Edinburgh Castle Review
Edinburgh Castle
Reviewed by Dawn Watson
Edinburgh Castle is a well-known castle in the heart of Edinburgh, part of the Historic Scotland buildings it rises high above the city proving a very popular destination with both tourists and locals. Our family were fortunate to visit last weekend on a beautiful sunny October day and spent many hours browsing, admiring, listening and learning about what life would have been like when the castle was a fully operational important working castle many many years ago.
On arrival we were given a guide map of the castle ensuring we wouldn’t miss any areas, and my girls were delighted to have the chance to hire a state of the art headphone system whereby on inputting any one of the numerous numbers visible on various parts of the caste, they could listen to a commentary about that particular part that they were in. Very hi-tech compared to what was available when I was young! But I can imagine for the many thousands of visitors the castle has each year this will be a vital part and enjoyment of their visit as there were many languages that could be chosen. It would be great if there could be a child friendly one as I think after the initial excitement the girls got a bit bored with the commentary. So I had a chance to listen and I have to say I loved it, lots of little titbits that I never knew about this stunning castle. You really could spend hours going round all the various areas that are on show, spending time really soaking up the atmosphere, reading, listening etc. and with a lovely little restaurant/cafe there too you could enjoy a bite to eat or brave the nippy autumn air and eat your own picnic.
Throughout the year Historic Scotland put on various events at the castle and we were lucky that on the weekend we visited they had the ‘The Castle For The Covenant!’ – a guide was given to us on arrival detailing what extras were happening at the castle that weekend and the timings which was great. We had the chance to hear all about an army surgeon and how he ‘operated’ and what he used… yeuk! There was a firepower display on the castle battery which must have resonated over the whole of Edinburgh, the sound was deafening and so surprising when they showed you what and how they made the gunpowder…
There were lots of displays, talks going on it was really interesting for us all adding further enjoyment to our visit. For myself and my youngest daughter who is 8 years, our highlight was seeing the Crown Jewels display, after wandering through many displays you finally come to a stunning room with the beautiful crown on display, my youngest kept thinking and telling everyone who would listen it reminded her of her favourite book ‘Gangster Granny’ – much to the amusement of the security guard who assured her it wasn’t this crown the ‘Gangster Granny’ was trying to steal as he locks this crown up every night!
All the staff were very helpful and it is easily accessed by all major bus routes, train routes and you can take a car but not recommended. For anyone with limited mobility I noticed a car going around the castle grounds with people in wheelchairs to get them access to various displays etc. which was great. We were also very very lucky to discover that someone was getting married in the castle chapel – so we hung around to catch a glimpse and have a wee sneaky look inside the chapel afterwards – awww beautiful, what a stunning venue for a wedding.
The restaurant itself had something for everyone, but take note by the time we decided we wanted something to eat there was very little hot food left, in fact some things were sold out completely so we had to settle for coffee and a snack and eat after leaving the castle. There is also a tearoom within the castle grounds that offer afternoon tea also.
The views alone take your breath away – gave me goosebumps. You could easily visit the castle several times a year and see and find out something different every time you came, we just loved it. Price for a family of 4 is over £50 – but I feel excellent value for money and as explained by the staff if we bought the Historic Scotland family membership which is approximately £6.50 per month you get access to every Historic Scotland site for free – now that is what I would call amazing value for money!
We will be back! Highly recommended.
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost £16.50 Adult / £9.90 Child
For more information or to book tickets online visit www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk.
Edinburgh Castle, Castlehill, Edinburgh, EH1 2NG | 0131 225 9846
