Location(s)

Edinburgh Castle is at the heart of the Scottish capital. An ancient stronghold perched on top the craggy remains of an extinct volcano, it is believed to have been an important fortification as long as the Iron Age.

Among its attractions are the Great Hall, a great siege gun Mons Meg, and the tiny room where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI of Scotland and I of England. It has been in use by assorted military forces since prehistoric times and only transferred from the Ministry of Defence recently.

Finding Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle, Scotland's top tourist attraction, is open to visitors, and is managed by Historic Scotland. It can be seen for miles around.

The Castle Rock is at the top of the High Street in Edinburgh's Old Town, also known as the Royal Mile because it connects Edinburgh castle with Holyrood Palace, the queen's residence in Edinburgh.

Perched high on The Castle Rock the castle is protected by the natural fortifications of sheer cliffs to three sides. Access to the castle was and is still limited to a steep road on the fourth (eastern) side of the rock.

Historically there was a loch on the north side of the castle called the Nor'Loch. The loch was drained in the Georgian era, as by this point the castle had lost much of its defensive role and the loch was being used as an open sewer. Today, the loch is an attractive park area where office workers and tourists lounge and wile away the day.

At the castle entrance is a large parade ground/car park where the annual Edinburgh Military Tattoo is held, and in previous times was a parade and drill area for the castle garrison.

From the esplanade one of the visible features of the castle is the drum shaped Half Moon Battery, built in 1574.

The castle proper is entered via a gatehouse in front of this battery. It leads to a road that climbs up around the right of the battery and through an older gatehouse up to a central courtyard in the castle.