Royal visit is the icing on the cake
I grew up in Edinburgh and there’s one landmark overlooking the city centre which features as a backdrop to many memories of my life there. Whether it be as a child, playing in Princes Street Gardens and listening for the boom of the one o’clock gun; as a teenager spending Saturday afternoons shopping in Princes Street; as a young adult, spilling out of one of the Grassmarket’s rowdy pubs at closing time; a first date with my husband, watching a waterfall of fireworks cascading down Castle Rock to mark the end of the Edinburgh Festival; or when I became a mum, pointing it out to my children from the top of Arthur’s Seat.
I’ve just wandered up the High Street and I realise that despite living in Scotland’s capital for 40 years and admiring it from many viewpoints, I have never actually visited Edinburgh Castle.
I glance to the top of the Royal Mile, and I don’t think today is the day. The entrance to the castle is packed and I just can’t face it. Luckily tomorrow I won’t have to jostle for space on Castle Esplanade as I have tickets booked, which will gain entry to the castle and afternoon tea.
Escaping the throng of tourists, I make my way down Johnstone Terrace, taking in the castle from another angle. It towers above me, set on inhospitable volcanic rock and perfectly placed to deter the invaders from way back when.
The following afternoon I finally make my way through the crowds milling around the esplanade. There isn’t much to see from where they stand; in the summer months the view of the entrance to the castle is obscured by giant stands that are erected to accommodate visitors to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which runs through most of August.
My daughter Anya and I find the entrance and join the queue. Tickets to the castle have a designated entry time and the line moves quickly and efficiently.
We head into the castle grounds, passing through a thick stone archway emblazoned with the Scottish coat of arms featuring the Lion Rampant, and under the foreboding raised spikes of the Portcullis Gate. The fortified gateway was built in 1574, following the Lang Siege (1571-1573). Three sets of heavy wooden doors once aided the iron gate in keeping out intruders.
We pay an extra £3.50 ($7) for an audio guide, which proves money well spent.
Narrated by Scottish broadcasters Sally Magnusson and Eddie Mair, the lively guide features first-person accounts from the castle’s rich history retold by actors and writers, including Saoirse Ronan, who played Mary Queen of Scots in the 2018 film of the same name; Ian Rankin, author of the Rebus novels which are set in Edinburgh; Bill Paterson, star of Scottish stage, film and television; and Andrew Gower, who played Bonnie Prince Charlie in Outlander. The celebrities bring to life figures such as Mary Queen of Scots, Oliver Cromwell, Bonnie Prince Charlie and Sir Walter Scott. The guide also features present-day castle staff, including a woman who looks after the armour and the one o’clock gunner.
The one o’clock gun and Argyle Battery are the first stops on the audio tour. The battery was built in the 1730s and contains six cannons overlooking the city and towards Fife. The weapons were put in position from about 1810, during the Napoleonic wars with France.
Daily firing of the one o’clock gun was introduced in 1861 when ships in the Firth of Forth would set their maritime clocks by the gun. Today it’s appreciated by tourists, but is mostly used by locals wandering around the city centre who will still look towards the bang, then glance to their wrist and wonder what the time is, despite the fact they’ve heard it all their life.
We are enjoying the audio tour, which contains 26 points of interest. However, our afternoon tea booking is in an hour and a half, and having tasted how delicious royal scones are on previous visits to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Royal Yacht Britannia, we are keen not to miss out, so we keep our tour to the highlights.
St Margaret’s Chapel is the oldest building in Edinburgh. It was built by King David I in the 1100s to honour his mother, Queen Margaret. The queen was canonised in 1250 for her many acts of charity. There’s a fair queue of people making their way into the chapel but it’s moving quickly so we’re soon inside. Despite its tiny size, the chapel is light and airy. The ornate carved stone archway leading into the knave is original but the beautiful stained-glass windows depicting St Margaret, St Andrew, St Ninian, St Columba and Braveheart William Wallace were designed by Douglas Strachan in the 1920s.
Mons Meg was one of a pair of cannons, gifted to King James II by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1457. The mighty weapon weighs six tonnes, could fire a 150kg gunstone for up to 2 miles (3.2km) and was designed to smash holes in castle walls. The cannon was taken into battle to castles around Scotland and the border with England. This was no mean feat; a team of oxen would move the gun no more than 5km a day.
A plaque on the wall beside Mons Meg draws my attention to the Dog Cemetery. Looking over the wall I catch sight of a small garden containing about 20 headstones and a floral garden bed. Originally thought to be a medieval tower, the cemetery has been the final resting place for regimental mascots and officers’ dogs since Queen Victoria’s reign. Fido, the canine companion of the castle’s commanding officer in 1847, was the first dog to be buried here.
