Holyrood Park

My favourite location in the city too – like many others. I love wandering round the endless tracks – lovely views and good exercise. Some of the climbs are quite steep though so its a great idea to take drinks and some snacks with you as well as have enough “rest breaks” if you feel you need them.

Great place for the kids to run about wild and tire themselves out so they will sleep the whole night. oh and cracking ice cream van near there too so the kids can get covered in ice cream.

Holyrood Park is great for flying kites. It's much bigger and emptier than the Meadows, which means you are less likely to be disturbed by groups of students playing hackey-sack or strumming a guitar badly, and also it has the added bonus of having a rather lovely view. You can see Dynamic Earth and the Scottish Parliament building, and also Arthur's Seat looms leonine over you always. Amazing.

There are certain things which makes Edinburgh a unique city and Holyrood Park is one of them. This massive expanse of land situated in central Edinburgh is a great spot for walking the dog or going out for a run and feel like you’re getting away from the bustle of the city streets.

Holyrood park is a fantastic park right at the bottom of the Royal Mile. It is huge and for a while you forget you are in the centre of a city. Its a fantastic place to walk your dog as you can get off the beaten track and not come across many people. Arthurs Seat the extinct volcano is in Holyrood Park and its great to climb up to the top on a nice day and have a fantastic view over the city. There is plenty of room in the park to play football, fly kites, cycle and jog. There are also several small lochs with ducks and swans.

Forget you are in the city, escape from the crowds…relaxing place to take a walk, have a picnic, play with the kids ( or the dog)

Views of the new Scottish parliment and Dynamic earth. short walk from the Royal mile.

Absolutely worth the visit. Set in the middle of Edinburgh it a large park where you can forget for a while your in a City. Is it Edinburghs answer to Central Park, no, its different with I would argue a greater variety of countryside. Definately dog and child friendly

good for a long run

Grandmother visiting while you’re at uni? Take her here! It’s really relaxing and is what Edinburgh’s all about once you’ve forgotten about the pubs!

country side in the city. Beware, the weather can change from one side of the hill to the other

If you happen to see The Queen on her summer visit-bring along your binoculars and see what That duKe through the window is really up to,on your vantage point,from the Seat of Arthur’s extinct volcano!??!

Modern Art

For me the beauty of Holyrood Park is, if you are facing the right way, you can pretend you are in the middle of the countryside, with no cars, city, no hustle and bustle on your doorstep. It is a short walk from the city centre and yet has an abundance of greenery that makes it the perfect place to go for a walk, cycle, fly your kite, have a picnic, feed the swans, jog or do anything else that takes your fancy. You can admire Arthur’s Seat from a distance, and watch all those people climbing the Crags while chilling out in the park, reading your magazine, just resting while everyone else does the hard work. If you do feel energetic you can climb every hill in sight, or walk the road around the hills too, especially on a Sunday when the Queen’s Drive is shut to traffic and the road is yours. A chunk of countryside in the heart of town.
Don’t forget to wave to the Queen in the palace, she might just wave back.

If you’re looking for stunning views, fresh air and some peace and quiet than you don’t need to go far. The Holyrood Park is a place anyone can try out!
Based just behind the Palace of Holyrood it provides us with at least 3 paths to the summit. The 1st one going way round the cliffy edge to turn left and up to the top. 2nd and 3rd one going from the left side (near the ruins of and old church) and then straight up.
The best is to be up there when the weather is clearest with blue skies and sunshine. The other one you an try is to get up either at sunrise or dusk. The views are beautiful at that time believe me!
Approx time to reach the summit from the bottom is less than 1 hour (normal walk) or up to 30mins (for those who are used to fast climbing)
Be sure to wear warm clothes as it’s pretty windy at the top all the time, plus the weather can change rapidly!
Enjoy your trip!

This is really a haven in the centre of the busy city of Edinburgh. It’s a great place to be to get away from the noise of the city centre.

The park itself consists of Arthur’s Seat, (used to be a volcano!!) Salisbury Crags both wonderful rocky hills/mountains and green fields. There are walks through and around the park which give you both fantastic panoramic views of the city and sore legs. The Park is always great for running, dog walking, cycling, and sports on the sports field near Meadowbank.

The park is near several tourist attractions for those that are not particularly into walks such as the Queens Gallery, Dynamic Earth, Holyrood Parliament and Holyrood Palace. Furthermore, you can walk up along the Royal Mile directly from the Park getting you to the heart of the old town in no time.

Please note Sunday is the best day for visiting as this is when cars are not allowed on the road which runs through the park.

This is a great place to visit in Edinburgh. There is a lovely pond at the bottom which is a favourite for feeding the ducks and the very brave swans that toddle around your feet! There is also another pond further up which is possible to drive to if you dont want to walk. If you plan to climb Arthurseat you can drive to this point and start from here if you want to cheat a bit! Children also love to climb around the old castle ruins which is only a short climb from the first pond. This is a great place for a walk, picnic or to walk your dog and the parking is in great supply.

This is without doubt my favourite place in Edinburgh. It is also what makes Edinburgh. Few other cities can boast a vast area of countryside right in their centre. The most famous part of Holyrood park is its highest peak, Arthur’s Seat, from which the entire city can be seen in all its glory. The most beautiful time to be here is at sunset, and then dusk when the street lights of Edinburgh gently ignite and create a calm sparkling that settles the soul… until you start worrying about light pollution. But anyway. The park also boasts two fair-sized ponds with lots of birdlife and Duddingston Loch, which is part of a Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve. The whole park is packed with wildlife - flora and fauna - and makes a lovely place to walk. It also has the spectacular Salisbury Crags, which are used for cliff-rescue training by the city’s emergency services. Don’t rock climb here though, it’s illegal and they WILL enforce it. For disabled visitors it might be useful to note that a small road goes right round the park, past Dunsapie Loch and under Arthur’s Seat, with lovely views of the city on the Southern and Western sides in particular. Child-friendly, dog friendly and even pony-friendly I believe, if you ask permission first. A country break within a city.