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We may not accept this, but the traveller within each one of us wants to someday climb up an extinct volcano. Visiting Arthur’s Seat will allow you to achieve that secret dream.
Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood Park is the crown of an inactive volcano. Reaching the summit means climbing up a hill that is covered by the remnants of a volcano that spewed lava more than 350 million years ago. From the mystery around its name to the belief that the dew surrounding the hill has magical properties on one particular day every year, Arthur’s Seat is a destination filled with enigma and thrill. While these stories will keep you entertained throughout your climb, the summit will give you the most exquisite views of Edinburgh that will leave you gasping for breath.
Speaking of Arthur’s Seat in his notes on the city, Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, "a hill for magnitude, a mountain in virtue of its bold design". Already intrigued? Keep reading to out find more about how to plan a visit to this beauty of a place that had Stevenson fall short of words.
Location : Located in Queen’s Drive, Edinburgh, Arthur’s Seat is the main peak of a family of hills in Holyrood Park.
Though it can be quite a struggle, especially when on vacation, the best time to ascend Arthur’s Seat to get the loveliest views of the city, would be before sunrise. While waking up that early might seem like torture right now, once you are up there drenching your eyes with the beauty around, you will be thanking yourself for making that choice.
When trekking to Arthur’s Seat, you can take various routes, depending on what kind of experience you would like to indulge in and what level of difficulty you are up for. These routes include:
If you want to follow the remains of the lava that was once spit out by this dormant volcano, then go for the red route. Start from the cark park at Holyrood Palace and follow the path paved in red. This is often described as the most beautiful way to see Arthur’s Seat; however, be warned that the climb on the red route is a bit strenuous compared to the other paths.
If you want to see what the hullabaloo around Arthur’s Seat is all about, but also want to put in as little effort as possible, then we have just the right route for you. With this route, you walk through the valley of Hunter’s Bog to escape the city and effortlessly head up to the pinnacle.
This route to Arthur’s Seat is for the adventurer amongst us. Begin your walk from the Holyrood Park Road entrance and keep following the trail until you reach Salisbury Crags. The climb is steep and challenging, but isn’t that what keeps the adrenaline pumping?
It is hard to believe, but climbing up to Arthur’s Seat is absolutely free! All you need is to have is time on your hands to explore the beauty of this magnificent site.
Anyone who loves climbing up a jagged terrain to reach the summit and see the most splendid views of the city sprawling around it, should visit the Arthur’s Seat. All you need to do is carry a care pack consisting of a bottle of water and a towel to help you in case the sun decides to be unkind during your hike. It should take you two hours to trek to Arthur’s Seat and back, so be prepared.
The crown of an extinct volcano, Arthur’s Seat is bursting with enthralling stories and facts that will leave you wanting for more. Here are some of those:
No one knows how Arthur’s Seat got its name. Isn’t that fascinating?! This mystery has resulted in many rumours, each more captivating than the other. Some people believe that Arthur’s Seat is a part of Camelot, the mystical castle of King Arthur and his Knights. There are others who think Arthur’s Seat got its name from Àrd-na-Said, which means height of arrows in Scottish. Regardless of how it got its name, Arthur’s Seat will always be a thing of beauty!
There are legends galore about this destination, which will further fuel your desire to visit Arthur’s Seat. According to an ancient Celtic tale, there was once a dragon that flew over this region. It would eat up all the farm animals and terrorise the villagers by spitting fire. One day, the dragon ate so much that it got exhausted and lay down to sleep, and fortunately for the village folks, it never got up again. The people of Scotland believe that the dragon still sleeps under Arthur’s Seat. Maybe it is time you go and find out for yourself.
While the legends are so fascinating, even true history of the place leaves you awestruck. One of the strangest facts about Arthur’s Seat is that in 1836, 17 coffins were found here. These miniature coffins had wooden figures in them. All the figures were dressed differently. The burial was three-layered, with the first and second layer having eight coffins each, and the third layer having one. Why the coffins were there, no one knows the answer to that yet. Eerie and intriguing at the same time!
According to a Scottish tradition, women would climb Arthur’s Seat on May Day and cleanse their faces with dew which was considered to have magic in it. The dew was believed to keep women younger and their skin safe from acne and blemishes. Wouldn’t you want to go and try that for yourself?
Arthur’s Seat has featured in several popular novels, such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Jules Verne’s The Underground City. It has also been written about in several of Ian Rankin’s novels. The movies that have filmed their scenes at Arthur’s Seat include, Chariots of Fire, A Better Life, and T2 Trainspotting.
Ever wondered what happened to debtors in Scotland? Well, some of them were imprisoned at the foot of Arthur’s Seat! People who were charged with not paying off their dues were imprisoned in and around Holyrood Park, and an “S’ was painted at the edge of this sanctuary where they were kept. Only on Sundays, the debtors were free to leave the place and go around without being harmed.
History has it that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were head over heels in love with Scotland! Quite obviously, Arthur’s Seat didn’t fail to capture their attention too. But Prince Albert was worried about the swamp around the hill and was not happy with how it was getting polluted by the people living in Old Town. To get the area cleaned, he created the Queen’s Drive, from where one could see Arthur’s Seat and revel in its beauty. Maybe we need to thank him for preserving this place for us!
