Arthur's Seat & St. Margaret's Loch (Holyrood Park)

Arthur's Seat & St. Margaret's Loch (Holyrood Park)

Distance: 3.63 miles
Elevation: 1,093 feet

Time: 1 hour, 56 minutes (1 hour, 44 minutes moving)
Hike Type: Loopty Loop
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2024

The Hike

Wow! Okay, so the family had already done a couple days in London, a day/night in Blackburn (where we found my great-grandmother's grave site and scattered my grandmother's ashes), and now we were in Edinburgh, and I was immediately in love. Just from the walk from the Waverly train station to the Royal Mile I was immediately enamoured. The group of 9 were starting to branch off and do activities in smaller groups (which was a VERY good thing), so I was starting to think about what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to see at least one show in the Fringe Festival (I ended up seeing three musicals: "I Wish You Well - They Gwyneth Paltrow Ski Trial Musical," "Diary of a Gay Disaster," and "SILENCE! The Musical - The Unauthorised Parody of The Silence of The Lambs"), and then I casually checked AllTrails and remembered that Scotland is BEAUTIFUL. We eventually made our way down the Royal Mile to our AirBnb, which was a few minute walk from Holyroodhouse Palace. From the AirBnb, we had truly a breathtaking view of "Arthur's Seat" in Holyrood Park, and I knew I had to climb it! I got up around 5:30am the next morning to start my adventure!

"Holyrood Park is a rare example of unimproved grassland. Effectively unchanged since its enclosure as a Royal Park in the 1500s, it is rich in plant species and also provides a home to a variety of important invertebrate, amphibian, mammal and bird species. To find such a wildlife haven in the heart of a capital city is remarkable.

Edinburgh’s landscape was forged in fire and carved by ice. The hard rock from which Holyrood Park and Arthur’s Seat were formed once flowed inside an ancient volcano that erupted 350 million years ago. It was shaped by great movements in the earth’s crust and sculpted by the power of Ice-Age glaciers and erosion.

The remarkable landscape that was left behind has provided a home for many people over the last 10,000 years. Hunter-gatherers scattered flint arrow heads across the park, Iron Age tribes raised great hill-forts on its peaks, medieval farmers cut terraces and furrows into its flanks and the stone for many of the city’s buildings was hewn from its quarries

The park is now surrounded by the city, providing Edinburgh’s citizens with a much loved escape from urban life." from park brochure.

All I had packed for this was a pair of sweatpants, a windbreaker, two plastic water bottles, and a can of Vodka Lemonade. Perfect! I also added some toilet paper into my bag, just in case (not needed). I was out the door just before 6am and it was 55 degrees and overcast with a breeze. It felt like fall, which was incredible coming off of a hot, sweaty July in New Jersey. There was a 0.4 mile walk from the AirBnb to the trailhead, which was honestly very fun. I walked past the palace, the parliment building, and a group of three drunk folks who were just finishing their night of partying! The sounds of morning owls/morning doves/some bird I am unfamiliar with echoed throughout the city as I walked up.

Soon enough I was at Holyrood Park and my hike began! The route I followed started on a paved path, but there were MANY side trails not on any official maps. I was truly enamoured from the second I entered the park by the stunning, grassy scenery. It almost felt alpine, even though it was a big grassland. It looked like most folks just hike to Arthur's Seat and back via the Summit Path, but I wanted to hike a loop across the Salisbury Crags first. Soon enough,  a paved side path diverged right that led up the crags. 

"Salisbury Crags" from scottish-places.info

"The cliff face of Salisbury Crags looks down on Edinburgh like a grand fortress. Situated in Holyrood Park, less than a half-mile (1 km) southeast of Princes Street, the Crags represent the glaciated remains of a Carboniferous sill, injected between sedimentary rocks which formed in a shallow sea some 340 million years ago. Glaciers sweeping outwards from the centre of Scotland have left a classic crag-and-tail, descending gently towards Arthur's Seat and Whinny Hill in the East. Salisbury Crags are of great significance in the development of modern geology. At Hutton's Section, the Edinburgh geologist James Hutton (1726-97) recognised that the rock now forming the Crags had been injected in a molten state. He was able to use this evidence to disprove the suggestion of the influential German, Abraham Werner, that all rocks had crystallised from a supposed primordial sea.

