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Before setting off we booked a table at the Muscle Inn sea food restaurant for 6pm. Then we set off at about 9:30AM for the Arthur's Seat walk (following this route from start to summit then this route from summit back to start). We parked in a car park near Holyrood Palace as planned and set off across the road to the Salisbury Crags path. However a sign warned us that a rock slide further along had closed the path. So we abandoned that part of the walk and set off up another path up the hill which would have taken us above the crags. However we decided to cut off the Salisbury Crags part of the walk and instead cross over to the main path up to Arthur's Seat from the North. From this angle it looked quite steep and the relentless uphill walk soon defeated Renée. She encouraged me to carry on however, so I gave her the car keys and carried on alone while Renée returned to the car to rest. After a while of steady uphill walking and pausing for photos I soon reached the summit and had great views in all directions. It was busy up there so taking pictures without people getting in the way was nigh on impossible. We were all enjoying the perfect walking weather. After taking lots of photos I set off over Whinny Hill (which towers to the Eastern side of the ascent path). Then found a way down the side of a cliff and past the ruins of St. Anthony's Chapel (thereby cutting off a longer walk along the roadside). Then it was a straight forward walk along the main path back to the road and along to the car to rendezvous with Renée.
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| The Salisbury Crags path that we would have walked but for the rockslide. | This path heads up above the crags. | Leaving the car park behind. | Looking further up the grassy hill above the crags. | Panorama of the path ahead which goes under Whinny Hill to Arthur's Seat, as we start diverting away from the crags. |
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| Approaching Whinnie Hill from underneath. | St. Margeret's Loch. | Looking North as I ascend Southwards after Renée returned to the car. | Looking ahead towards the summit. | Further up the hill, the path to the summit is very clear. |
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| Reaching where the path bends left around the back of the bowl below the summit. | Ascending the ridge to the top, and looking around as I do so. All views here to the North or Northeast with the Firth of Forth dominating the background. | |||
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| Climbing over the volcanic rock to the summit. The stone on the left is the actual summit. | 360 degree panorama taken at the summit of Arthur's Seat. South is centre. | Looking East-northeast from the summit. Dunsapie Loch is to the right of the picture. |
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| Looking back to the start point. From here the car park is hidden underneath the Salisbury Crags. Leith Docks visible in the background. Carlton Hill centre left. | Looking West to Edinburgh Castle. The top of the Salisbury Crags bottom right provides a nice context. | To the distant South the Midlothian Snowsports Centre's dry ski slope is a prominent landmark. | Looking North along the path I just walked and East towards Dunsapie Loch. | The summit from the other peak stone nearby. | |
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| Looking North from the second peak stone. | From here I got a much better view of Salisbury Crags below me. | The remains of St. Anthony's Chapel to the north, which I passed on my way up. | A better view North of the ascent path. | A North to East panorama as I descend back towards the saddle between Arthur's Seat and Whinnie Hill. |
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| I couldn't resist another long range shot of the Forth Bridges, from the saddle below Arthur's Seat. | As I walk North over Whinnie Hill the car park and start point comes back into view. Renée is in the second car from the right (black car between the blue 4x4 and the white car). | St. Margeret's Loch is now almost directly below me. | St. Anthony's Chapel from above. | ||
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| Descending the side of the cliff to get to St. Anthony's Chapel. | St. Anthony's Chapel. | St. Margeret's Well. |
After a short rest we did a short circuit around Holyrood Park on Queen's Drive. Then we went for a drive through old town on the way to the Royal Botanic Gardens.
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| Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags from Queen's Drive. | Looking towards Edinburgh Castle from Queen's Drive and returning to Holyrood Palace. | Heading into Old Town along Cowgate. George IV Bridge up ahead. | ||
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| Heading up West Bow and Victoria Street from Cowgatehead. | Driving along the Royal Mile past St. Giles Cathedral and Lothian & Borders Police where a protest appears to be in progress. | Driving back along the Royal Mile after turning around, back past St. Giles Cathedral and looking up Bank Street to the Bank of Scotland. | |||
After a small lunch in the restaurant by the entrance to the Royal Botanic Gardens, we spent a couple of hours exploring the gardens. This included the glass houses which we had to pay for but were very well presented and well worth the money. Then after tea in the Terrace café in the middle of the gardens by Inverleith House we went back to the car.
