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Published: September 18th 2005
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THAT was actually the hill we climbed up
This is a shot of Graham pointing to the actual, very tall peak we climbed This morning Graham and I got up early and joined a large group from our residence hall in a hike up Arthur's Seat. This is one of the mail hills overlooking the city, scituated at the bottom of the Royal Mile near the Scottish Parliament building. I do not have much experience when it comes to "hill climbing," but it seems to be a big pasttime here in Scotland, so I was excited about the opportunity to experience it.
I thought I was going to die. I am in pretty good shape -- but this was insanity. Graham seemed to be enjoying it though. The early part of the hike was nothing -- it actually took us all the way down the Royal Mile. But as we approached the hill, I looked at the peak from the road and though "We're climbing to the top of THAT?" Actually, I was wrong. We were not climbing to the top of THAT -- the hill we were climbing up was much much taller.
It seems like the park where Arthur's Seat is located draws a lot of locals. As we started the lowest part of our hill climb, we saw lots
Halfway up, Halfway to go...
At this point, I am wishing THIS was the end of the hike, but there is still at least half to go of runners and people strolling along with their dogs. There were even people with their children walking up parts of the trail. The amazing thing about Arthur's Seat is that once you get our there, you feel like you are in the countryside -- but you are also 5 minutes from the heart of Edinburgh. Its an amazing contrast that seems to characterize this city. The banks of the local waterway, the Waters of Leith, also apparently has that "out in the middle of no-where" feel, which is incredible given its close proximity to the main shopping district here. On Arthur's Seat there are masses of rolling tall grass, rocky and jaged paths, and even a few decrepit ruins. Its kind of surreal -- but as beautiful as anything else in this incredible place.
The hike was strenuous, but worth it. From the peak, you can see the rolling hills which I imagine must make up the lower half of the highlands, the waters that surround the city from three sides, and even more hills towards Glasgow. It is also incredibly windy at the top, and freezing (which at first felt nice, given that I was dripping with sweat.
YES!! I made it
Hold on to your hats...it sure is windy up here After 10 minutes at the top, though, it started getting uncomfortable.) I was completely exhausted at the end, but it was a great replacement for a trip to the gym.
In fact, it wasn't the first climb of the weekend. Graham and I took a shorter climb up Castle Hill. Edinburgh Castle used to be surrounded by the Nor'Loch (North Lake), which was drained centuries ago and now holds the Prince Street Gardens. The garden, though, still looks much like the basin of a lake, and you can climb up one side of that basin to the Royal Mile without having to bother with one of the many bridges that connects New Town with Old Town. Graham and I have passed the Castle Hill walk many times this week, but we thought a Saturday afternoon might be a good time to give it a try. That walk wasn't terribly difficult, but it was great because at the middle of your journey, you can see the entire stretch of Prince's Stree if you look downward, and the lower walls of the Castle if you look upward. It beats the hell out of New York City any day of the week.
Graham and I and the City
The Rooftop Terrace at the Museum of Scotland is a great place to get a nice view of the city -- without the 500 ft. elevation and the hike
When you finish the hike, you get the added bonus of being right across the street from the Scottish Whiskey Heritage Center.
The rest of Saturday was taken up with a visit to one of the many fabulously free Museums in Edinburgh -- we chose the Museum of Scotland as our first. The museum has a wonderful collection of beautiful Scottish History artifacts, and the Rooftop Terrace offers a gorgeous view of the Royal Mile. The Museum of Scotland was also where I made the terrible mistake of trying some local non-alcoholic brew. I wanted a soda, but I thought "hey, I can have Coke any day of the week." So I grabbed a "slightly sparking fruity beverage with natural sweeteners" called Irn-Bru -- remind me to never try the local fare on a whim again, because the stuff literally tasted like liquified carbonated Bazooka Joe bubble gum. YUK!!!
And that is the fabulous story of my fabulously wonderful weekend.
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Jill-O-E
non-member comment
1. You and Graham are EXCELLENT at pointing at things ;) 2. Edinburgh is indeed very beautiful. 3. Just because that particular beverage is gross doesn't mean they all are! I think you should keep trying them, at least for now.