The hard dolerite which forms the crags was quarried for use as street cobble stones from the mid-17th C. on the authority of the Earls of Haddington who were hereditary keepers of Holyrood Park. The traveller Sarah Murray (1744 - 1811) visited in 1796 and wrote of these quarries "I saw vast heaps of the hard rock divided into small pieces, ready for shipping; and I was told great quantities of that crag were sent to London for paving the streets."

However, the use of explosives from the beginning of the 19th C. increased the level of extraction to the point that the citizens of the city complained the landmark was beginning to disappear. Legal action was taken in 1819, but it was not until 1831 that the matter was resolved when the House of Lords decreed that no more stone should be removed. In 1845, Thomas Hamilton, the 9th Earl of Haddington (1780 - 1858), was paid the astronomical sum of £30,000 to relinquish his office as Keeper of the Royal Park.

Gentlemen of the Scottish Enlightenment would walk along a track around the base of the crags to gain inspiration. Around 1820 this was formed into a good road, known as the Radical Road, so-named after Sir Walter Scott (1771 - 1832) promoted its creation to provide jobs for unemployed radical weavers. Charles Darwin followed in Hutton's footsteps examining the geology of the Crags in 1838. In 1846, the American abolitionist Frederick Douglass (1818-95) attempted to carve the slogan 'Send Back the Money' on Salisbury Crags. This was a protest against the Free Church of Scotland which had gained some of its early funding from slave owners based in the Southern states of the USA."

Right away the views were breathtaking. Behind me was a view toward Arthur's Seat and some sunrise colors over the ocean! I had no idea Edinburgh was so close to the water. This whole area was like a painting. At another fork, the trail veered right to travel along the edge of the crags. 

I took my sweatpants off at 0.4 miles into the hike and then came right to the edge of the crags where there was an incredible view of all of Edinburgh. Looking back at the photos, I'm still in awe. Some of the cliffs reminded me of the New Jersey palisades. Behind, the sun rays were peeking out and shining on the water.

While I was doing this, mom was awake looking for me from the AirBnb, but I think we just missed each other! Once I hit the high point of the crags, I met with some other tourists, took their picture, and then I continued along, beginning to descend, with a fantastic view of Arthur's Seat and Nether Hill ahead.

I briefly rejoined the original path and then turned left onto the Zig Zag Path, which followed old-looking stone steps, literally zig-zagging up the hillside. The grasses continued to blow in the wind while the morning owl/dove/bird/whatevers were LOUD in the nearby bushes. The path itself was fun and steep. There were a few other folks heading up, but the hike was still delightfully quiet. Sometimes the path was surrounded by grass, and other times it was surrounded by tall, thick bushes. 

Soon enough I made it to the top of Nether Hill and to no surprise, was complete awe-stricken. The view of the Salisbury Crags with Edinburgh behind were incredible. Arthur's Seat and Crow Hill looked other-worldly. There was a neat old foundation. And then I noticed another nearby mountain... with a ski slope?? Apparently there's an all-season ski area in Edinburgh! I wish I knew, because I definitely would have set aside time to play!

It was very windy up here but just amazing. I also took some time to admire the ocean with the other hills poking above the relatively flat landscape.

I meandered on random footpaths over to Crow Hill since it was right there, which had a bunch of "no metal detecting" signs. I hit the top, and then went back over to Nether Hill for my "sit and sip" break before hitting Arthur's Seat. 

The final bit up Arthur's Seat had a fun chimney-like scramble to the stunning 360-degree viewpoint.

