|City of Edinburgh - Edinburgh - Scotland| Paseo cultural por Edimburgo
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 1.19 mi
- Elevation gain
- 23 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Easy
- Elevation loss
- 46 ft
- Max elevation
- 525 ft
- TrailRank
-
73
5
- Min elevation
- 154 ft
- Trail type
- One Way
- Moving time
- 30 minutes
- Time
- one hour 55 minutes
- Coordinates
- 288
- Uploaded
- September 13, 2023
- Recorded
- September 2023
near Old Town, Scotland (United Kingdom)
Viewed 183 times, downloaded 7 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
|
WALKING GALICIA and more adventures.
Logbook. Year 2023
Saturday, September 9
SELECTION OF PHOTOS FROM THE ROUTE
Route 92: Cultural walk through Edinburgh
Google Earth Recreation
We started this short walk in front of the Saint Giles Cathedral. It's not really a cathedral, but from the outside it looks like one. There is a curious monument with a unicorn. It is the symbol of Scotland. He pointed out the place to celebrate the municipal market. Public punishments and executions were also imposed there, but it also served as a place for announcements by the British monarchy. The last announcement was that of the coronation of Charles III and since he is not very loved in these lands, they simply left a paper on which it said: "they crowned the big ear."
Mercat Cross
Continue reading in: Walking Galicia
Other of our routes through Scotland :
Cultural walk through Edinburgh
Technical information
IBP: 10 - Very Easy Details . (Depending on how you consider your physical preparation, it will give you the degree of difficulty of the route, in our case we have a medium preparation) .
'
Waypoints
Monument
482 ft
Mercat Cross
The Mercat Cross in Edinburgh, located in the heart of the Royal Mile, as in most cities and towns in Scotland, marked the place where the municipal market was held. He wasn't always in this place; Not far from there you can see its original location marked on the ground. It was demolished at the end of the 18th century to facilitate the movement of cars along the Royal Mile. This octagonal structure, crowned by a unicorn, the mythological animal par excellence of Scotland, was also the place from which public announcements were made and where in some cases public executions were carried out. In the current Mercat Cross, the worst of the city and of Scotland happened: disowned people, murderers, thieves, anyone outside the law. And next to him was The Maiden, that is, the guillotine, which was very “popular” in the 16th and 17th centuries, in Edinburgh due to the conspiracies, wars, and religious and political movements that both the city and the city experienced during these centuries. the country. Today it is seen that there are seven walls and one door. On each of the walls there was a piece of wood where thieves who had stolen were taken and their ears held. This ear was placed on the wood and the bailiff, with a hammer and a nail, nailed it into the wood for 24 hours. People were going to spit on him, throw away their feces, rotten fruits, etc. After completing those 24 hours with his ear nailed, the sheriff would remove the nail from the prisoner who would see how that hole would close until he had a scar. Everyone would see that scar and the person would be socially marked. But there were people who couldn't stand 24 hours with their ear stuck in Mercat Cross so they ripped it off. A part would be left hanging but the thief could escape and flee the city. His destiny could be to catch a boat in the port of Leith or to stay on the outskirts of the wall, with the murderers, thieves, prostitutes or body snatchers who lived there, but staying was hardly even contemplated, since everyone would see that you were missing a piece of your ear. The only current use it has is to make real announcements. They were all made there. The most famous was when there was a new king. From 1603 Scotland and England shared a king, James. Since the 17th century, the tradition of announcing at Edinburgh's Mercat Cross that the king in London has died and the name of the new king or queen is announced. It is done when three days have passed after the new coronation, because that is how long it took the best rider to go from London to Edinburgh on horseback. Nowadays they no longer go on horseback but they wait three days to announce it. When Elizabeth II died, because Charles was not well liked in Scotland, a piece of paper was simply left nailed to the monument.
