World Famous (Edinburgh Castle)

Member Name: daseaford

Product:	Edinburgh Castle
Date:	02/11/00 (34 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of interesting attractions.

Disadvantages: A little bit dear.

When you first see Edinburgh Castle from the city streets it does not look like a traditional castle. However, as you walk up the steep roads, the approach to the castle entrance is very impressive.

The ticket price does seem a bit expensive, as there is little indication as to what you will see for your money. But you should pay the money (£7 Adults, £2 Children) as the visit is worth every penny.

When you enter the castle there is a choice of three ways to find your way around:

1) You can borrow a cassette recorder (with headphones) and an audio tape, which gives you a commentary about each part of the castle. This is a free service and it is estimated the tour will take about 4 hours if you follow the route on the tape. A lot of the visitors use this service, but after a couple of hours these people do look as if they are in a trance.

2) Have a guided tour. These start from near the entrance gate of the castle, at regular intervals. (The time of the next tour is displayed on the wall). The quality of these tours is obviously dependent upon the individual guide and there did seem to be a lot of standing around outside buildings listening to long dialogues about the buildings and their history from the guide.

3) Find your own way around. We took this option and found this very satisfactory. It allowed us to spend more time in the parts of the castle we found particularly interesting and also for the children to do their own exploring, especially in the castle prison area.

Within the castle there are a large number of different buildings, each with a different area of interest, with each part set out really well. The displays show the history of the Scottish military and the castle itself in such a way that visitors of all ages are kept interested.

There are a number of small shops around the castle selling gifts and souvenirs, but these are not intrusive and the prices in the shops are quite reasonable.
There is also a very comfortable coffee shop selling drinks, snacks and meals.

Not to be missed is the One O’clock Gun. Every day at one o’clock a military cannon is fired from the castle walls, which traditionally was used to tell the people in the City below the exact time every day. It is now maintained as a tourist attraction and always draws a crowd around this part of the castle every day. There is a display room set up especially about the gun firing and it’s history, not only at Edinburgh, but of time guns around the world.

The attractions within the castle are too numerous to mention here, but I must mention the Scottish Crown Jewels, which are on display here. These are very impressive, but could easily be missed as there is only a small sign directing visitors to the vault where the jewels are on display.

The views from the top of the castle over the city of Edinburgh, the Firth of Forth and the surrounding area are spectacular. Remember to take your camera to capture these sights.

If you are visiting Edinburgh and have 3 or 4 hours to spare, then do visit the castle. It is a visit you will remember.

Summary: