{"id":2172,"date":"2012-01-23T19:15:17","date_gmt":"2012-01-24T00:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.singleoccupancyblog.com\/?p=2172"},"modified":"2023-12-27T21:28:34","modified_gmt":"2023-12-28T01:28:34","slug":"5-highlights-edinburgh-castle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/destinations\/5-highlights-edinburgh-castle\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Highlights of Edinburgh Castle"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Edinburgh Castle is a highlight for many visitors who visit Scotland\u2019s capital city each year.<\/strong> Its historic and cultural significance and its imposing presence overlooking the city from atop its perch of jagged black volcanic rock makes it one of those sights you just have to see.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/edinburgh-castle-scotland.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-2189\" title=\"edinburgh-castle-scotland\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/edinburgh-castle-scotland-600x400.jpg?resize=600%2C400\" alt=\"Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh Scotland\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Built by King David I of Scotland in the early 12th century, Edinburgh Castle is located at the western end of the Royal Mile atop Castle Rock, up an incline gentle enough to raise your heart rate a hair. It&#8217;s the most popular Edinburgh attraction with over a million visitors a year.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a lot to see and do at the castle, so if you\u2019re only there for a few hours, you\u2019ll want to use your time wisely. I skipped the Great Hall, the Royal Palace, and the Stone of Destiny\u00a0but I enjoyed several other parts of the castle. What were my favorites?<\/p>\n<h2>The One O\u2019Clock Gun<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XFtcOsYULzE\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I was at the castle during the late morning\/early afternoon, just in time to see the firing of the one o\u2019clock gun. Fired almost daily since 1861, the gun was used as a time signal for ships in the Firth of Forth and Port of Leith. Nowadays, it&#8217;s really more of a ritual tradition. The 105mm field gun is fired manually by the master gunner every day except Sundays, Good Friday, and Christmas Day.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>St. Margaret\u2019s Chapel<\/h2>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"St. Margaret's Chapel\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7168\/6747072413_7b244ea1ce_z.jpg?resize=427%2C640\" alt=\"St. Margaret's Chapel, Edinburgh Castle\" width=\"427\" height=\"640\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A potential spot for quiet reflection is the tiny and quaint St. Margaret\u2019s chapel, erected in honor of Queen Margaret by her son King David I when he built the original castle structures around 103. Edinburgh Castle was destroyed and rebuilt a few times over, and the chapel is one of the few intact elements that remains. The chapel seems to be very popular with visitors, so moments of quiet reflection might be few and far between. My favorite part? The luminous stained glass windows.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>The Prisons of War Exhibition<\/h2>\n<h2><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"Prisons of War\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7007\/6747072677_77a62599f9_z.jpg?resize=640%2C427\" alt=\"Prisons of War Exhibit, Edinburgh Castle\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/h2>\n<p>During times of conflict, Edinburgh Castle was used to house prisoners and their confinement is recreated in the Prisons of War Exhibition. Prisoners of many nationalities, including French, Spanish, and American troops, were held at the castle\u2019s prisons in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Visitors can walk through the castle\u2019s dungeons where artifacts of the prisoners\u2019 confinements are displayed along with recreations of the space where the prisoners lived and slept.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Scottish National War Memorial<\/h2>\n<h2><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"Scottish National War Memorial\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7147\/6747071773_44b2708c11_z.jpg?resize=640%2C427\" alt=\"Scottish National War Memorial, Edinburgh Castle\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s rare to see a war memorial that doesn\u2019t glorify the conflict of war itself but the Scottish National War Memorial is a tasteful tribute to the fallen Scotsmen and those who fell while serving in Scottish regiments from conflicts including World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Falklands War, and the Gulf War.<\/p>\n<p>Opened as a memorial in 1927, the interior of the former barracks was designed in the art deco style by Sir Robert Lorimer, a highly respected Scottish architect. When you visit, it\u2019s quiet inside, as tourists walk about the large hall thumbing through many of the heavy, leather-bound volumes containing the names of the fallen. It\u2019s a somber reminder of the true cost of war.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Although there&#8217;s a cost to visiting the castle, entrance to the memorial is free<\/strong>, so if you\u2019re only interested in visiting the memorial, you can make arrangements for your visit by checking in at the visitor information reception next to the castle ticket office.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>The View of Edinburgh<\/h2>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"View over Edinburgh\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7035\/6747090115_cb8afc913b_z.jpg?resize=640%2C427\" alt=\"View over Edinburgh from Edinburgh Castle\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/p>\n<p>One of the best parts of a visit to Edinburgh Castle \u00a0is the view from the Argyle Battery over the Princes Street Gardens and beyond to Edinburgh\u2019s New Town and the Firth of Forth that\u2019s simply breathtaking on a sunny day. If you\u2019re lucky, a nice breeze is blowing and you\u2019ll pretty much want to stay right there for as long as you can.