Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle sits on Castle Rock, a volcanic crag people have lived on since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle up here since Malcolm III in the 11th century, and kings and queens lived in it until 1633. Long before that, from the 15th century, its royal role faded, and by the 17th century it was above all a garrison. Over the centuries it served as a palace, arsenal, treasury, national archive, mint, prison and fortress, and it still guards the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels.
Few places have been fought over as often. A study in 2014 counted 26 sieges in 1,100 years, which gives the castle a claim to being the most besieged place in Great Britain. That is also why most of what you see is younger than you might expect: the Lang Siege of 1573 smashed the medieval defences with artillery. Look for the survivors. St Margaret's Chapel from the early 12th century is regarded as the oldest building in Edinburgh; the Royal Palace and the early 16th-century Great Hall also made it through.
The army has not entirely left. Its presence is now mostly ceremonial, but the castle is still the regimental headquarters of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, whose museums sit inside alongside that of the Royal Scots, the Scottish National War Memorial and the National War Museum.
Is it worth going in? If you care about Scottish history, yes: the crown jewels, the chapel and the Great Hall are the core of the whole story this walk tells. Allow around two hours, and buy your ticket online, where it costs less. If you only want the setting, the esplanade and the view down the Royal Mile cost nothing. From the gate it is 380 m, about five minutes, down Castlehill to Camera Obscura.
