A few steps from Scottish Whiskey Experience and Camera Obscura on the Royal Mile, was my next destination - Edinburgh Castle.
The entrance has a huge space in front of it with seating arrangements all around where several events happen. Close to the entrance & ticket booth is the One o'clock gun.
Further ahead on one side is the National War Museum which I skipped. On the other side is the passage called Foog's Gate to get into Chapel Area. This Chapel is called St.Margaret's Chapel. The garden here is just so beautiful, though tiny! Further ahead is a small passage that leads to the Crown Square.
The Crown Square is where all the crowd is! This is where the queue for the entrance to Crown Jewels is located! I waited for sometime to see if the queue would go down, but unfortunately it didn't!!! So I stood in this queue. It took a solid 10-15 mins to get to the entrance. Similar to Tower of London, here too the Crown Jewels is a big deal where the original jewelry is kept in display, incl the crown, sceptre and even fan, though the number of jewelry was much lesser than London! These have been in use in 1494! This whole thing was in a tiny room with an even tinier passage to reach there!
On either side of it in the Crown Square are the Great Hall & Scottish National War Memorial. The Great Hall was completed in 1511 for James IV. The ceiling looks spectacular. The entire wood work was completely remade using references from paintings of the originals. Today the whole place is filled with all weapons & armours and even the rifles of the yesteryear!!!
The War memorial located opposite is almost like a Chapel and filled with stained glass windows and sculptures. There are books here that tell the name of each and every soldier who lost their lives in every military & civil war since 1945, incl Iraq & Afghan!!! Originally in this place was Church of St Mary which got demolished in 1755.
Beside these were the original underground cellars which were used as Gun loop since 1546 which very had the old-ness in it!
While the historic aspect of Edinburgh Castle is fascinating, another aspect of it is its connection with Harry Potter! Its believed that Edinburgh Castle was the inspiration behind Hogwarts. The cafe in which JK Rowling sat and wrote the first part of the novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, in infact located in Edinburgh. There are infact Harry Potter tours that are organized in Edinburgh and across Scotland. While a walking tour is possible within Edinburgh, some sites like, Glenfinnan Viaduct (Hogwarts Express), Alnwick Castle (Hogwarts again!) are scattered across Scotland and can only be done as a day-trip.
While the historic aspect of Edinburgh Castle is fascinating, another aspect of it is its connection with Harry Potter! Its believed that Edinburgh Castle was the inspiration behind Hogwarts. The cafe in which JK Rowling sat and wrote the first part of the novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, in infact located in Edinburgh. There are infact Harry Potter tours that are organized in Edinburgh and across Scotland. While a walking tour is possible within Edinburgh, some sites like, Glenfinnan Viaduct (Hogwarts Express), Alnwick Castle (Hogwarts again!) are scattered across Scotland and can only be done as a day-trip.
P.S: Check out here to know what I wore.
To Get There:
Entrance ticket is £16.50 can be bought online on their website.
It is better to buy online as that gives a much quicker entry than the never ending queue to buy ticket there at the gate!
It is better to buy online as that gives a much quicker entry than the never ending queue to buy ticket there at the gate!
P.S: I was invited by VisitScotland to experience Edinburgh for review purpose, however the opinions are my own and this post does not to advertise the product/service.
Dedicated to Venkat
Thanks for this. I've been to Edinburgh a few times as we only live an hour & a half away but I've never been into the castle. I have been to the Edinburgh Tattoo which is held on the castle Esplanade. That was amazing.
ReplyDeleteSuch nice place to visit. Surely more than its charm, the place boasts of its culture and people.
ReplyDeleteLovely view ont he castle... Never been to edinburgh before.. But it looks really nice!
ReplyDeleteEdinburgh is one of the best places to go to when you're in Scotland especially if you're there to fully immerse yourself in their history. There's so much to see here, one day is not enough!
ReplyDeleteI would love to visit the Edinburgh Castle! Who knew that it has a lot to offer! I had no idea that they also have the crown jewels here. That would be awesome to see.
ReplyDeleteI have never been to this side of the world. But old architecture and history is something I just crave for. The older and richer the building, the better! I think I would just spend a whole day here without getting bored. Though some parts seem spooky like the war memorial but I think it will be good fun to visit.
ReplyDeleteI like to see Edinburg because of its rich royal history. It would be nice to see the castle up close.
ReplyDeleteWow! this castle really has such a long history. Truly heritage site! I loved that shot of bird flying on the backdrop of the castle.
ReplyDeleteScotland, a great land with this wonderful thing. This is a place to be visited for recretional purpose. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteI would really want to visit this castle. Actually any castle in Scotland will be ok with me as I am interested in that history.
ReplyDeleteHow long have you been travelling! There's so many posts about your different travel locations, I'm impressed that you have been religiously sharing them!
ReplyDeleteI bet theres many ghost in the castle. I love seeing castle in photos and i hope soon in real
ReplyDeleteEdinburgh castle is gorgeous and every post of scotland bring back the memories.
ReplyDeleteLoved the way you described the Edinburgh Castle. I haven't been to Scotland yet, but you definitely convinced me to go and visit this place.
ReplyDeleteLoved the pictures too.
Nice captures. No pics of crown jewels?
ReplyDeleteGreat post about Edinburgh Castle, Bhushavali. I am Scottish and love to see people promoting the delights of my home country. Edinburgh Castle is an interesting place to visit but can get a bit busy at times - too bad you had to wait around in queues to see some of the exhibits.
ReplyDeleteWe visited Edinburgh for Christmas and very impressed by the majesty and history. The National War museum is one we loved the most for the artifacts and exhibits it housed. Did you try the Whiskey tasting experience?
ReplyDeleteThe Edinburgh Castle looks gorgeous inside and out. I like that you took photos of the decorations in the castle. I was expecting that it was filled with a lot of old things but maybe these are the only ones left.
ReplyDeleteThis is really not far from my house. We accidentally drove right up to front area by the front the doors once when we got lost! It was spectacular to be up so close. I haven't been inside in many years but I am invited to a wedding there in July!
ReplyDeleteAmazing post. Please share more.
ReplyDeleteThis castle is spectacular! Edinburgh has so much to offer!
ReplyDeleteI really love Edinburgh, but I don't think I entered the castle. And what a shame, as it's really incredible inside! Also really interesting that the military book contains the names of soldiers from other countries outside the UK.
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