Day 12 - Edinburgh

A day to stroll and snap photos!

The Royal Mile runs up and down the rocky ridge of the Edinburgh like a spine, dark narrow passageways extending on either side like fish-bones are called Closes. This website has amazing details and maps of the Closes.

Speaking of fish-bones:

And finally

This huge gothic tower was built to commemorate the work of Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832).

The foundation stone was laid on August 15th 1840 and it was completed in 1844 at a cost of little over £16,154.00.

Rising to 200ft 6 inches high it contains a spiralling staircase of 287 steps and offers magnificent views from the top spire. yes, we gave those stairs a miss also!

Built of light sandstone, the pollution from traffic over the years has darkened it considerably.

Seated under the huge arches of the tower is a solid marble sculputure of Sir Walter Scott sitting in his chair of Carrara marble with his beloved dog ' Maida' carved by sculptor John Steell.

There are 64 statuettes of characters from Sir Walter Scott’s books.

Along the Royal Mile