Scottish Blog

Edinburgh Castle is a main fortress of Edinburgh.

Edinburgh Castle is located atop of Castle Rock in Edinburgh. The location is a basalt plug of an extinct volcano and it stands almost 122 meters above sea level. The height and angle of this basalt plug made the modern day Edinburgh Castle location an ideal place for fortifications and military presence. It is believed that this was one of the contributing factors to the origin of the city of Edinburgh. Archaeological digs have shown definite evidence of settlement on the Edinburgh Castle site as early as the first century AD, while other records point to occupation in much earlier periods.

Edinburgh Castle is currently the second most visited tourist attraction in all of Scotland. Making it, for many, their strongest reminder of their visit. With imposing height and dominance of the Edinburgh city skyline, it is easy to say that to many the Edinburgh Castle is a very prominent symbol of Scotland.

The earliest reliable mention of the Edinburgh Castle is in 600AD in the writings of Ptolemy, who mentions the warriors of Gadoddin dining at the site before going to battle in the modern day Yorkshire area.

By the 11th century there can be no doubt that there are records directly referring to an early incarnation of the modern day Edinburgh castle. Although from this early build of the Edinburgh Castle only St Margaret’s church remains.

The site of the Edinburgh Castle plays host to the great Scottish event, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.