Arthur's Seat - Highlight
Arthur’s Seat is the highest peak in Holyrood Park, the 640 acre Royal Park in the heart of Edinburgh. It’s an ancient volcano, long extinct. Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island, called Arthur’s Seat ‘a hill for magnitude, a mountain in virtue of its bold design’. Steep in places, it’s not a hard climb, and being so central, it’s very easy to reach on foot, by car, bus or bike. You can climb from several sides, but my favourite has always been the east side - usually parking by Dunsapie Loch, and ascending a welcoming grassy slope. You can easily forget you are within a city. And from a young age the name has always excited my attention, some believing it to be named after King Arthur of Camelot. It’s thought that Arthur’s Seat could very possibly be the site of Camelot. For me, the mythology and mystery surrounding this extraordinary and picturesque site lends itself to my imagination in a way that just draws me back in time, and the views from the top anchoring me back in the present.
The views from the peak can be appreciated at any time of day, but sunset is the time I would recommend most. The panoramic views are incredible. The city landscape which unfolds before you is jutted with monuments and spires, framed by a burning sky colouring over the Forth. And if you were to turn around, you can see across suburban Edinburgh to the Pentlands, a picturesque hill range stretching into the horizon.
If you are visiting Edinburgh, Arthur’s Seat is a must visit!