Archeology tells us that there has been some form of a stronghold built on Castle Rock dating back to the 2nd Century and it has been the site of the Scottish Royal fortification since the early 12th Century.
When you're down below looking up at the stone towers and fighting walls you can't get a true perspective of how imposing Edinburgh Castle truly is, but as you cross over the drawbridge high above the dry moat and then walk under the inner gates Portcullis, you start to realize what a feat of courage it would take to assault such a structure.
The cobbled road that leads from the outer gate to the inner gates leads you directly below the upper fighting wall exposing any army that breached the first gate to the defenders above.
Now this wasn't a weekend, and although it was a beautiful sunny day the fact was that it was still late March, not June, and still the castle was packed with tourists. We always try to do a good job of framing our photo's to give the impression that we are all alone when we visit a site, and often times we are by design, but NOT this time.
This time there were hoards of people and huge groups of children everywhere. Here it wasn't even April yet and already the huge castle grounds seemed close to bursting with humanity. The idea of trying to take in any of these European sites during the summer is unimaginable. We just don't see how you could fight the crowds and have any sort of connection to the places you visited.
Once we got over the shock of just how many people we had to share the castle with (in all actuality I'm completely spoiled and I NEVER get over the shock of having to share) we settled in and just tried to keep as much distance as we could from the groups of 40 sixth graders.
Mons Meg |
The views of Edinburgh from Castle Rock are amazing. This castle has almost 360 degree views of the entire region and you couldn't ask for a better vantage point to look for enemy forces. No wonder it has been used for just such a purpose all of these many years.
Looking down towards the cemetery and the church where we took the pictures from just the day before looking back up at the castle ramparts. |
From inside the castle looking through the massive gun ports you realize just what a fantastic line of fire the battery had.
As you walk down and peer out through each port you can view a different part of the city far below.
Looking down the barrel of this cannon at the Grassmarket Square, we could fire upon our "Wee Palace" vacation rental far below. It's the top floor apartment of the building with the red door. |
We ducked inside not only to have a look at the exhibits but also to dodge one extremely obnoxious group of teenagers that were part of a school tour. These groups are by far the WORST! Loud, pushy, uninterested packs of sixteen year old children all trying to talk over each other except for when they're blocking your path as they stare at their smart phones or pose for cheesy selfies. These groups should be OUTLAWED! Anyway, I regress...
The little museum was actually pretty informative, and to top it off it had some excellent dummies in period garb that our nephew would have very much enjoyed.
It really cool to see how the stone buildings rise right out of rock which made up Castle Rock. It's all very organic looking and the use of the original stone as part of the overall structure is quite remarkable.
As we passed through the gateway arch we came out at an even higher set of fighting walls and gun ports with even more amazing views of Edinburgh and the surrounding countryside. You could have seen opposing army's coming for miles in any direction from this vantage point.
The oldest surviving buildings on the castle grounds is St. Margaret's Chapel. Built in the early 12th Century and dating to the reign of King David I the tiny chapel is built on a high rock outcropping.
This special little observance to animals in such a cold and foreboding place gave a fresh insight into the military men who walked these walls. It really helped to humanize the soldiers of the past.
The Crown Square as it really on the day of our visit with the large crowds of tourists |
This is a picture we took cropping out the crowds and making our visit seem much more intimate |
The royal living quarters looked much the same as they did in the 16th century.
The small room, known as the Birth Chamber or "Mary's Room", where James VI was born to Mary, Queen of Scots, in June 1566 |
With people |
Without people, see the difference? |
A view of the amazing oak rafters high above the Grand Hall |
We exited out onto the Crown Square and took in a little of the detail that they built into these incredible structures.
A thistle finial on a random fence post. |
A pretty classic gutter spout. You don't really see these on buildings these days. |
After leaving Crown Square we retraced our steps through the high gate and down the cobbled road to where the castle prisoners were held.
During the 18th and 19th Century Edinburgh Castle held a great deal of military prisoners taken during the Seven Year War, America's War of independence and the Napoleonic Wars.
Many of the castle's prisoners were held for years before being returned to their country of origin. During that time several of the men held here worked on some really extraordinary pieces of prison art.
Ship made from bits and pieces from around the prison by some inmates. |
Once again somewhat life like dummies were used in the displays. |
Germany surrenders on my (David's) Birthday in 1945 |
The museum also had some very detailed and lifelike paintings depicting Scottish conflicts.
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