union they were locked away and not found until 1818, when Sir Walter Scott discovered them still locked in an oak chest, unseen for 111 years! Under heavy security, they are simply stunningly beautiful. With them is the Stone of Destiny. Taken to Westminster Abbey in London in 1296 by Edward I, the sacred stone remained there until 30 November 1996, when the Stone was returned to Edinburgh Castle, only to be removed to Westminster again for future coronations. The throne under which it had been secured for centuries in Westminster carries an explanation of its return.

On Christmas Day 1950, four Scottish students removed the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey and carried it 500 miles to Arbroath Abbey.

The Scottish National War Memorial on the site of the Medieval Church of St. Mary. The National Shrine was formally opened on 14 July 1927. Cindy embarrassed us by being thrown out for taking a photo inside! (She took over 2000 photos on our vacation; some of these are her photographs, used with permission.)

The Chapel of St. Margaret was built in 1130 by David I, dedicated to his mother, Margaret. The oldest building in Edinburg is tiny, but beautiful inside. Eventually converted to a gunpowder storage room, its real function was only re-discovered in 1845, when it was restored. The stained glass windows were added in 1922.

Behind the altar, and below, is the window in honour of St. Margaret. Also shown is my favourite, the window dedicated to William Wallace.

The Argyle Tower, which sits above the Portcullis Gate. It was built in 1887, and now houses castle exhibits.

Here is the Forewall Battery, showing cannon and iron baskets. If one basket was lighted it warned the citizens to "be on guard" and if all four were burning, it meant that "the English are invading."

The views of Edinburgh are expansive, with full vistas.

Mons Meg, the six-tonne seige gun, was presented to James II of Scotland in 1449. Her range was two miles, and she fired gunstones weighing 150kg each. She saw action against the English at the siege of Roxburgh Castle in 1460 and in 1497 at the seige of Norham Castle. She was difficult to move: it took 100 men, and she could only move 5km per day! She left military service in 1550 and was used for ceremonial salutes, such as at the wedding of Mary Queen of Scots. She was last fired in 1681 when her barrel burst. She was dumped and lay unnoticed until 1754 when she was taken to the Tower of London. In 1829 a military escort brought her to port of Leith and she came home to Edinburgh Castle.

The firing of the One O'clock Gun, fired every day at precisely 1300 hours, allowing citizens for miles to check their clocks by the booming explosion!This has occurred since 1861, except for periods during both World Wars. The present gun is a 105mm field gun, installed in 2001.


After several hours enjoying the castle--I like the least the Prisons of War and the underground remains of the Tower of David--we head down Castle Hill to follow the Royal Mile, a stretch of ancient streets that were the main thoroughfare of Medieval Edinburgh, linking the castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

This is St. Giles Cathedral, properly known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh. It was from here that John Knox directed the Scottish Reformation. The Gothic exterior is dominated by the crown spire of 1567, topped by a golden cockerel. We do not have time to visit, instead enjoying the street life for a change. I meet a woman who says she is famous for having more piercings than any other human. I do not care to count, but pay her for the photo!

We take pictures of several of the narrow alleyways, or closes. We visit the newly opened Mary King's Close, modelled above. Hidden deep beneath the Royal Mile, it is a restored warren of hidden and abandoned closes, which were built over in the 1750s with the building of the Royal Exchange, now City Chambers. The steeply inclined streets were shut off, first at the deepest ends, and the building tops were lobbed off to create foundations for new buildings, in this case, the Exchange. Some parts have been empty for centuries, but some were only sealed in the 1930s. It is a fascinating look at life in old Edinburgh, a life of poverty, plague and pestilence. Our guide is a young girl acting the role of the maid, Agnes Chambers, who lived in the home of prominent merchant and burgess Alexander Cant in 1535. Our young actor has an adorable, musical voice with a delightful accent. (In her accent, houses is hooses, and flour is fler.) She is lively and funny and worth the cost of admission. A bit of a claustrophobia-inducing tour, but it is an outstanding experience.

The new Parliament Building, winner of eight international architectural awards, it is an unusual design. I ask the local policeman on duty what Scots think of the design: he says that it is either loved or hated. Personally, he is starting to like it. Me, too, the more I study it.

The front, at the entrance, contrasts nicely with the side, the wall of which invites me to run my hands and fingers along the stonework.

My favourite feature is the tablets set into the walls, carrying quotations from an assortment of writers, including the Bible. I quickly note Yeats and Burns, among many others.

The Parliament is at the end of the Royal Mile, which ends, behind me, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the Queen in Scotland. Everything in the UK seems to close at 5:00, so it is too late to go inside the gates or the Palace. We snap a few photos, and head back up High Street for a meal.

Holyroodhouse.

We eat at a wonderful pub called Whiski Bar, and enjoy the decor and the meal, before heading back to Waverly Station to catch a train to our Bed & Breakfast, near Dalmeny.Our B&B is lovely, run as a hobby by Louise and her public relations husband, Michael, who helps us plan our visit to Scotland.

Our hosts, and my room, only 40 pounds per night. Craigbrae Farmhouse has a lovely decor, and we share the family sitting room with the couple and their other guests, including two other Canadians.



Our B&B is near the famous Firth of Forth Bridge, a Victorian engineering marvel, just west of the city. In fact, Gary and I enjoy a late meal at a Scottish pub literally underneath the end of the bridge. (There is no easy vantage point to photograph the bridge, so I snap this photo as our airplane approaches the nearby airport!) Our hostess has recommended the pub, called Hawes Inn: her Scottish pronunciation sounded like hoorz, so she spelled it for me, to avoid confusion, she said!

After breakfast we are driving to Blair Atholl, Pitlochry, Inverness and eventually the Great Glen.