The Royal Mile is appropriately names as it is a one mile long street that begins at the hill top Edinburgh Castle and ends at the royal Palace of Holyroodhouse.

What could be more thrilling than to have the opportunity to visit a famous castle and a royal palace that are separated by only a single mile. Visiting the royal mile provides vacationers to Edinburgh, Scotland the chance to see two of the city’s top attractions by taking an enjoyable stroll through the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town.

Castle to Palace

The beginning and end of the royal mile are at two significant locations in the royal history of Scotland: Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

The Edinburgh Castle sits on top of an extinct volcano called Castle Rock and overlooks the city of Edinburgh. The castle has been home to kings and queens and now it is the home of the oldest Crown Jewels in Britain known as the “Honors of Scotland”. Other activities at the castle are the National War Museum, eating at the Redcoat Café or have afternoon tea at the Tea Rooms.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse was the official residence of the King in Scotland and has been the summer home for the Queen of England. It was once the home of the famous Mary, Queen of the Scots and her chamber has been preserved allowing visitors to see her living conditions. Other points of interest in the palace are French and Flemish tapestries and the palace garden.

Sights of the Street

The Royal mile is an active area located in the middle of Old Town Edinburgh. This one mile section of the old town is a time capsule of stunning architecture that displays the town’s history and culture for everyone to see while walking along the Royal Mile.

In the past, the street was lined with shops, taverns and other businesses and today the Royal Mile has changed very little. It is still home to independent retailers, coffee shops, tavern and restaurants but now many of the original buildings have become tourist attractions.

Churches

The two most striking churches on the royal mile are the St. Giles’ Cathedral and the Tolbooth Kirk which is no longer an actual church. The church stopped using the building in the 1980s and it has been repurposed as a public arts building where year-round events are hosted includin the Edinburgh International Festival

The St. Giles’ Cathedral was founded in 1124 and is known for its striking Gothic architecture vaulted ceilings and intricate stained glass windows.

Stores and Pubs

There are many locally owned shops along the Royal Mile with many of them specialize in authentic Scottish Products. Additionally, most of the shops will have almost every imaginable type of souvenir that you might want to take back home.

When you are tired of site seeing and shopping, there are numerous restaurants and pubs that have traditional Scottish dishes on the menu. Deacon Brodie’s Tavern is a historic pub that is named after the notorious Deacon Brodie who was a businessman by day and a thief by night. The pub has a traditional Scottish atmosphere with live music on the weekends.

Of course, it is always fun to simply wander this historic street, listen to the bagpipe street performers entertaining the crowds and enjoy the beautiful architecture.

Monuments

When I travel, I see a lot of monuments that don’t have a lot of meaning to me but they are important monuments for the places that I am visiting. The Royal Mile is lined with monuments from the Edinburgh Castle all of the way to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Some of these monuments caught my attention and I felt they were worth sharing.

One of the most prominent monuments is the Mercat Cross which is a traditional feature of Scottish towns. A Mercat Cross marked the central point of a town that has the royal charter (or license) to hold a market and was an emblem of the town’s status. The Edinburgh Mercat Cross is located in Parliament Square and has interesting medallions on the sides and a unicorn on top with a Scottish flag.

Just outside the St. Giles’ Cathedral is a statue of Walter Francis Montagu-Douglas-Scott. The pedestal of this statue is what really caught my attention. I liked the deer sitting upright on its two hind legs and holding a shield with its front legs. The reliefs and elaborate details were also very impressive.

The two other monuments that I found interesting were the statue of Adam Smith and the statue of Alexander and his wild horse.

Cultural Signs

I always like signs and symbols that reflect the culture of the places that I am visiting. They really add to the atmosphere of a location. Four of those cultural signs that I liked are shown in the photos below.

The Dust on My Shoes

The Royal Mile is a culturally significant part of Edinburgh’s history and heritage. The medieval architecture is impressive and the architecture makes it easy to imagine what life must have been like when these building were constructed.

Sometimes I say something is a “must see” because it is so impressive that it should not be missed but the Royal Mile is a “must see” because I think it is impossible to truly experience Edinburgh if you don’t spend time to check it out. When I think back on my time in Edinburgh, the Royal Mile is the first thing that comes to my mind.

When we travel, the miles fly by so fast the we barely notice how far that we have traveled but sometimes a single mile can be packed with lots of things to see.

The value of our travels can’t be measured by the distance that we have traveled but by the value of our experiences.

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