A lot of folks visiting Edinburgh make time to climb Arthur’s Seat. And don’t get me wrong, that’s a beautiful hike with a rewarding view at the top. I wrote all about it in a recent post here. But personally, I prefer Calton Hill. It’s got a very interesting and unique history and it offers excellent views that are, in my opinion, comparable to Arthur’s Seat. Of course, it’s not as tall as Arthur’s Seat, but it does have an observatory and several monuments, including one unfinished monument locally referred to as “Edinburgh’s Disgrace” (more on that below!).
So this post is my “pitch” if you will for why you should visit Calton Hill if you’re in Edinburgh, alongside a bit of history about this unique landmark.
One of the best things about the hill is that it’s smack dab in the center of the city. It’s basically right at the end of Princes Street (the city’s main shopping thoroughfare). And it only takes about five minutes to walk up the steps from the street to reach the top of the hill, making it the perfect place for quick access to amazing views (Arthur’s Seat, by comparison, takes about half an hour or more to climb, depending on what route you take up).
And what will you see when you get to the top? Well, quite a lot!
If you look north, you’ll see the Firth of Forth (the body of water separating Edinburgh and Fife) and the neighborhood of Leith, along other things. Here’s my mom and I on a recent walk up there, taking in those views.
And looking south (forgive me if my directions are off, but I’m pretty sure it’s south!), you’ll see the rest of the city, including the castle.
And not far from the base of the hill, you can also spot Holyrood, the palace where the King stays in Scotland.
(If anyone is interested in a Holyrood focused post let me know because that is a really cool place to visit, with lots of history about Mary Queen of Scots!)
Basically, you can wander around the hilltop and, in every direction, there’s a great view!
But there’s more to see up there then just a fantastic view, including the National Monument.
To understand what makes this monument so quirky, you have to know that, in the 19th century, and even sometimes still today, Edinburgh was referred to as the “Athens of the North”. So Calton Hill was meant to be our answer to the acropolis. The famous (and unfinished) national monument was meant to be like the Parthenon in Athens. Construction began in 1826 and it was intended to commemorate the Scottish servicemen who died fighting Napoleon. But building halted just a few years later sadly due to lack of money and it was never finished.
So now you just have these columns basically – an incomplete monument.
But I personally really like the look of it and my mom made a good point when she visited recently that, for the average traveler nowadays, you wouldn’t know the difference between an “incomplete” monument and one that is just missing parts due to age or wear and tear. It looks like a relic from a bygone era, and it certainly is that. Its incomplete nature seems less serious now then it probably did back in the day, when their big dreams were crushed due to the lack of big funds. Now it’s simply a beautiful and iconic part of the skyline.
You can see other elements of neoclassical architecture up there too, including the City Observatory (which I want to make a whole separate post on) and the Dugald Stewart monument (he was a Scottish philosopher). I also like the Nelson monument up there, for British naval hero Horatio Nelson, a stone tower that forms another memorable part of the skyline.
One of the things I like most about this city is that it’s definitely urban but it has a very peaceful, almost countryside feel, embodied by places like Calton Hill. You will know this if you’ve visited, but there are green spaces throughout. I love this. I think this, mixed with all the historical architecture (18th and 19th century and earlier), makes it one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
And Calton Hill is one of the best places to take everything in and to perhaps remember that even projects that don’t go exactly the way you planned can still turn out beautiful.
You can find out more about Calton Hill and its history on the Edinburgh World Heritage Site here. For some amazing photos and more information about the hill, check out this helpful blog post, “A Local’s Guide to Calton Hill, Edinburgh”.
And finally, because it’s the last post of the year, I just wanted to thank you for reading! And to share that I got to have a very special experience this year: I met one of this blog’s readers in person in Edinburgh! She was visiting with her husband and we had a fantastic time grabbing a drink at a local pub, Cafe Royal. This is a positive side of the internet – meeting interesting, like-minded people and forming friendships.
I hope you have a nice festive period and I’ll be back in January!
Madeira Mondays are posted on the first Monday of every month and explore history and historical fiction. If you enjoyed this post please share it, subscribe to the blog, or you can support the blog by buying me a coffee on Kofi! There are many more historical adventures and journeys to share, and I thank you so much for reading!
Carly Brown 