The longest portion of our trip to Scotland was spent in Edinburgh. We were there from Thursday evening (Aug 19) through Monday morning (Aug 22). This proved to be a very ideal time to come. The weather was (mostly) fantastic and there was so much activity going on. The first thing on our agenda was to tour the Edinburgh Castle.
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| The main approach to the Castle from the Royal Mile. |
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| Our vacation rental was situated just a block away from the base of the castle. |
We had pre-reserved tickets for the first thing Friday morning and the sun was shining. We were among the first to enter the castle that day and got well ahead of the crowds, thanks in part to the short walk we had from our rental.
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| Waiting to go in the Edinburgh Castle |
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| This view from the castle is toward the northeast, looking at the "new" section of Edinburgh. |
The one very modern building that looks like a spiral of ribbon on the horizon near the center is the brand new W Hotel in the St. James Quarter. Apparently there was quite a bit of controversy over the approval of the modern design. At the top of the hill to the right is the partially completed replica of the Parthenon on the top of Carlton Hill also known as the National Monument of Scotland.
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| Aiming view for one of the cannons of the castle. |
One of the cannons appears to be pointed at the iconic ribbon building, just to the left of the Sir Walter Scott memorial tower in the photo above. And speaking of cannons, there were plenty on this castle.
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| Half Moon Battery of Cannons providing defense for the castle. |
Boys are always attracted to big guns. The exhibits were hands-on, so the boys could get up close. View the cannons in 360 degrees below. Use the (+) / (-) buttons to zoom in and click and drag to look around.
Edinburgh Castle 360-1 - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
And one of the largest cannons ever made (10th largest in history) was on display at this castle. The Mons Meg has a bore of 20.5" (520mm) and could fire a 330 lb stone up to 2 miles away!
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| The Mons Meg Cannon |
Some parts of the inside of the castle were also available for our tour. We saw the Prisons of War Vaults, but it was too dark for photos. We also got to see the Great Hall. This room was competed in 1511 and was quite impressive with the swords and the suits of armor.
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| The Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle |
View the Great Hall in 360 degrees:
Edinburgh Castle 360-2 - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
We were also able to see the Crown Jewels and the Ancient Stone of Destiny in the Honours Room, but no photography was allowed. You can see ancient stone and the oldest crown jewels in all of UK worn by Mary Queen of Scots in 1540 from the links.
We also walked through the Royal Palace section. The rooms were mostly empty, but the architecture was inspiring.
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| A room from the Royal Palace |
See the full room in 360 degrees below.
Post from RICOH THETA. - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
One final highlight (suspense) of our visit, was the emergency alarms that went off during our visit. Just a couple of days before our arrival a group of protesters "seized" Edinburgh Castle in an attempt to "take-back the castle and restore the rule of law under Article 61 of the Magna Carta." as seen in the protester's video below.
Needless to say, the security was still a bit on edge and when the alarm sounded during our visit. The guards quickly herded all the visitors and staff of the castle into one assembly place while they resolved the issue. We never did learn why the alarms had gone off during our visit, but it was nothing this dramatic. The final 360 image shows the group of us gathered and waiting for them to release us.
Post from RICOH THETA. - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
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| Another view of the main gate to the Castle. |
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| A view out the main gate, looking toward the Tolbooth Kirk on the Royal Mile. |
-Dave
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