Perched on the plug of a dormant volcano, called Castle Rock, sits a beautiful castle which towers over the seemingly small buildings belonging to the ancient Scottish capital. Indeed, some of you might have guessed it and others may have not, but the castle I’m on about is none other than the iconic Edinburgh Castle which I recently had the pleasure of visiting.
The Castle Esplanade & its Extroadinary Views
Before walking through the gate to buy tickets to visit Edinburgh Castle, I took a look around the castle esplanade. The flat area was built in 1753 and served as the place where the military men typically took center stage in times gone by.
Today however, after being refurbished, it looks somewhat different. Nowadays, the castle esplanade is usually used as an open space for concerts and provides an outdoor showground for the Edinburgh military tattoo ,which takes place in August.
On taking a look around it, I noticed that the walls belonging to the esplanade are flanked with four memorials to the Scottish regimental involvements in various wars.
The memorial to the North of the Castle was erected in 1861 and is dedicated to the memory of the 256 men belonging to the 78th Highlanders who fought for their country and died during the Indian Mutiny.
Another interesting monument is the one below which was dedicated to the men of the Scottish Horse who fought in the South African War – notice the emblem on the front of it.
The thinnest one is to the memory to the men of the 72nd Highlanders who died in the Afghan War 1878-80. That was theThe Memorial on the south wall of the castle Esplanade is to the Gordon Highlanders who died in the Second Boer War, the South African War, 1899-1902. Second Anglo-Afghan War. (Despite “Never Invade Afghanistan” being Harold MacMillan’s first rule of politics there have now been no fewer than four Anglo-Afghan Wars.)
But the memorila on the south wall of the castle esplanade erected in memory of the Gordon Highlanders who passed away in the Second Boer War, the South African War, in 1899-1902 is the one that struck me most. The unique memorial displays a stag head at the very top along with severla names of soldiers that fought in the war.
As I looked over the walls, I saw the stunning views of the city.
Entering the Castle Gates
With its cobblestone streets, chapels and cannons, the beautiful Edinburgh Castle symbolizes all that is medieval. It echoes the footsteps of generations past, the immense suffering of prisoners held captive in its walls and the
Echoes of Generations Past
A place that echoes the footsteps of its past residents, the firing of cannons and the suffering of its prisoners.
Edinburgh Castle sits on top of Castle Rock, an extinct volcano and has been a fortification for over 2,000 years. The castle is protected to the north, south and west by sheer cliffs rising 400 feet above sea level. Access to the castle is by a steep road on the eastern side. The castle from its high position dominates views of the city of Edinburgh.
A haunted Castle
– See more at: http://www.ghost-story.co.uk/index.php/haunted-buildings/haunted-castles/213-edinburgh-castle-edinburgh-scotland#sthash.LhuU3egX.dpuf
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