"Arthur's Seat" from scottish-places.info

"The remains of a volcano that erupted under water during the Carboniferous period, Arthur's Seat is located within Holyrood Park in the centre of Edinburgh. Although only 250m (823 feet) in height, Arthur's Seat is a notable landmark, dominating the city. Known also as the Lion's Head, Arthur's Seat is the highest of a series of peaks which take the form of a crouched lion. Its summit is marked both by a white Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar and a geographical indicator. The indicator gives directions to prominent surrounding landmarks and is a replacement for the original positioned here in 1910, which was cast in bronze and designed by the noted surveyor John Mathieson (1855 - 1945).

Geologically Arthur's Seat comprises the remains of a basalt lava plug that choked the neck of a volcano which would have been active around 335 million years ago. The action of glaciation has cut into its heart, making it one of the most accessible exposures of an ancient volcano.

Two stony banks on the east side of the hill represent the remains of an Iron-Age hill-fort and a series of cultivation terraces are obvious above the road just beyond. In 1836, just below the summit, seventeen miniature wooden coffins each containing a carved figure were found in a small cave. Their existence has never been satisfactorily explained; associations with witchcraft have been suggested or perhaps they were memorial to the seventeen victims of the infamous William Burke (1792 - 1829) and William Hare (died c.1860)."

There were two monuments up top and thankfully just a few other people. A cruise ship was coming into port as I wask taking my millionth photo fo the morning. I was super glad that I decided to wait for the morning to do this hike, because it looked BUSY yesterday afternoon. 

The descent off of Arthur's Seat was steep for a very short bit then very easy. There were some beautiful yellow and purple flowers along the wide Summit Path. There were MANY more people coming up now around 7:30am.

I took a short spur path to St. Anthony's Chapel, which was very cool.

"St Anthony's Chapel" from informational plaque

"Prior to the 16th century, Holyrood Park was held by the Abbeys of Holyrood and Kelso. St. Anthony's Chapel stands in the part which probably belonged to Kelso Abbey. The origin and history of the chapel are obscure, but it was certainly built no later than the early 15th century, as in 1426 it is recorded that the Pope gave money for its repair. The chapel may have been linked to the Preceptory of St. Anthony, a skin hospice, which was based in Leith around this time. The last chaplain is recorded in 1581."

"St. Anthony's Chapel" from Historic Scotland

"St Anthony of Egypt was a hermit and one of the earliest monks. He is considered the founder and father of organised monasticism. This chapel, dedicated to his name, was built in the early 1400s. Records show that the Pope gave money for its repair in 1426." from Historic Scotland

I turned around from the chapel, descended on the Summit Path a bit further, and then turned right on another spur to St. Margaret's Loch - a nice pond full of waterfowl with a trail around the perimieter (this also provided a really neat view of the chapel!). 

"St. Margaret's Loch" from Historic Scotland

"Queen Victoria's husband Albert built this loch as part of improvements to the Park during her reign. It now provides a home for a large flock of non-breeding Mute Swan as well as other water birds such as Greylags, Coot, Moorhen, Tufted Duck and Mallard. Rarer bird visitors include Pochard, Little Grebe, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Sandpiper and Whooper Swan." from Historic Scotland

I saw my first trees of the day around the loch and many birds, some of which I don't think I've ever seen before! There were lots of runners down here, and just one other person enjoying the view from the loch. 

After my loop, I made my way back to the Summit Path and finished my descent, with a nice view of Holyrood Palace and Calton Hill. All I could think about is how much I can't wait to come back to Scotland after this hike!

Step-By-Step

- Start hike at Holyrood Park Car Park

- Cross the road, continue into park on paved path.

- At sign, veer right onto unmapped footpath along the ridge of Salisbury Crags.

- Follow path to descend Salisbury Crags to beginning of Zig Zag Path.

- Ascend Arthur's Seat via Zig Zag Path.

- Before summiting, check out Nether Hill and Crow Hill.

- Summit Arthur's Seat.

- Follow Summit Path down.

- Turn right onto spur to St. Anthony's Chapel.

- Retrace Steps.

- Turn right onto spur to St. Margaret's Loch.

- Follow path around St. Margaret's Loch clockwise.

- Return to Summit Path, return to car.

Brocure & Map of Holyrood Park

Photo Album