Calton Hill offers some of the best views of Edinburgh and across to Fife, it’s a gentle walk and costs nothing.
Located on Waterloo Place at the East End of Princes Street (opposite end to the Castle) Calton Hill is easy to get to from anywhere in the city centre. Once up the hill there are views directly down Princess Street where it feels like you could reach out and touch the Balmoral Hotel. Towards the North West on a clear day there will be glimpses of the Iconic Forth Rail Bridge and across the Firth of Forth to Fife. Towards the North East you may be able to see Bass Rock that is close to North Berwick and will have great views over the New Town and Leith.
This isn’t just a hill, it is home to Nelson’s Column, for those who don’t feel high enough during the summer months for a small fee £3 you can go up the tight winding stair way and get the view from the top, its significantly higher to be well worth the effort. There is also the National Monument that looks like it has been dropped out of the sky from Rome. The well photographed Dougald Stewart Monument and the Observatory House are a pieces of Calton Hill’s unmistakable character. There are also good views of the Scottish Parliament, Holyrood, Aurthur’s Seat and Dynamic Earth.
Abbeyhill, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh EH7 5AA, UK
