Edinburgh, Scotland.

Do you remember last month when I shared the photo above?

If not, it was when I shared about our stay at Princes Street Suites in Edinburgh. This was one of the views from the rooftop terrace.

At the time, I promised a future post with more views from the rooftop terrace of Princes Street Suites.

 

Photography Series.

Today’s photography series does just that. The following photos were taken from the rooftop of the hotel over the course of our two stays there.

I would have loved to have captured even more photos, but between rain and spending time actually walking around the city, I only got up there a few times.

Old Calton Cemetery.

The hotel is located beside the Old Calton Cemetery. You can see the obelisk and the Governor’s House, which I shared about in my post about the hotel.

Arthur’s Seat.

Arthur’s Seat is the peak rising up in the background. It’s an ancient volcano whose highest point reaches 823 feet (251 meters). Many people hike to the top for beautiful views of the city.

An interesting fact that I learned while on a bus tour was that traditionally on May Day, young women would climb the hillside to wash their face in the dew. Legend was that this would keep them looking youthful and beautiful.

One of the ways to hike to begin the hike to Arthur’s Seat is along the Radical Road. The Radical Road was built by unemployed weavers, following their failed efforts during the Radical War of 1820.

That Scottish Insurrection came as a result of social unrest from workers fed up with what they perceived as unjust working and living condition from the government. April 3, 1820, gave rise to a national strike that began in Glasgow. After King George IV visited the city in 1822, Sir Walter Scott suggested that the unemployed weavers could build a footpath. (The Scotsman).

On my visit, we were hoping to walk at least part of the Radical Road.

If you’ve followed our ancestral journey, then you are familiar with the fact that many of my ancestors are from the region around Glasgow and that at minimum my Baird line held weavers, hence our trip to Airdrie where we had an 1841 census stating that James Baird was a Hand Loom Weaver, living on Flowerhill Street.

We did not have a chance to make it to the Radical Road on that journey, but we will be back in Edinburgh in May and are planning to at least set foot on the road.

The City of Edinburgh Council.

The building in the foreground is Edinburgh’s city council building.

The Arches.

In the foreground is The Arches. The Arches at New Waverly is a shopping and eating destination. They are located on East Market Street, near the Royal Mile and Waverly Station.

Jury’s Inn.

The road above The Arches and on which you can see the Jury’s Inn is Jeffrey Street.

Rooftop Terrace.

Oh! Hey there! Don’t mind me.

Following along with the view behind me…

North Bridge.

The North Bridge is a road bridge that connects Princes Street with the High Street. It is the connector between New Town and Old Town. The first bridge was built between 1763 and 1772 and stood until 1896 when it was demolished to make way for the current bridge.

The Scotsman Hotel.

Given that this shot was captured around sunset (which is quite late at the beginning of June), the signs are slightly harder to read. However, the building to the right of the bridge is The Scotsman Hotel. The 1905 Baroque building once held The Scotsman, Scotland’s national newspaper. The hotel took its name from that fact.

City Art Centre.

You can also see the City Art Centre building located beside the giant crane. The aim of this museum is to champion historic and contemporary Scottish visual and applied arts. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday and admission is usually free.

The Hub.

The spire rising up in the background is The Hub. You might recognize it from my Doors of Edinburgh series.

The Mound

The green dome is Lloyds Banking Group Scottish Headquarters located on The Mound. The building was built in 1806 as the Head Office of the Bank of Scotland. You can read more about the fascinating history of the building here.

Edinburgh Castle.

Continuing on, you can Edinburgh Castle rising up in the distance. Archaeologists have established human occupation of Castle Rock since at least the Iron Age (2nd Century AD)!

Waverley Station.

In the foreground, you can see triangular patterns of the Waverley Station roof.

Edinburgh Waverley.

For perspective on the roof, this photo is taken from Waterloo Place looking down Calton Road. Princes Street Suites is to your right and The Arches are in the background.

The Balmoral Hotel.

The Balmoral Hotel was originally named the North British Station Hotel. It was built in 1902.

You can learn quite a few amazing facts while taking a bus tour of the city. One of those facts that I learned is that the clock in the clock tower is set three minutes fast. Located beside Waverly Station, this setting is started so that travelers wouldn’t miss their trains. To this day, it still runs three minutes fast, except on Hogmanay (December 31st).

The Balmoral Hotel is one of the most photographed sights, second only to Edinburgh Castle.

As we passed by the entrance, there was always a kilted doorman waiting for guests. The hotel has hosted many famous people. One of which is J.K. Rowling, who finished the Harry Potter series in a hotel suite here. This is where she famously (or infamously) graffitied a bust in the room stating that fact.

You can see between the first photo and the second that the flags had been lowered to half-staff. The terror attack on London Bridge took place while we were in Glasgow.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this little tour of Edinburgh from the rooftop.

Let your light shine!

Amy