Betwixt Lakeland & Edinburgh
Early … and oh, so calm and quiet – my soul, and the loch.
I’ve been watching a heron for a quarter hour or more. And I think he / she has been watching me.
And then on towards mid-morning. Hot, dry and very out of puff after the climb up to St Anthony’s Chapel but, all year round, the view is always worth it. And above the sound of my heart’s pounding I hear ‘rest awhile’ – and I do. Then it’s time to wend my way down towards breakfast …
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It has been a hot and sticky day in Edinburgh – but the humidity made for some beautiful misty views across the Firth of Forth to Fife this morning – and a modest degree of satisfaction about having hiked up to the top of Salisbury Crags – a healthy contribution to today’s 17,500 steps …
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Mixed weather, changing by the minute, makes Holyrood an exceptionally photogenic place. Morning and evening walks, often along the same route, showcase the dynamics of the area. Here ancient and modern meet, and it’s said that time spent alongside any body of water is good for us. I have a favoured bench beside St Margaret’s Loch in the shadow of the ruins of St Anthony’s Chapel. There I wonder sometimes whether a stranger might be able to tell how much I love this city and its marvellous mix of cityscape, countryside, seascape and skyscape all in one?
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How I loved these snowy Edinburgh views beneath Arthur’s Seat back in January 2021. And in January 2024 this old city just keeps growing on me! Thank you, Edinburgh – everything you are adds up to an extraordinary panorama …
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Many are the magical sights to be seen in Edinburgh. Here, above a Holyrood structure aptly named Dynamic Earth, is a view of Salisbury Crags, formed over forty million years ago by the effects of Arthur’s Seat, the volcano now quietly presiding over them. And above and beyond still further, around 226,000 miles above and beyond to be a bit more precise, is tonight’s Full Moon. Oh, and there’s Jupiter! At their closest points Earth and Jupiter are 365 million miles away from each other. That I can even begin to perceive all of this at this time and in this place gives me a direct encounter with something beyond the reach of adequate explanation: awe.
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Green and glorious
Arthur’s Seat presides over
Edinburgh city
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Lone dancer, 90 minutes, after supper. Kind of a meditation. Indescribable peace high up on the Crags. Duet next time. Beauty that photographs really only hint at …
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Next to Canongate Kirk on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile is a little oasis of a garden, open to and enjoyed by the public, that, filled with birdsong, looked pretty as a picture this afternoon. It’s hard to imagine or describe the measure of tranquility to be enjoyed in this relatively small space in the heart of a busy city.
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The Church (1688) and the Kirkyard are themselves beautiful, and home to a Mercat Cross dated 1128. Calton Hill can be seen from behind the Kirk, and just across the road there’s easy access to Holyrood Park, Salisbury Crags, Arthur’s Seat and – presently – a million Spring blossoms.
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Nearby, too, there’s a distinctive meeting between ancient and modern: the ruins of Holyrood Abbey stand next to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Abbey Strand and the Queen’s Gallery; all of these opposite the strikingly different modern architecture of the new Scottish Parliament buildings, (link) the walls of which bear tablets inscribed with some of Scottish history’s poetry. Photographers like me wax lyrical about Edinburgh’s ever-changing skyscapes and the city’s distinctive skyline.
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The five (clickable / swipeable) galleries in this post, each containing ten photos, are the result of just a couple of hour’s encounter with Edinburgh beauty and history in a single afternoon. And of course, as Jiminy Cricket would say: ‘there’s more!’
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Late, great breakfast at the fabulous Kilimanjaro Coffee on Nicholson Street this morning. Friendly, warm and welcoming.
Imagine an architectural era of craftsmanship when Edinburgh’s beautiful chimney stacks were built of dressed stone …
You just call out my name, and you know, wherever I am, I’ll come running …
Carole King
for Tapestry, 1971
Honestly, sorely tempted by Beautiful at the Festival Theatre – but for the fifth time? Maybe a little excessive!
2021 – Living beneath Arthur’s Seat. Here’s one from a year ago today – one of those times and a Springtime view that’s engraved on my heart …
A lovely couple of hours in the gardens with my book and camera before supper
An explosion of magnolia
New College School of Divinity on The Mound
Edinburgh Castle, parts of which date back to 1103, and integral to Edinburgh’s World Heritage status, seen from Princes Street Gardens
The Ross Fountain, Princes Street Gardens
St Cuthbert’s Parish Church & St John’s Episcopal Church, Princes Street, Edinburgh
Arthur’s Seat, an extinct volcano that last erupted around 340 million years ago, presides over Edinburgh, Scotland’s glorious capital city. It reminds me of an elephant sleeping or meditating on its haunches, and I’m always excited to see it and the city skyline and sea views from its summit, no matter whether I’ve been away for days or months. So I won’t get much sleep tonight – as I’m heading back there tomorrow, already looking forward to seeing how far Spring has sprung, revelling in coastal walks, bookshops, cafés and friends, and possibly a few (more!) photos …
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