Edinburgh Castle
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-> Edinburgh CastleThe history of Edinburgh, and indeed of Scotland, is indissolubly bound up with its castle (daily: April-Oct 9.30am-6pm; Nov-March 9.30am-5pm; £7.50), which dominates the city from its lofty seat atop an extinct volcanic rock. It requires no great imaginative feat to comprehend the strategic importance that underpinned the castle's, and hence Edinburgh's, importance in Scotland: from Princes Street, the north side rears high above an almost sheer rockface; the southern side is equally formidable; the western, where the rock rises in terraces, only marginally less so. Would-be attackers, like modern tourists, were forced to approach the castle from the crag to the east on which the Royal Mile runs down to Holyrood.
The castle's disparate styles reflect its many changes in usage, as well as advances in military architecture: the oldest surviving part, St Margaret's Chapel, is from the twelfth century, while the most recent additions date back to the 1920s. It last saw action in 1745, when the Young Pretender's forces, fresh from their victory at Prestonpans, made a half-hearted attempt to storm it. Subsequently, advances in weapon technology diminished the castle's importance, but under the influence of the Romantic movement it came to be seen as a great national monument.
Though you can easily take in the views and wander round the castle yourself, you might like to join one of the somewhat overheated guided tours, with their talk of war, boiling oil and the roar of the cannon. Alternatively, audioguides with personal headphones are available from a booth just inside the gatehouse. Both the guided tours and audioguides are included in the entrance price.
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