More modern is the 105mm field gun next to the Argyle Battery, which is fired at precisely 1pm every day. Historically, this is to allow the ships on the Firth of Forth to accurately set their times. The One O’Clock Gun was introduced in 1861, replacing a dropping ball on Calton Hill, which was too often obscured by mist. Anyone walking past oblivious is in for a jolting shock at 1pm – the noise is boomingly loud.
4 Shudder in the Prisons of War
Prisons of War.
Over the centuries, Edinburgh Castle has been repeatedly used as a prison. The ship cabin-like vaults have been restored to how they would have looked in 1781, when prisoners from the American Revolutionary War slept in the hammocks. Museum-style exhibits tell of the conditions – one prisoner pretended to be a Frenchman called Pierre as the French got better rations. There’s also one of the earliest ever depictions of the US Stars and Stripes flag, etched above a door latch.
5 Look up in the Great Hall
Built for the wedding of Scotland’s King James IV and Margaret Tudor – the oldest sister of English King Henry VIII – in 1511, the Great Hall is decorated with suits of armour and weaponry. The jaw-dropper, however, is the wooden roof. Made without screws or nails, the handsome, elaborately painted masterpiece is held up by wooden pins and beam pressure. It’s one of only three such roofs left in the UK – most of the others were destroyed after the English Revolution by dictator Oliver Cromwell.
6 Be dazzled in the Crown Room
The Elizabeth Sword, commissioned for King Charles III in 2022.
Cromwell also had the English Crown Jewels melted down for coins, making Scotland’s once-lost crown jewels – the Honours of Scotland – the UK’s oldest. They’re on show in the Crown Room of the Royal Palace, with the star of the show being King James V’s jewel-encrusted crown made for his wife’s coronation in 1540. It has not been worn since the United Kingdom came into being in 1707, and it lies next to the gleaming, thistle-hilted Elizabeth Sword, commissioned for King Charles III in 2022.
7 Pay respect at the Scottish National War Memorial
The Scottish National War Memorial opened in 1927.
Dripping with symbolic detail, the National War Memorial is built on the highest point of Castle Rock. You can see the summit beneath the silver casket containing the honour roll of Scots who died serving their country. Also fascinating is the bronze frieze work around the shrine, depicting real people of every military role from tank commander to pigeon carrier, and more Donald Strachan stained-glass windows. Look up, and stone-cut animal heads pay tribute to the goats, camels and horses that served in the world wars.
The writer was a guest of Visit Britain. See VisitBritain.com