The medieval city of Edinburgh was one of our favourite big cities to date. Filled with so many great things to do, including an impressive old town, Edinburgh is definitely one to add to your travel list. One of our favourite parts of our visit to the Scottish capital was exploring the beautiful Holyrood Park. Located 10-15 minutes out of the city, this park is a former 12th century hunting ground for the Palace of Holyrood House. The park, coupled with rolling hills, makes you feel as though you’ve been transported to the Scottish Highlands, however in actuality it sits only a short 15 minute walk from the city centre.
Holyrood Park is filled with lakes, rolling hills, walking trails, old ruins and lots of spectacular views. We were lucky that our accommodation was at the edge of the park, allowing us to have views of Holyrood from our apartment. We also enjoyed a run around the park, one of the more picturesque runs of our trip so far.
A few things to do when you visit Holyrood Park:
- Hike up to Arthurs Seat: The top peak of the park sits over 250 metres high, offering great views of the park and surrounding Edinburgh. It is important to consider that this walk has moderate elevation, and takes at least 2 hours return. You should wear good shoes.
- Walk along Salisbury Crags: These impressive cliffs sit up to 150 metres tall perched at the edge of the park. When climbing the cliffs you literally feel like you are within ‘touching distance’ of the city. This hike offers the best views of Edinburgh old town and is a lot easier than the Arthurs Seat trail. It will take between 20-40 minutes to reach the top of the cliff. This was one of our favourite things to do in Edinburgh.
- Walk through Holyrood Park: There are a multitude of walking trails through the park, up the mountain and around the perimeter. All of the walks offer differing levels of elevation, and varied views. We also saw a number of keen trail runners tackling the park as well.
- Check out the St Anthony’s Chapel Ruins: These ruins sit in the shadows of Arthurs Seat, and are over 500 years old. The ruins also overlook St Margaret’s Loch, forming a pretty picture.
- Walk through the park to Duddingston: This old historic town sits on the edge of Holyrood Park, and is almost 1000 years old. Whilst there are a few picturesque houses, alleys and a church, the key attraction is the Sheep Heid Inn. With history dating to 1360, this pub offers an excellent feed and is the perfect stop mid walk through or around the park.
See more of the best views in Edinburgh here!
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