The Royal Palace was where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI in 1566. We see the birthing chamber, which is little more than a boxroom but still befitting a royal delivery, with regal emblems painted on the walls and ceiling. We walk through the queen’s bedchamber, which is on a grander scale. The dark blue walls are lined with portraits of the Queen’s Stuart heritage, which includes Bonnie Prince Charlie, Mary’s great-great-great grandson.
It’s then on to Laich Hall, which is still used for state occasions. The hall has beautiful ornate detailing in the wooden wall panelling, plaster moulded ceiling and painted borders, along with a magnificent fireplace bearing the coat of arms of James VI. Amazingly, this hall was restored in the late 1990s, with its woodwork and ceiling replaced, but you’d swear the decor was authentic.
What I’m most looking forward to (apart from the scones) are the Scottish Crown Jewels. The Honours of Scotland — the crown, sceptre and sword of state — used in the coronation of Mary Queen of Scots in 1543 are housed in the Crown Room. And they are impressive. Made from gold, silver and precious gems, they are the oldest regalia in Britain. From 1651 to 1660 they were removed from the castle and hidden to keep them from Oliver Cromwell’s army. To preserve the ancient treasures today, no photos are allowed to be taken inside the room and so as we quickly march past, I enjoy the fleeting glance but feel a little bit cheated that I can’t look back at some pictures to savour them.
There is a magnificent, yet terrifying, display of weapons and armour in the Great Hall, where state banquets and ceremonies were held. King James IV had the hall built and it was completed in 1512, a year before his death at the Battle of Flodden. The roof is made up of giant Norwegian oak beams resting on carved stone brackets decorated with traditional symbols and Scottish and royal emblems. High on the wall to the right of the fireplace is a barred window known as the Laird’s lug (with lug meaning ear in Scots). The king could use it to spy on his courtiers below. Mary Queen of Scots held a banquet here in 1561 to mark her return to Scotland from France. The English captured the castle in 1650 and promptly turned the medieval hall into military accommodation. It was restored to its former glory in the late 1800s.
Our final stop is the Scottish National War Memorial, which pays homage to the Scots who have died in conflicts since 1914. Along with renowned architect Sir Robert Lorimer, 200 Scottish artists and craftsmen and women created the memorial which was opened in 1927 by King Edward VIII (who was at that point the Prince of Wales). The building contains more than 60 works of art, including stained glass, woodcarvings, stone and bronze reliefs, steel sculptures, wrought iron gates, carved inscriptions and furniture. A shrine containing leather-bound books filled with the names of the dead are on permanent display.
The outside of the building is beautiful, adorned with ornate sculptures, and lovely views of the stained-glass windows. The entrance is flanked by statues of a unicorn and a lion, the heraldic beasts of Scotland and England. Behind the lion is a sentry box, which is ripe for a photo opportunity. There’s so much to look at here and with our time constraints we really don’t do it justice.
But scones wait for no woman, so we head over to The Tea Rooms, which is in the building next to the Memorial. We are shown into the Queen Anne room. The bright, modern dining room takes inspiration from portraits of nine Scots queens, with fabric displays featuring their clothing styles hanging on the walls. Floral arrangements with Scottish blooms are a stylish touch.
Cake stands arrive, and the savoury layer includes a selection of sandwiches, with the stars of the show being a creamy, yet fruity, Cranley Farm coronation chicken filling, and Linlithgow beetroot salmon gravalax with avocado. The dessert layer more than satisfies my sweet tooth with favourites like sticky toffee slice, banoffee pie, orange macaron with cranachan butter cream and Scottish strawberry tart.
Anya and I cut each of these in half because we can’t decide which is going to be the best. We don’t want to eat the favourite first and leave the least-liked ‘til last. This proves a good move because I wasn’t expecting the macaron to be so good and definitely would have eaten it first. Savouring my final half, I lick my lips and tuck into those scones.
And they were worth the wait. Crunchy outside and fluffy inside, slathered with Galloway Lodge strawberry jam and clotted cream, the perfect accompaniment to a pot of Earl Grey tea. Treats fit for any king or queen.
As we get ready to leave, we stop at the Half Moon Battery where several cannons point out towards the National Gallery of Scotland and the Scott Monument. The curved wall is one of the features which adds to the castle’s distinctive profile.
Not only are the walls of the castle steeped in centuries of Scottish history, but the views over Edinburgh are superb. I take one final look at the city from the top of the Lang Stairs. The 70 steps were once the castle’s entrance; the steep climb helps work off those scones before we make our way to the exit.
fact file
+ The Edinburgh Castle afternoon tea experience costs £54 ($105) or £60 with an Edinburgh Castle Gin or prosecco (children £24.50). The price includes entry to the castle.
+ Admission-only to the castle costs from £15.50 (adult) and from £9 (child). Family tickets start from £30.
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