Calton Hill Climb

I have always wanted to climb Calton Hill since I got here. Before coming to Edinburgh, I would google for images of the city out of curiousity and these beautiful pictures taken on the hill would come up. One of those photos is the one I am using for my header (see top of page). I have never gotten around to climbing it last term because it was always dark and dreary and quite depressing. This morning, my two friends, Stephanie and Dave, and I decided to walk up to Calton hill at 10 in the morning. It was quite a challenge getting out of bed but after reaching the top, I must say the view was worth getting up for.

The hill is located at the center of New Town and overlooks Hollyrood Palace on one side, and gives you a magnificent view of the sea and Inchkeith Island (which I also plan to visit), on the other. The hill also includes several iconic monuments and buildings: the National Monument, the Nelson's Monument, the Dugald Stewart Monument, the New Parliament House and the City Observatory.

This is a photo of the National Monument in the middle of the grounds.

This is the view of Arthur's Seat from the hill. Arthur's Seat is a dead volcano in the middle of Hollyrood Park and is the main peak of the city. It is quite popular to walk there since it gives amazing panoramic views of the city and it is an easy climb as well.