Edinburgh Castle: A Fairytale Adventure

We'd been meaning to do this trip for a long time, a pilgrimage to probably one of the most amazing castles in the world.. and it finally happened! 😇

I remember being at the Castle years ago when I was younger, but the splendor of the thing had been lost in a hazy memory, I mean it's not really a Castle is it, once you get inside it's more of a little village, looking down on the rest of the city of Edinburgh.. with so much to explore!

Even from afar the Castle occupies an imposing influence on the Edinburgh City skyline.

We booked an early morning time slot for our visit which was unknowingly savvy, later on that day when we were leaving there was quite the queue outside.

The Grand Entrance (Gatehouse)

The drama starts early on the way in, as you walk across the drawbridge and onwards up the cobble path, the excitement builds!

Second Gate (Argyle Tower & Portcullis)

The suspense is building, been through the first gate but now a second to navigate, complete with portcullis, very cool!

You're In!

Having made it this far the scope of the Castle is finally laid bare and it's quite a lot to take in.

Argyle Battery, Govenors House, Mons Meg, St. Margarets Chapel, Barracks, Prison (Dungeon), Crown Square, Great Hall the list goes on.. I mean there is actually a signpost to help lol.

Incidentally Mons Meg is actually a giant seige cannon. Not sharing pics, you need to see that up close for yourself lol

The View From The Battery

We spent quite a while enjoying the view of the surrounding landscape and posing for photos beside the canons. On a nice day, when the weather is decent you can see all the way to the sea easily, some view!

Making our way up to the next level the view is even more ridiculous!

The National War Memorial

Leading off Crown Square this is a very imposing building the outside is something else..

Got some nice closeups of the animal statues guarding the Memorial, impressive.

The Great Hall

Again.. leading off Crown Square, it's a short walk into the hall which is quite the entertainment space. Upon entry you are immediately transported back to a time of banquets and gatherings.

Oddly this little nook at the back of the Great Hall was one of my favourite photos from the whole day.

St. Margarets Chapel

This is a fairly quaint building compared to other areas of the castle but standing inside, when it isn't packed with people it has a real sense of reverence about it. Many enter and just sit and soak up the atmosphere. The stained glass windows although small are frankly beautiful!

Spoilers

There's so much more to talk about but think it'd best to leave a little mystery for anyone that decides to visit.

• The Honours, Crown, Sword, Septre are majestic
• The Scots Dragoon Guards museum was quality
• The Castle Prison (dungeons) are great

We actually spent some time in the Castle cafe, which was a pretty relaxing space with some great food on offer, super refreshment!

The Esplanade

On the way out of the Castle grabbed a few shots of the Esplanade, which is normally vacant but at this time of year is almost fully prepped for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo

To top it all, after we left the Esplanade and slowly made our way down the Royal Mile we happened across a Piper in full dress playing some fantastic highland music, what a day!

Thanks for stopping by, and if you ever get the chance pay Edinburgh Castle a visit - It's worth every penny!