Holyrood Park

Holyrood Park is a large park home to a number of historic sites and landmarks accessible via a trail system, including Arthur's Seat, Hunter's Bog, Dunsapie Crag, St Anthony's Chapel, Duddingston Loch, and The Radical Road. I approached on foot the morning of Friday 19 July 2019, reaching a sign of the park and its trail system at approximately 9:31 a.m. There were a number of cars coming and going already. It was my first visit to the park, so I opted to walk and skip any hassle I might encounter with parking. I was happy with that decision as it was a quick look at the map to get my bearings and I was on my way without needing to find parking.

For my final destination in the park for the visit, I chose to hike to the top of Arthur's Seat - remains of a volcano that was active over 300 million years ago. The trails were well maintained and well designed for handling a large number of hikers.

This hike was perfect!! Beautiful weather in June, over looked the city, not crowded at all, and easy for a family to tackle together (just keep small ones away from the edges as some areas are steep drop offs abruptly).

We had viewed this urban park from the Hop On Hop Off Bus the day before - I'd wondered "That's a pretty impressive piece of real estate that's essentially in the middle of the city". Unlike other urban parks I've run across in San Francisco, New York, and Dublin, Edinburgh's representation has a rather dramatic set of hills in it, which in fact are a dormant (and hopefully for the sake of this city, extinct) volcano. Up these little mountains run a series of impressive looking hiking trails, which naturally caused me to want to walk on them.

As it was our last morning in Scotland's capital, I faced a decision - do I want to make my step goal by once again employing our hotel's rather pathetic gym, or should I go out and try to climb Holyrod? Given that my wife was likely to sleep in for at least another 90 minutes, I opted for the latter.

And it turned out to be a damn good decision. The skies were cloudy, keeping me protected from direct exposure, but it didn't appear as if it were going to rain anytime soon. The base of the mountain turned out to not even be a 20 minute walk from our hotel's exit, so I realized I had plenty of time to at least try the trail.

So I walked, and I walked, and I walked up and up and up. The mountain is just so invigorating that I had to climb more. Views were of course spectacular, both of Leith down below as well as the city's castle. Ran across a multitude of hikers and joggers, most of which seemed as happy as me to be there.

If you're the least bit fit, you need to try this hill if you're in Edinburgh.

If you're in good physical shape then at the end (or beginning depending on how you see it) of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh and trek up the mountain for a beautiful nature hike. You'll be treated to great views of the city below on a clear day. It's very strenuous and exhausting but the payoff at the end is worth it. If you like hiking and don't mind often steep paths upward then this is a must if visiting Edinburgh.

Wow, what a gorgeous park! We did the steep hike up to Arthur's seat and then a much more relaxed, meandering walk back down through the park in late April. The colors in the park itself are stunning... the grass is a beautiful, lush green, contrasting with the volanic rock and golden gorse flowers everywhere. It is like a micro version of the Scottish Highlands, available right in the middle of the capital city.

There are stunning 360 degree views of the city at every turn, and several different difficulty level paths available (the steeper ones will get you to the peak a lot faster). The park also boasts views of volcanic cliff faces, lochs, and some ruins as well!

Another cool thing about the park is that it connects different parts of the city that are desirable to visit (the University area / convention center, the palace and parliament end of Old Town, and beautiful Duddingston village). So if the weather is nice, try walking through the park to get from one neighborhood to another! Make sure you are dressed appropriately for the weather if hiking up to Arthur's Seat, though. We got lucky and had a sunny day for our climb, but I've heard it can get quite rough near the top on a windy or rainy day.

Holyrood Park is a lovely bucolic green area around the slopes and crags of Arthur's Seat, with walking and cycling paths and three lochs (St Margaret's Loch, Dunsapie Loch, and Duddingston Loch)
Best 360 º Edinburgh views from Arthur's Seat, great for joggers, ramblers, picnics and for relaxing in general. A must see (and climb) attraction to do in Edinburgh.

I love Holyrood Park, which is one of the reasons why I moved to this area of Edinburgh. It has a bit of everything: the road for biking or running, trails criss-crossing hilly expanses, beautiful lakes, old ruins, gorgeous views of both the city and the sea, and of course the famed Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags. As a word of warning to those who haven't been yet, it sure is hilly and will get you in shape quickly! When running clockwise around the road, the uphill is steep and considerably short, as compared to going the other way around where the uphill is still nothing to laugh at and is less steep but still 1.5k of climbing. The whole way round is 5k, and there are many race events that take advantage of this scenic and challenging space.

Of course Arthur's Seat is most people's main destination in Holyrood Park, which is gorgeous and has great views. I am also particularly fond of the Salisbury Crags which are incredibly easy to access during a quick trip to the park. You get a 'big bang for your buck' and are quickly rewarded with fabulous views of the city without much climbing. It's also a perfect place for a romantic summer evening's stroll.

In short, Holyrood Park is such a beautiful area to explore, and what a treat it is to have it on the door step of the city centre!

I love this park. It's my favourite place in Edinburgh, so close to the city yet so peaceful. There are so many paths that it's easy to while away a few hours here and not even realize it, it's always busy with folk out walking/jogging/running/cycling/feeding the ducks/having a picnic/playing sports/kite flying/sledging and on Sunday's the bottom road is closed to traffic.

The Rangers often put on events for kids & adults - bat counts, guided walks etc. https://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/places/events.htm

There are toilet facilities down at the Education Centre and the Centre itself often has exhibitions and stuff on.

If you don't want to venture off the beaten track or tackle the Crags, then there's a path all the way round that takes less than an hour to walk right round. There are great views of Edinburgh Castle as you hit the last bit of hill.

The views from the Crags or Arthur's seat are amazing. You can see right down the coast, out to the Forth Bridges and Fife and over to the Pentlands on a clear day.

Over Duddingston way you can get to Dr Findlay's garden, up the lane at the side of the car park.

There's the ruins of St Anthony's chapel to explore if you want a wee climb but don't fancy going as high as the top of the Crags or Arthur's seat.

The other reason I love the park is for watching the fireworks during the Tattoo or the ones at the end of the Festival. It's not as crowded as Princes Street or Calton Hill. Take a torch and a flask, climb up the path above the Crags in daylight and settle down to watch the best show in town. You won't regret it.

Holyrood Park is a beautiful and large park in the centre of Edinburgh, stretching from Duddingston to Newington and of course to Holyrood as well.

Encompassing Arthur's Seat and the Crags, walking and jogging opportunities are endless, and the amazing views atop these hills make it very worthwhile. Of course, you don't have to climb to the very top, as there's a beautiful walk along a ridge at a lower altitude, which is a nice way to walk from Pollock Halls to the Parliament or Holyrood Palace, for example.

There is a road running through the park, which vehicles can and do use, so be careful with dogs and children. At night time, most parts of the road are not well-lit, so high vis jackets are recommended.

I jogged it.

It was steep as fuk.

I almost passed out.

Vacations should not include death.