A sunset over Arthur’s Seat

Published 16 November 2014

Sunset over Arthur's Seat

I love Edinburgh. We used to go quite a bit because Catherine’s brother and (his now) wife lived there. They moved away some time ago now, and the last time I was in Scotland’s capital, it was midnight and I was on a sleeper train from Fort William heading down to London.

The trains from Fort William, Aberdeen and Inverness all converge at Edinburgh, and in a rather complex manouvre, three trains combine into one. And whilst this combination takes a some time (three sets of carriages need to be joined together, two individual carriages need to be shunted away, three diesel engines need to be sent to the depot for a rest, and an electric locomative has to be added to the front), you can’t really wander off and explore the city. Besides, it’s 1am.

One of the best things to do in Edinburgh is head up Arthur’s Seat, the dramatic hill that overlooks the city. Some people call it a mountain, which is a bit overdoing it given it’s only 251m in height. However climbing it is compulsory when you’re in Edinburgh. There’s some fantastic walking over it, and some lovely views. And there’s no better time to do it than early on an autumn evening. Why? Because you get views like this.

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