Conclusion
Our last day in this glorious city…and we had ambitious plans. I had learned that there was a trailhead ascending one of
The Scott Memorial is an exquisite structure, amazingly constructed in the 1840’s as a memorial to Sir Walter Scott. It is usually teeming with tourists, but since we passed by early in the morning on a weekday and noticed an absence of human activity, decided to embark.
Then on to Arthur’s Seat. It is so very cool to begin a hike from the downtown of a major city…and Arthur’s Seat does not disappoint. Starts out along an actual road --- but it’s Radical Road, constructed by imprisoned Scottish ‘radicals’ (folks who supported the wrong political party) back in the 1820’s. Incredible to experience such a hike starting off from your hotel, lol.
When we acquired the top of Arthur’s Seat, we were surprised to see a bunch of people…and quickly realized there was a roadway the entire way up…apparently a desired lunch spot for Edinburghers! Of course I can’t go in a straight line and plotted our descent down to Duddingston (village south of 
To sum up,
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One of the many cool things we enjoyed in Edinburgh was scaling the Scott Memorial. The structure is an amazing black gothic spire roughly 200-feet tall. The incredible thing is that it was constructed in the 1840’s as a memorial to Sir Walter Scott. Perhaps not as remarkable as pyramids built millennia ago, but I was pretty darn impressed!
There are 287 steps to the top, with a couple landings along the way where you can step outside to enjoy the splendid views your ascent affords. The first landing is a beautiful large room with stained glass windows. Didn’t think to snap a picture, but I’ll include one from a web site I found to offer a flavor. Please heed the warning to lose your backpack…the stairs get really narrow and twisty as you reach the summit and since I ignored the advice, had to walk backwards several steps so I could remove my pack!
The other caution is that we noticed this place was a hotbed of activity (i.e., long lines). We didn’t attempt it until strolling by early one weekday morning and had the place virtually to ourselves. Don’t recall the admission, but it was a wee bit pricey. But of course that fee gets you a certificate witnessing you made it to the top (and are a tourist with spare cash, I guess). Highly recommended!
