UK 4: How a mistake turned into a great day- The Scottish Edition

We started the day by taking a double decker bus to near Craigmillar Castle, about a twenty minute ride away from the center of town.  We were dropped off about a ten minute walk away.  The road didn't have a sidewalk, so we approached by way of the Craigmillar Castle Park.

 

We tried to find the entrance on this side of the castle, but it was blocked, so we walked all the way around to the other side.



The sign pointed to a ticket door that was closed and locked.  We walked to the front gate and it was locked too.  Google maps said that it was open.  I checked out their website and apparently, they are closed Thursdays and Fridays.  We would have to go back tomorrow.

We were about an hour's walk from the top of a nearby mountain, named Arthur's Seat.  We decided to head in that direction, stopping at the halfway point at a recommended free garden named Dr. Neil's Garden.  Of course, this is not exactly the season for gardens to bloom, but it did have bathrooms and would make a nice stop.



Nearby, we found the beginning of a path up the mountain.  After a bit of steps, we circled the mountain via a path that was popular with joggers.



This next picture was taken while circling the mountain.  If you look at the middle, you'll see two beige/grey towers.  Just above and to the left of it, in the picture, is where the Craigsmillar Castle was.



After walking for a while, we found the back path up the mountain.  It was mostly steps and brought us straight up the mountain.



Once we got to the top, it was wide open and green, with views of the summit.



I did not go the last few steps, but took a picture of the two of them near the "seat."  We then walked down the sloped other side of the mountain, to exit near the bottom of the Royal Mile.




At the start of the Royal Mile sits the Holyrood Palace.  Originally an Abbey, this Palace was built around 1501, and is now the official residence of the queen, in Scotland.



We stopped in a few shops on the way to finding a pub that had a menu to our liking.  By the time we ordered food, it was almost 5:00, a full day.  Tomorrow will be our last day in Edinburgh.