Palace / CastleEdinburgh Castle

We visited Edinburgh Castle as part of a day trip, during a long weekend stay in Scotland, for Hubby's 50th birthday. Although it was late October we had some good weather for our visit. However the day we visited the Castle it was cold and we saw some snow flurries. I would recommend you visit prepared for all weathers just in case.

We walked up to the Castle from the main shopping area of Princess Street. The walk was not bad but a little tiring as part of it is uphill and some steps. There is plenty to see on your way to the Castle and some fine buildings. The Castle offers good views over Edinburgh whether you choose to enter or not. The large area near the entrance is where the Edinburgh Tattoo is held each August and I would love to attend this. You visit this bit for free. However I seem to remember the Castle was not too exoensive to visit.

Once we were exploring inside we walked along the Castle Walls. The views over Edinburgh are truly spectacular and you can see many landmarks such as The Royal Yacht Brittania over at Leith Docks and a panoramic view of Edinburgh. Hubby took some great video shots from here but it was a little cold and the air was bracing.

One of things I was interested to see was, looking a little over the walls, the pet cemetary. The little gravestones showing the names of the soldiers dogs were poignant. There are various displays in and around the Castle and the building itself is very well maintained. The cannon still is fired on a regular basis.

As we were only visiting Edinburgh for four or five hours we were limited for time. As we left the Castle we visited a few of the shops at the start of the Royal Mile. My experience of visiting Edinburgh and the Castle has whetted my appetitie for more and we will definitely return. As yet though we have not managed a visit. The area around the Castle can be a little pricey as it is a tourist area visited by all nationalities.

Some parts will be hard to access for people with mobility issues.