Edinburgh Photo Gallery - Arthur's Seat

Arthur's Seat rises magnificently above Edinburgh's Old Town and it's hard not to spot it. This ancient volcano offers a lovely view of the city at 251m.

From the Scottish Parliament, head towards Queen's Drive and east, and follow the path into the park. It's not a difficult hike but not the easiest either as the paved path becomes dirt and there are some rocky sections with a little scramble close to the top.

St. Anthony's is now in ruins and a good pitstop. Historians believe the chapel was built from before the early 15th century, and records showed the last chaplain left in 1581, with an English artist's engraving from the 18th century indicating the building was already crumbling.

After a quick stop, I continued uphill with a lot of other tourists also making the pilgrimmage.

At the intersection, there is a path down to Dunsapie Loch where there is a parking lot. If you have your own wheels, this is the easiest and fastest way to go up Arthur's Seat.

Scotland's weather can be unpredictable and change rapidly. While there were some blue skies when I started the hike, the skies darkened as I progressed and hail soon started to fall. It got so windy I had to stick by some rocks to stay secure.

The castle and Royal Mile look so small from here.

The blue skies returned by the time I went back downhill for lunch.

If you are pondering whether to climb Arthur's Seat or Calton Hill, I recommend doing both. Calton is a much lower vantage point and quite close to the historic centre, hence the views are more dramatic. However, don't put both into the same day. I bundled the Scottish Parliament with Arthur's Seat for the morning and toured the castle for the afternoon to make an exhausting sightseeing day.