Edinburgh Expedition - Arthur's Seat
Travel Stories | Miles Talbot-Stern | May 2005
The most exciting thing about travelling for me is that no matter how many places you've travelled to, or how many corners of the world you've explored, there are always plenty of places that make you feel like you've once again set out on your very first backpacking odyssey. Edinburgh gave me that feeling and yes . . . it made me feel like a backpacker virgin all over again!
From my very first impression, I was infused with this feeling. As I arrived at dusk on a bus from Glasgow, the cities imposing sandstone buildings were all lit up under the darkening sky. It's not just the big monumental buildings in the centre of town that are built from sandstone but pretty much all the buildings in the whole city. It seemed like every single apartment building and house no matter how far I walked were all constructed from this very solid material (OK, not the public housing estates on the outskirts – but you get my drift!)
The centre of town is, of course, quite attractive and I did spend quite a lot of time wandering around its narrow and labyrinth-like streets. But I can definitely say that the best parts of the city, for me, were outside this area. So if you like walking, this is the place for you, and if you don't you can always catch the bus!
On my first day of epic exploration I decided to head north until I reached the harbour. I walked first downhill though some quaint lanes and alleys past rows and rows of, you guessed it – more sandstone houses! Eventually I reached the Water of Leith, a fairly largish stream, which is the closest the city gets to an actual river. Along this body of water was the Walk of Leith which allowed me to take a very nice stroll through some of the cities most attractive suburbs.
After reaching the harbour I headed back to the centre of town and encountered a large grassy hill with a few monuments placed on top. I climbed up, turned around and was presented with an amazing view back over Edinburgh. Walking to the other side of the hill to see the view from the other direction, I was surprised to see two massive rocky outcrops jutting out from the eastern part of the city.
For some reason I really like climbing but unfortunately spend too much time in very large and flat cities. So if an opportunity like this arises, I suddenly get a remarkable burst of energy and sprint to the top. In a very short time, I therefore reached the highest point of these impressive landforms, Arthur’s Seat. Amazingly enough this is actually the summit of a 350 million year old extinct volcano. I was able to see for miles and miles in every direction, but due to the intense wind and cold temperatures I wasn't able to enjoy this spectacular vantage point for as long as I would have liked.
I decided to head down a different way and saw an elderly man climb up a trail which looked to me like a bit of a shortcut. On my way down I realized that this track (if you can even call it that) was pretty much straight down the steep face of Arthur’s Seat. I watched rocks I had dislodged with my feet tumble to the bottom and realized that I could soon be doing just the same. Climbing back up really wasn't an option at this point, so I had no choice but to ever so carefully make my way down. This involved a lot of stopping, thinking about where to put my foot next, then realizing this wasn't a good idea, backing up a bit, then planning my next course of action by trying to figure out if would I be less likely to fall to my death if I put my foot here, or perhaps there.
If I had slipped even slightly, I could have easily landed myself in the hospital! After a while I did actually make it safely down and dusted the dirt off my hands. Looking back at the path I had just taken, it definitely did look extremely suicidal. I then spotted another poor soul trying to come down the same way. Like me, he had obviously realized his mistake a bit late. I watched in amusement as his movements mimicked mine but also in case he wasn't as successful as me and I needed to call him an ambulance. Going out for a few beers that evening with two Germans staying in my dorm, they explained to me that they had also taken that treacherous trail. Well at least I definitely wasn't the only one!
From Arthur’s Seat I could see all the way out to the Pentlands Hills on the southern border of Edinburgh and of course they beckoned me to climb them. So the next day I walked out through some more attractive suburbs of Edinburgh to get there. It was an incredibly long distance out to them, and that doesn't even include the climb to the top. So for people who aren't as avid about walking as me, it might be better to take a bus out to the hills. You'll have to share your experience climbing Arthur’s Seat with quite a few other people but you'll pretty much get the Pentlands Hills all to yourself. Of course this was the best view I got of Edinburgh as the whole city was spread out before me.
Looking out from the other side of the peak I had climbed up, I could see the Pentlands Hills stretching on for a least another 20 kilometres. It was a surreal, eerie feeling standing in the middle of an amazing natural environment, yet knowing that a 20 minute walk down the hill would take me back to civilization. This is the best thing about Edinburgh, it's so easy to get out of the city and feel like you're in the midst of nature.
My last extensive trek was out to Corstophine Hill on the cities western edge. The view from here wasn't anything special as this outcrop was heavily forested, as opposed to the others which were covered in grassy fens. Heading back to the city I took a detour out to the harbour. On my way I stumbled upon a place that I would one day love to call my home, Lauriston Castle, although I'm quite sure it will never be for sale to the public. The grounds were great to take a stroll around and you could sit in a park bench and look past fields of cows and sheep out to the harbour.
As the sun was just about to dip behind the horizon I ventured out to the water. To my surprise, the tide had just gone out and I was able to walk quite far out on the mud flats. The fiery red setting sun reflected on the flats creating an amazing effect. As you can imagine I wasn't too happy about not having a camera with me! This was yet another surreal feeling, standing in the middle of the harbour, completely in the middle of nowhere, yet right under the approach path to Edinburgh airport, so massive jet aircraft were flying straight in above me!
I wasn't able to make it to the highlands on this trip to Scotland, but there’s always next time I guess. However, I was more than content with my time in Edinburgh. I had plenty of hills to climb and enough fresh air to last me a lifetime! And remember, if you plan to visit Arthur’s Seat, make sure you choose a safe way down!
