Tourists in Edinburgh's streets, particularly at the foot of the Royal Mile near the Palace of Holyroodhouse, often look up at the 800-ft cliffs of Salisbury Crags and "Arthur's Seat" - a rocky volcanic outcrop which is now a public park. No-one knows who "Arthur" was and indeed the name may be a corruption of the Gaelic "Ard na Saigheid" - "height of the arrows." There are remains of prehistoric forts and there is usually a gathering of observers there to see the sunrise on midsummer and midwinter's day. Within the parkland are St Margaret's Well, a medieval conduit established by King James IV and the ruins of St Anthony's Chapel dating from the 15th century.
Surprisingly few visitors to the city make the climb to Arthur's Seat and yet the views on a clear day across the city to the River Forth and beyond to Fife, are tremendous. The mountains of the Trossachs are also visible in the distance. Even from the lower roads and pathways, far less climbing to the top of Salisbury Crags, the views are excellent. The city is spread beneath, with good views of Holyroodhouse and the new Parliament building, up the "dragon's spine" of the Royal Mile to the castle and all the historic buildings along the way.
There is a single-track road, Queen's Drive, which goes (clockwise) round the circumference of the hill and has plenty of parking spaces. It is probably better for tourists to leave such a visit towards the end of their stay in the city as they will then be able to pick out more of the places they have been to during their sightseeing - such as the the Queen's residence in Edinburgh, the Palace of Holyroodhouse illustrated below.