I found a recent map of the gardens here for those who want to see the layout. The West Gate where we parked and entered is bottom left, on Arboretum Place.
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| The West Gate entrance to the gardens. | Looking around the Gateway Restaurant and Botanics Shop. Curious ceiling to say the least... | Crossing the John Hope Gateway into the main gardens. | The pond next to Inverleith House. | ||
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| Inverleath House from the North and the Southwest. | A bamboo like stand and a sculpture encountered on the path to the Queen Mother's Memorial Garden. | A huge hedge near the Bute Memorial Bench. | Crocus like flowers. | ||
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| Inside the exquisitely decorated pavilion in the Queen Mother's Memorial Garden. | The Queen Mother's Memorial Garden labyrinth and flowers. | ||||
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| The Demonstration Garden. | The herb garden. I think this is mint. | Renée in the demonstration garden. | Courgettes, beans and tomatoes. | ||
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| Renée surrounded by a mass of flowers. | A greenhouse containing seedling vegetables. | Two huge holly bushes line the path to the Alpine Garden. | Cushion plants and alpine flowers inside the Alpine House. | The front of the Palm House. | |
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| Renée in front of the Palm House. | Inside the Palm House. | Chili peppers. | Inside the Orchids and Cycads House. | ||
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| Orchids. | The Screwpine palm tree. (I have seen this plant in the wild in Costa Rica.) | Inside one of the tropical houses. The camera started to fog up here before I realised and cleared it. | |||
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| Inside the Ferns and Fossils House. | Inside the Plants and People House. | The Coffee plant. | |||
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| Inside the Plants and People House. | The Temperate Walkway. | A model crocodile. One of many model animals spread around Edinburgh. | More temperate flowers. | ||
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| Bromeliads in the Rainforest Riches House. | More views in the Rainforest Riches House. | The Arid Lands House. | |||
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| The Arid Lands House. | The Montane Tropics House. | The Wet Tropics House. | Titan Arum plant. | ||
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| Titan Arum stem. | The Wet Tropics House. | Carnivorous plants including pitchers and the Venus Fly Trap. | |||
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| The Chilean Terrace Garden. | Back in the Temperate Garden below the walkway as the Glasshouse exhibition nears its end. | The largest seed in the world, from the Coco de Mer palm tree, looks suspiciously like a human bottom! | Back outside again, a Monkey Puzzle tree. | ||
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| A pond on the Eastern side of the garden. | Foliage around the pond. | A stream flowing into the pond frm the rock garden. | The Rock Garden. | ||
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| Pictures from the Rock Garden. | ||||
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| Looking Southeastwards to Carlton Hill and Holyrood Park / Arthur's Seat from the top of the Rock Garden. | Pictures from the Rock Garden. | Flowers from the Rock Garden. | ||
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| A pond and Chinese Pavilion in the Chinese Hillside part of the garden. | A very tame Dunnock in the pavilion. | One of the small bridges in the Chinese Hillside garden. | Bamboo and Cotoneaster atropurpureus plants in the Chinese Hillside garden. | ||
We returned to the BnB for a rest. At 5pm we went back to the shops for a bit before going to The Muscle Inn for our 6pm booking. We had a nice meal. Then we went back towards the BnB where there was a space so I moved the car from the Crescent down the hill where I parked earlier. That will make it easier in the morning when checking out. Then we carried on down the hill to Cumberland Street where the Cumberland Bar pub is. We sat outside with diet cokes and chatted as it got dark.
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| Renée and Mike enjoying Fish Cakes and Trout at the Muscle Inn. | The Muscle Inn from the outside. | The Cumberland Bar pub. | |
Then back to the BnB at about 8pm to retire for one last night in Scotland.
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