No visit to Edinburgh is complete without a trip to Arthur’s Seat. Arthur’s Seat is an extinct volcano and is the highest peak in Holyrood Park. This forms a unique historic landscape in the heart of the city, whose dramatic crags and hills give Edinburgh part of its distinctive skyline. Arthur’s Seat rises above the city to a height of 251 meters (823 ft) and provides excellent views to both city and sea side.
The best time to climb Arthur’s Seat is around dawn. There is no better place to see the sunrise, if you have a nice clear day. The sunset is also really spectacular from Arthur’s Seat, however make sure to bring lights for the way down.
There are many different routes through Holyrood Park, suitable for all abilities. The easiest way to the summit is to start at the car parking next to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and follow Queens drive until you get to Dunsapie loch (this is the second loch you will see), from there you will already be able to see the summit and you can take one of the smaller paths to reach the Arthur’s Seat.
There are several ways to descent from the summit, but the best one is to walk back to the Palace of Holyroodhouse via the Salisbury Crags.
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For those who want to see all the highlights of the Holyrood park can follow the rout below. This route will take you over the queens drive to the Arthur’s seat(B), then you will descent to the ruins of a former chapel(C) and then you continue through the Salisbury Crags and come back to the Palace of Holyrood house(D) via the ridge that gives great city views.
If you are thinking of going for a run, then Holyrood park is your best pick as well! You can simply follow Queens Drive all around the park. It’s about 5km to go all around and has a nice elevation and descent in the run. The stunning views will almost let you forget that you are getting tired!