May began with a trip to North Street to take in the Hit The North Street Art Festival, getting photos of the pieces of artwork as they were created, and then the finished artwork.
The following weekend, I treated myself to a trip to Scotland, spending most my time in Edinburgh, getting photos of Street Art (of course) and walking up Arthur’s Seat and going for a stroll in Colinton.
It would have been rude not to go to a football match, Livingston v St Johnstone being my match of choice before a day trip to Glasgow saw me get more Street Art photos and visit Cathkin Park, an abandoned football stadium.
Towards the end of the month, it was all about Friday nights, first of all winning a ticket to see Ulster v Sharks.
Then, the last Friday of the month, I went to see Queen (well, half of Queen, but it was still so good) at The Odyssey.
Regular readers will know that I was a regular visitor to Edinburgh during Pre Covid times.
However, Arthur’s Seat was not something on my itinerary. Looking back, that was a big mistake.
Eventually, in 2019, I took the plunge and walked up it. I ended up regretting the times I never walked up it.
I made a vow to go up again in 2020, and then again in 2021 and so forth.
Obviously, I never saw Covid coming.
As a result, it wouldn’t be until 2022 that I return.
Back in 2019, I walked up at 6am. It might seem mad, but trust me, it’s worth it when you reach the top.
I did intend on going up around a similar time, but my bed was too comfy, so 7.30am it was.
There are various ways to start Arthur’s Seat.
When I went up in 2019, I got a taxi from my accommodation in Sciennes. I asked the Driver to drop me off at the most convenient point, which turned out to be the Commonwealth Games Swimming Pool.
So, I used that for my reference point.
This time, I was staying in Newington, not far from Sciennes. The ride turned out to be embarrassingly short. I could have walked it.
When walking up Arthur’s Seat, it is advisable to take your time just to be safe. It is very easy to have a fall.
The weather on Monday morning was dull, meaning that my photos were crap, meaning that the trip felt a bit underwhelming.
I did note, that you feel stalked by Easter Road. No matter where you are on Arthur’s Seat, you can always see it. I got two Football Stadiums for the price of one as I could see Meadowbank Stadium, the proposed new home ground of Edinburgh City, at the same time. I think I saw Murrayfield as well.
As I said earlier, be careful going up as it is easy to have a fall, especially if it is or has recently been wet.
There was a gentle breeze when I was walking up, which was most welcome.
I would also advise heading early in order to avoid the crowds. There wasn’t many people there when I went up, very early on a weekday.
Having reached the top, I headed down, leaving via the Scottish Parliament and then a short walk to Waverley in order to pick up my copy of Metro.
Checked out on Tuesday morning with a lot of time to kill, I thought to myself looking at the weather being better for phototaking, why not walk up it again?
I was only a short walk from the start, so why not?
By now, after four successive days of hitting 40,000 steps, my legs felt like stone.
Knowing what would await me at the top, I pushed on through.
Despite there being bright sun in the sky, it was cold and windy.
It was so windy, that my hat blew off. I didn’t even realise such a thing could actually happen.
Thankfully, I was able to retrieve the hat.
The views at the top were spectacular, being able to look over Edinburgh and see people going about their daily business.
It was worth the wind, the cold, the sore feet. Sometimes, you need a little pain to get a little gain.
I’ve no idea when i’ll be back in Edinburgh, i’m looking at August 2023.
Whenever it is, i’ll be sure to include a trip up Arthur’s Seat to my itinerary.
I planned to do something, and I went and did it, walking up Arthur’s Seat during my recent stay in Edinburgh.
It’s a hill in Edinburgh, not particularly demanding, but far from easy.
I’d always heard people talking about it, and walking it, so I decided to have a go myself.
I set aside a morning to do this. I decided I would get up early. When I say early, I mean early, my taxi dropping me off just after 6am.
The reason for this, my logic being is that the roads would be clear for my taxi, and there wouldn’t be many people around.
Arthur’s Seat is based in Holyrood Park. I’d seen signs all over the city for Holyrood Park but never really knew where it was. Turns out it’s a very big park.
Thankfully, my Taxi Driver was very knowledgeable when I asked to be dropped off at the start. He took me from my accommodation in Sciennes to an entrance just after the Royal Commonwealth Pool.
I decided to see how far I could get in 30 minutes, turns out I was near the top, so I just continued my journey.
When I reached the top, I was disappointed to learn (Just a joke, I already knew) that there wasn’t a seat in Arthur’s Seat. I really needed one.
I just stood and look over Edinburgh, it was wonderful, I could look over the entire city, with clear views. The only downside was that it was a bit of a rubbish sunrise.
I could even see Easter Road, the first in what might be the only one in a series called Football Stadiums Seen From The Top Of A Hill.
Amazingly, I wasn’t the only one there, as it was surprisingly busy for just after 6.30am on a Monday morning.
Somehow, I ended up taking a different route down than the one I went up, and ended up in Canongate. No problem, I knew how to get back to my accommodation from there, and it gave me an excuse to call in somewhere for breakfast.
From now on, every time i’m in Edinburgh, i’m going to put an early morning trip to Arthur’s Seat on my schedule.
I’m hoping that 2020 will be the year I finish off Bray Head, do Arthur’s Seat again, and at some point between now and then, see how much of Cavehill I can do.
And then in 2021, Kilimanjaro. Just joking, I get knackered walking up Pleasance.
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