Edinburgh Castle is an old fort located on Castle Rock. Presently, it is the city’s symbol and the most visited attraction.
With over 1.56 million visitors going through its gates every year, the Castle overlooks the city from the summit of Castle Hill offering superb views of Edinburgh’s historic centre.
The Castle Rock has rocky cliffs on three of its sides and the fort is only accessible by climbing the steep Castlehill, located on the Royal Mile, the Old Town’s main artery that runs from the Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Seeing the site’s military potential, Iron Age people built a hill fort on the rock. Early medieval poetry tells of a war band that feasted here for a year before riding to their deaths in battle.
As well as guarding great moments in history, the castle has suffered many sieges. During the Wars of Independence it changed hands many times. In 1314, the Scots retook the castle from the English in a daring night raid led by Thomas Randolph, nephew of Robert the Bruce.
The castle defences have evolved over hundreds of years. Mons Meg, one of the greatest medieval cannons ever made, was given to King James II in 1457. The Half Moon Battery, built in the aftermath of the Lang Siege of 1573, was armed for 200 years by bronze guns known as the Seven Sisters. Six more guns defend the Argyle Battery, with its open outlook to the north.
