Walk 2: The Royal Mile
The Royal Mile is the popular name for the succession of streets which form the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. As the name suggests, the Royal Mile is approximately one Scottish mile long, and runs between two foci of history in Scotland, from Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Castle Rock down to Holyrood Abbey. It is sometimes referred to as "High Street", but properly, this is the name of only one stretch. The streets which make up the Royal Mile are (west to east) Castle Esplanade, Castle hill, Lawn market, High Street, Canongate and Abbey Strand. The Royal Mile is Edinburgh Old Town's busiest tourist street, rivalled only by Princes Street in the New Town.
Crossing town: The old town and Royal mile are located across the hill from New town, meaning some stairs and hill walking is required to reach it
Edinburgh castle entrance: sit at the top of the royal mile
Top of royal Mile: looking down from the castle
The witchery: posh eating establishment on the Royal mile next to the entrance to the castle. The building it said to be haunted by one of the thousand people who were burned for witchcraft on the castle hill in 1722.
The Camera Obscura and the hub: the camera obscura (set atop the tower) projects a 360-degree view of the city on a table using a 150 year old periscope-type lens, while the hub is a converted church that is the centre point for the Edinburgh Fringe festival held each year.
St Giles Cathedral: St Giles' Cathedral is the historic City Church of Edinburgh. With its famed crown spire it stands on the Royal Mile between Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Also known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh, it is the Mother Church of Presbyterianism and contains the Chapel of the Order of the Thistle (Scotland's chivalric company of knights headed by the Queen).
Bagpipes: Edinburgh would not be same without a bagpipe playing somewhere on the street –
John Knox house: The original 15th century house has been largely unaltered since the 1550's when the Mosman family, Goldsmiths to Mary Queen of Scots, remodelled the house. John Knox, leader of the Scottish Reformation and founder of the Presbyterian Church, lived here for a short time before he died here in 1572. Now maintained by the Church of Scotland, the museum holds an exhibition about Knox's life and times.
Scottish Parliament: Construction of the building commenced in June 1999 and the Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSP’s) held their first debate in the new building on 7 September 2004. The formal opening by the Queen took place on 9 October 2004.
Palace of Holyroodhouse: Founded as a monastery in 1128, the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh is The Queen's official residence in Scotland. Situated at the end of the Royal Mile, the Palace of Holyroodhouse is closely associated with Scotland's turbulent past, including Mary, Queen of Scots, who lived here between 1561 and 1567. Successive kings and queens have made the Palace of Holyroodhouse the premier royal residence in Scotland. Today, the Palace is the setting for State ceremonies and official entertaining. During The Queen's Holyrood week, which usually runs from the end of June to the beginning of July, Her Majesty carries out a wide range of official engagements in Scotland. Due to the presence of the Queen at the time we were unable to go inside.
End of the day – view of the coast line in the setting sun
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