The rocky summit of an extinct volcano in Holyrood Park, and the finest short walk-up view over Edinburgh
Open accessScotland's right of responsible access applies
Arthur’s Seat is the high point of Holyrood Park, a chunk of open hill and crag sitting right in the middle of Edinburgh. It is the worn-down stump of a volcano that last erupted around 350 million years ago, and at 251 metres it is not big, but it rises straight out of the city, so the view from the top takes in the whole of Edinburgh, the Firth of Forth and, on a clear day, the hills beyond.
Several paths lead up, and they all get you there in well under an hour. The gentlest lines come round from the Dunsapie Loch side to the east; the most direct routes go up grass and rock from the west, below the line of cliffs called Salisbury Crags. The ground near the top is bare rock and can be slick after rain, and it catches the wind, so decent shoes help even though this is a walk in the city.
You can start straight from the Holyrood Park gates by the palace. On the east side the village of Duddingston sits below the hill, with The Sheep Heid Inn for a stop afterwards and Duddingston Loch below that for the birds. For another easy viewpoint in town, Calton Hill is a short walk off to the north-west.
More at hill-bagging.co.uk
