Witches, wars, and a sneaky spyhole in Britain’s most besieged fortress.
Hello again, lovely readers!
Edinburgh! After a few hours respite on the train north, we throw the kit into our accom, head
out and dive straight into the Fringe buzz.
Cobbled streets alive with pub punters, a busker channelling Amy Winehouse, another tickling the ivories on a piano on wheels, a fire twirler, a melancholic piper, gaggles of tourists following their guide’s aloft flags, we stroll down the Royal Mile, the city’s historic heart. There at the top – Edinburgh Castle, rising shadow-like atop Castle Rock – an extinct volcano older than Scotland itself.
Walking in Ancient Footsteps
Following our English guide (who looks surprisingly Nordic, in keeping with the UK’s earlier invasions), climbing up the steep cobble into the heart of the castle feels like time‑travel. Beneath our boots – Iron Age settlers, medieval royals, pirates even, once stood their ground. This fortress has weathered more battles than almost anywhere else in Britain – 26 (23 recorded) sieges, to be exact. A few interesting secrets and surprises…
Secrets and Surprises of Edinburgh Castle
• Built on Fire & Stone -The castle’s foundation is Castle Rock, an extinct volcano formed 350 million years ago. Humans have lived here since at least the Iron Age, so it’s not just a castle on a rock – it’s a castle on time itself.
• Witches at the Stake – Darker tales linger too. In the 16th century, over 300 women accused of witchcraft were tortured and burned at Castlehill. Today, a small memorial on the Esplanade honours those lost to superstition and fear.
• Prisoners of War – From French sailors to American revolutionaries, the dungeons once held thousands of prisoners during wars that stretched from Europe to the New World.
• A Swastika in the Glass – Inside the Scottish National War Memorial, a swastika appears in the stained glass. Not sinister – but a symbol of good fortune from ancient India, long before the Nazis stole it.
• The King’s Spyhole – Look up in the Great Hall and you’ll find ‘laird’s lugs,’ a tiny spyhole King James IV used to eavesdrop on council meetings. So effective that when Gorbachev visited in 1984, the KGB insisted it be bricked over!
• The Most Attacked Place in Britain – With 23 recorded sieges, no other fortress in the UK has been fought over so often. From medieval struggles to the Jacobite risings, the castle has stood its ground — though not always in Scottish hands.
• The Honours of Scotland – The oldest sovereign regalia in the United Kingdom: the Scottish Crown, Sceptre, and Sword of State were hidden in 1651–60 to keep them from Oliver Cromwell’s army, and were accidentally rediscovered in 1818 by Sir Walter Scott. A case of ‘anyone seen my crown lying around?’ Nope, not me, sire!
My heart squeezed a little too as I viewed the wee pet cemetery, a spot devoted to puppas that have served as defenders and friends over those centuries.
Leaving the castle, we took one last glance back. From volcanic rock to royal intrigue, witches to war memorials, Edinburgh Castle isn’t just a fortress – it’s a living scrapbook of Scotland’s soul.
Oh! And what better city to run into our neighbours, huh? The boys channeling Peaky Blinders in their various renditions of flat caps. Dinner, a rolling friend gathering pub crawl, followed by a lazy amble home. And as the evening light settled over the Royal Mile, I felt it: this city isn’t just seen, it’s felt. Every stone tells a story. London bound tomorrow…
After lunch, pints, and lots of laughter, we made a beeline to the White Cross Pub to rendezvous with our host Adrian (who’s basically family now). He’d just told us we are running late for the Thames cruise back to Westminster – cue the classic dilemma: drain your pints in one gulp, carry them with you like juggling grenades, or leave them behind as sacrificial offerings. We opted for speed (sans beer), sprinted the 800 metres to the dock, hopped aboard mid-boarding, and collapsed into deck seats. Evidence of gasps + apologies? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely. Because, dear readers, we made it. Believe!
