Distance 5 miles (8km)
Classification Moderate
Duration 2 hours 30 minutes
Begins Holyrood Park car park
OS grid reference NT271737
Walk in a nutshell
The climb on to Arthur's Seat may be steep, but an excellent path on to the compact, rocky summit (and a panorama par excellence) makes the ascent easier. Superb paths also run around the rim of Salisbury Crags (where a little care should be taken) and once the ascent of Arthur's Seat is accomplished, the hard work is done for the day and it is a simple matter of following a pavement through Holyrood Park back to the start.
Why it's so special
There can't be many cities with a volcano (albeit dormant) slap bang in the centre, but Edinburgh is one such place. The peaceful Holyrood Park is the perfect antidote to the busy streets of Edinburgh, and a climb over Salisbury Crags and on to Arthur's Seat grants a breathtaking view of Edinburgh and, particularly, Edinburgh Castle.
Keep your eyes peeled for
The remains of St Anthony's chapel, which is the only building to stand within Holyrood Park. Very little is known about the chapel but it is thought to have been built in the 1300s as an outlying chapel for Holyrood Abbey, although the chapel was seemingly built on land that belonged to the monks of Kelso Abbey. The demise of the chapel is also shrouded in mystery but probably fell into disrepair after the Reformation of 1560.
Recover afterwards
Edinburgh has so many fine pubs and restaurants that several pages would be required to list them all. However, the Canon's Gait (canonsgait.com), on the Royal Mile, is one of Edinburgh's best pubs.
If it's tipping down
Edinburgh has a plethora of top-notch visitor attractions including the National Trust for Scotland properties of Gladstone's Land (bit.ly/HTNgDR), a superbly restored and refurbished 17th-century tenement house situated on the Royal Mile, and the 18th-century Georgian House (bit.ly/nUSL6g) in Charlotte Square. This has also been restored.
How to get there
Edinburgh city centre is extremely well served by buses and trains to Waverley railway station. To get to Holyrood Park from Waverley, walk south along North Bridge over High Street to reach Cowgate. Turn left, follow Cowgate on to Holyrood Road, which swings right into Holyrood Gait and into Holyrood Park.
This article was amended on 14 June 2012. Gladstone's Land and the Georgian House are National Trust for Scotland properties, not National Trust properties.
Step by step
1 From Holyrood Park car park, turn right on to Queen's Drive and walk along the pavement, passing by Holyrood Palace and Abbey. Continue straight on at two roundabouts from where the pavement makes its way alongside Salisbury Crags to reach an obvious grassy path. Bear left from Queen's Drive and follow the path as it climbs gradually underneath Salisbury Crags until it joins a red gravel path. Turn left and climb the path, ignoring another path on the left, to reach the base of Salisbury Crags, which were formed around 340 million years ago.
2 Bear left on to the crags, where there is a choice of three paths. Take the right path, which climbs over rocky slabs and then turns left on to another path. This then follows the rim of Salisbury Crags, granting an invigorating and exhilarating walk, climbing gradually to reach the top.
3 The path then bears right, descending away from the cliff edge towards St Margaret's loch. At a fork turn right, with the path dropping gently down towards a rock face. Cross over a path and continue along a narrow path to reach the rock face.
4 Turn right on to a solid path, climb past St Margaret's loch and the ruin of St Anthony's chapel. At a large boulder turn right and climb a path through steep embankments towards Arthur's Seat, veering left to reach a grassy plateau. Turn right on to a stony path and follow a fence on to the airy top of Arthur's Seat, crossing rocky slabs. The panorama is outstanding.
5 From the summit descend steeply east, down an obvious path, returning to Queen's Drive beside Dunsapie loch. Turn left on to Queen's Drive and follow the pavement through Holyrood Park to return to the car park.
