Arthur’s Seat Hike – Edinburgh, Scotland

When I thought of visiting Edinburgh, I wasn’t expecting to do a hike in the city. That is, until Matt discovered the Arthur’s Seat hike. Not only is hiking to Arthur’s Seat a fantastic workout and a little escape to nature, but it also offers one of the most spectacular views of Edinburgh and the coast as well. 

QUICK FACTS ABOUT ARTHUR’S SEAT HIKE

⋙ TRAIL LENGTH – While there is technically more than one trail for the Arthur’s Seat hike, the main trail is approximately 3 miles. It’s the most direct route, although that also means it’s pretty steep as well! If you plan to hike on any trip, especially internationally, don’t forget to look into travel insurance! We had to use our World Nomads plan when I fell hiking in Thailand and broke my arm.
⋙ WHERE IS ARTHUR’S SEAT? –  Arthur’s Seat is located in Holyrood Park just to the east of Edinburg’s Old Town.
⋙ ARTHUR’S SEAT WAS ONCE A VOLCANO – I find volcanoes fascinating. So, I always thing volcanic formations, crater lakes and other things like that are amazing to visit. When I found out that the Arthur’s Seat hike was going to take me around the perimeter of an extinct volcano, I was all in!
⋙ HEIGHT OF ARTHUR’S SEAT – The peak is only 823 feet, but that said, you do start at essentially sea level, so it feels higher than it really is. (Or maybe we just need to be in better shape). Arthur’s Seat is the highest point in all of Edinburgh, though.
⋙ COST OF VISIT – Free! I love finding free sites in cities. This is a wonderful, active activity with a rewarding viewpoint at the end.

TAKING ON THE ARTHUR’S SEAT HIKE

We were in Edinburgh in early July which meant that we were there while lots of flowers were in bloom. Fireweed was all over the place. Fun fact about those pink/purple flowers: I learned in Alaska that just about the time the last tip of the bloom blooms out, the first snowfall happens. I wonder if that’s the same all over the world. Anyone know?

There are multiple peaks and edges along Arthur’s Seat hike. This one is below Arthur’s Seat and makes up part of the view from that highest peak. Plus, you can walk along them for a different view – which you’ll see photos of below as well. 
Taking a brief break along the path to take it all in before we made our way to the end of the Arthur’s Seat hike!

THE TOP OF THE ARTHUR’S SEAT HIKE

We finally crested a hill where the end of the Arthur’s Seat hike in sight. It’s easy to tell when you’re near a summit because of the massive amount of people at the top.
 
As I mentioned earlier, there are different paths up. And once you get near the top, it gets a little more confusing to find the path. We got to this section that looked like it was just a vertical 15-20 foot climb. And, guess what, it was. Luckily, the rocks formed natural little steps. We found a less steep path on the way down, but the it was still steep. It was just a dirt path, which I thought was harder to go down than this would’ve been.
Taking it all in. The view from the top is a stunning 360-degree look at the sea, the rest of Holyrood Park, and, of course, Edinburgh and its old town. 
This is the view of Edinburgh’s Old Town, with the lower cliffs also in the photo. Stirling Castle is in the far left of the photo.
 

THE LOWER CLIFFS OF THE ARTHUR’S SEAT HIKE

Although this isn’t technically part of Arthur’s Seat the summit, the volcano itself is called Arthur’s Seat Volcano, so sorry for the confusion. But this is the view from the wavy peaks you see to the right in the photo above. As far as the view of Edinburgh, I think this section has the better view. It’s less obstructed since you’re standing on the things that obstructs the view on Arthur’s Seat.

This is view from the top of those craggy cliffs. You can see clearly see the Royal Mile from here. Most notably, the tall black spire of The Hub and of course Edinburgh Castle. Fun fact: See that hill that Edinburgh Castle is sitting on? That too is an extinct volcano!

MYTHS + MORE ATTACHED TO ARTHUR’S SEAT

You get even more than just a scenic walk when you do the Arthur’s Seat hike. It’s no stretch to say that Arthur’s seat is the stuff of legends because it’s totally true!

⋙ MAY DAY MYTH – According to legends, girls would wash their faces in the morning dew from the grass of Arthur’s Seat on May Day and it would make them more beautiful.
⋙ THE SLEEPING DRAGON – Another myth, that’s apparently even older than Celtic times, is that there was a dragon who was destroying the population in this area. He was devouring the people of this area. Then, the dragon got greedy and gobbled up so many people that it made him tired. He slept so long that he turned to stone and that’s how this hill came to be here.
⋙ STRANGER THAN FICTION – 17 very small coffins were discovered up here in the 1836, filled with wooden figures and clothes. Although there are theories, no one really knows why they were here. Some say witchcraft, some say an homage to victims of a pair killers who murdered people to sell the bodies for anatomical studies.
⋙ COULD IT BE CAMELOT? – There is some speculation that this could be the site of the mythical Camelot, you know, the realm of King Arthur. That would make sense considering the volcano’s name. However, there are many, many possible theories as to where the name ‘Arthur’s Seat’ comes from. I like to think it’s camelot, but that’s just because I love a good fairy tale/legend.
⋙ LOOKOUT FOR CELTIC RUINS – I learned about the celtic hillfort ruins after already leaving Edinburgh, but had we known, I would’ve scoured the surface for these ruins. These are prehistoric ruins. How cool is that?!

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