Edinburgh: the castle on the hill
One of the only things I knew about Edinburgh before I landed here was that it has a castle. And indeed it does, way up on a hill in the middle of town. I’d heard it can get quite crowded, being Edinburgh’s most popular tourist attraction, but lucky for us that’s not true on a cold, snowy day in January.
We shelled out £14 apiece for entrance, plus another couple quid for audioguides (the usual guided tours weren’t happening because of the snow). The audioguides got long-winded at times, but were generally good to have.
One of the best things about visiting the castle is the view, which, admittedly, none of our photos do justice.
There are various exhibits at the castle, about prisoners of war, monarchs, battles. It helped to go in with a little knowledge of Scottish history, just to be able to put everything in context (granted, my previous knowledge was mostly gleaned from The Other Queen, but it came in handy nonetheless.)
There’s also a big exhibit about the Honours of Scotland, which is a fancy way of referring to the crown, scepter, and sword used at coronations including that of the infant Mary, Queen of Scots. The presentation’s excitement over these items reads like a slightly unhealthy form of objectophilia.
Overall, Edinburgh Castle was definitely worth a visit. Choose a sunny day for the best views, and if you are here during the busy season, arrive as early as possible to beat the worst of the crowds.
