Calton Hill, Edinburgh

Back in October last year I spent just under a week in Edinburgh, using it as a base to explore other areas of Scotland as well as the city itself. This was my second visit to the city – you can read my previous posts about Edinburgh Castle, the National Museum of Scotland and Edinburgh Zoo. With the exception of the zoo which I revisited, I wanted to visit places that I hadn’t managed to the first time. One of these was Calton Hill which I headed to straight after checking in to my accommodation (The Elder York Guest House – highly recommended). Situated to the east of the city it is one of the best places to get a view of Edinburgh.

It also provides quite a nice view of Holyrood Palace (more on that in a future post).

It was a lovely sunny day but as is extremely common with Edinburgh, particularly up on the hill, very, very windy. It’s easy to get to with a gentle climb up some steps (other routes up are described later) and then well laid out paths, in fact I was surprised when I got up there having not done much research prior how well laid out it all was. It’s a very popular spot for locals and tourists alike for its views and for the monuments at the top which lead to the city’s nickname as “the Athens of the North”.

I didn’t have any particular plan except to wander around and take photos of the monuments of which Calton Hill has an abundance. A UNESCO World Heritage site it’s an extinct volcano and one of the oldest parks in Britain, dating from around 1724.

The National Monument of Scotland, most reminiscent of Athens, is a memorial to Scottish soldiers and sailors who died in the Napoleonic Wars. It was quite a controversial build at the time and is only partially finished because the money ran out – this lead to the nickname of “Scotland’s Disgrace” which I think is a tad harsh! The years have certainly lessened the criticism and it is now fondly thought of by residents.

There are several paths on the hill which lead you around more historic buildings and sculptures. The widest that climbs to the top of the hill is called Hume Walk. It was opened in 1775 and named for the philosopher David Hume who was also a supporter of the creation of the park; Hume Walk has been called the first public footpath in Britain. Some of the buildings you can see along here include not one but two observatories – the Old Observatory House designed by James Craig in 1792 (pictured) and the City Observatory dating from 1818 – you can go inside and see exhibitions here but check opening times on the Council website (it wasn’t open when I visited).

One of the most striking buildings up there is of course Nelson’s Monument which was built between 1807 and 1816 to commemorate Admiral Nelson who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The design of the monument is said to resemble that of Nelson’s telescope. Apparently you can climb the tower, but again that didn’t seem to be an option when I was there.

I suspect though that one of the most photographed buildings on Calton Hill is the Dugald Stewart Monument which dates from 1831. Designed by William Henry Playfair, Stewart was a Scottish philosopher at Edinburgh University in the mid 1780s-1828. In keeping with the Greek theme, the design of the monument is based on the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens, which by coincidence I actually photographed in May so you can see the comparisons below.

It’s definitely a good spot to visit – early morning or late afternoon are probably best if you want to avoid crowds in the summer but certainly when I visited in a late mid-week afternoon in October there were only a few people around. You can access it by a staircase at Regent Road (my route), a footpath at Royal Terrace beside Greenside Parish Church or, if disabled/have mobility issues there is vehicle access along Regent Road. (Only Blue Badge Holders can park at the top but taxis and cars can drop off/pick up).