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Top 3 tips for visiting Edinburgh Castle<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>There\u2019s a lot to see and do. \u00a0<strong>Plan to spend at least three to four hours there if you want to hit all of the highlights<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>If you enjoy ballistics at all or simply want to see something unique, plan to <strong>visit the castle in the early afternoon so you can plan on seeing the firing of the One O\u2019Clock Gun<\/strong>. Although the actual firing happens quickly, it\u2019s interesting to see the preparations the master gunner makes as he prepares for the ritual.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dress in layers and prepare for anything<\/strong>. On the day I visited the castle, the weather went from full-blown warm and sunny to cool and rainy, to cool and sunny, and then sunny and rainy (yes, at the same time!), and back again. <em>Phew!<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Planning a visit to Edinburgh soon?<\/strong> Definitely put the castle on your itinerary, read up on the site\u2019s highlights, and prepare yourself for a wonderful slice of Scottish history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Edinburgh Castle is a highlight for many visitors who visit Scotland\u2019s capital city each year. Its historic and cultural significance and its imposing presence overlooking the city from atop its perch of jagged black volcanic rock makes it one of those sights you just have to see.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2189,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,6,11],"tags":[36,58],"class_list":{"0":"post-2172","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-destinations","8":"category-europe","9":"category-scotland","10":"tag-attractions","11":"tag-edinburgh","12":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>5 Highlights of Edinburgh Castle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Edinburgh Castle is one of the city&#039;s top attractions with good reason. 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The experience didn't turn out the way I'd\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Destinations&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Destinations","link":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/category\/destinations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/view-from-cairn-gorm-mountain-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/view-from-cairn-gorm-mountain-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/view-from-cairn-gorm-mountain-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/view-from-cairn-gorm-mountain-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1940,"url":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/destinations\/glasgow-necropolis\/","url_meta":{"origin":2172,"position":3},"title":"A Date with the Dead at the Glasgow Necropolis","author":"Marsha S.","date":"November 22, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Of all the things to do in Glasgow, the Glasgow Necropolis was my favorite attraction, hands down.\u00a0They call it the \u201cCity of the Dead\u201d and it really is like a city unto itself. The inhabitants just happen to be--well--deceased. Located in the heart of the city, the Glasgow Necropolis has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Destinations&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Destinations","link":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/category\/destinations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm7.staticflickr.com\/6100\/6324795142_7a3fc01806_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm7.staticflickr.com\/6100\/6324795142_7a3fc01806_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm7.staticflickr.com\/6100\/6324795142_7a3fc01806_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4707,"url":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/destinations\/san-luis-obispo-county\/","url_meta":{"origin":2172,"position":4},"title":"San Luis Obispo County: A Jewel of California Central Coast","author":"Marsha S.","date":"September 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"While it's tempting to speed past or through some of these less well-known attractions and destinations while on a road trip of the California Coast, taking some time to slow down in San Luis Obispo County has its own rewards.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;California&quot;","block_context":{"text":"California","link":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/category\/destinations\/united-states\/california\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/san-luis-obispo-county-shield.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/san-luis-obispo-county-shield.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/san-luis-obispo-county-shield.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/san-luis-obispo-county-shield.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/san-luis-obispo-county-shield.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1697,"url":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/destinations\/memories-of-antwerp\/","url_meta":{"origin":2172,"position":5},"title":"Memories of Antwerp","author":"Marsha S.","date":"August 2, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Although I\u2019m not a blonde, I felt every bit like Goldilocks sampling Belgian cities like the porridge of the three bears. Brugge was too hot. Too much activity and too many people in the city center. I enjoyed my trip off the beaten path but I\u2019m not sure I\u2019d go\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Belgium&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Belgium","link":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/category\/destinations\/belgium\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/belgium-antwerp-antwerpen-grote-markt-brabo-fountain.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/belgium-antwerp-antwerpen-grote-markt-brabo-fountain.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/belgium-antwerp-antwerpen-grote-markt-brabo-fountain.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2172"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2172\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5198,"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2172\/revisions\/5198"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}