|
Religious site
292 ft
Catedral Saint Giles
Saint Giles Cathedral, in Spanish Cathedral of San Gil or San Egidio, is a historic religious building, built from the 12th century onwards, emblematic of the city of Edinburgh. The building is more commonly called the High Kirk of Edinburgh. Its most characteristic element is its dome in the shape of a royal crown. It is one of the two parishes in Edinburgh's Old Town and is considered the mother church of Presbyterianism and the Church of Scotland. It does not officially have the title of cathedral due to the absence of these in the Church of Scotland, although it had that title in the past. The current church dates from the end of the 14th century, and was later restored in the 19th century. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Giles, who is the patron saint of Edinburgh and a very popular saint in the Middle Ages, also patron of cripples and lepers. St Giles' Cathedral was only a cathedral in its formal sense (i.e. the seat of a bishop) for two periods during the 17th century (1635-1638 and 1661-1689), when the Scottish Episcopal Church was supported by the Crown of Scotland. During this period there was a conflict in this regard called the Bishops' War. In the medieval period, before the Reformation, Edinburgh had no cathedral, as the royal burgh was part of the Diocese of Saint Andrews, under the bishop of this diocese and the episcopal seat was Saint Andrews Cathedral. For most of its post-Reformation history, the Church of Scotland has had no bishops, dioceses, or cathedrals. As such, the use of the term "cathedral" currently has no practical meaning. The title "High Kirk" is older, being attested before the brief period when the building was a cathedral proper, with a bishop. Once inside the Cathedral of Saint Giles, the different colors and textures of the ceilings are curious, which show that the church is made of "scraps" that give it such a charming appearance. Although in its beginnings the cathedral had a cross plan, the subsequent construction of the side chapels ended up hiding this shape. One of the details that usually attracts attention inside the Saint Giles Cathedral are the beautiful stained glass windows that project a welcoming light over the temple since they were placed in the 19th century. In the central nave you can see a statue of John Knox, leader of the Scottish Reformation and important preacher who became the cathedral's first Protestant pastor. In a corner far from the door, one of the most important parts of the cathedral is located, known as the Thistle Chapel. Built under the orders of the Knights of the Order of the Thistle between 1909 and 1911, it is a cozy and elegant chapel made in a very peculiar Gothic style. Surrounding the roof of Edinburgh Cathedral you can see little angels playing different instruments and, as could not be otherwise in Edinburgh, one of them appears playing the bagpipes.
|
Monument
285 ft
Estatua de Walter Francis Montagu Douglas Scott
Walter Francis Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch and 7th Duke of Queensbe, was a Scottish politician and nobleman. A great Scottish land magnate, Buccleuch was a Conservative in politics, and was made a Knight of the Garter in 1835 and a Privy Councilor in 1842. He received King George IV at Dalkeith Palace during his historic visit to Scotland, as the Palace of Holyroodhouse was uninhabitable at the time. It was the first visit by a sovereign to Scotland after almost two centuries, as well as being the first time that tartan was used again, after being banned since the Jacobite Rising of 1745. The statue was made by the famous sculptor Joseph Edgar Boehm and inaugurated by the Earl of Stair on February 7, 1888. The bronze sculpture represents the standing nobleman wearing the tunic of the Order of the Garter. A few meters away, on the ground you can see a heart made of granite slabs, popularly known as the Heart of Midlothian. In this place, the city prison once stood, built in the 15th century and demolished in 1817. This institution also served as an administrative center and place where public executions were carried out, which took place right where the heart is. For this reason, locals usually spit on it, always avoiding stepping on it. It is said that spitting it attracts good luck, while showing contempt for the prison system.
|
Monument
279 ft
Estatua de David Hume
This popular Edinburgh monument portrays Hume as an ancient Greek philosopher. Although neither ancient nor Greek, Hume was also an influential historian, economist and writer who lived in the Scottish capital from 1711 to 1776. Hume devoted himself to the natural sciences, the necessity of government, and empirical observation. In firm opposition to superstition, which "awakens the vain fears of unhappy mortals", he wrote in his six-volume History of England. The statue has been attacked by the progressive Black Lives Matter movement due to its beliefs related to race relations. He has been quoted as saying: "I am inclined to suspect that blacks are naturally inferior to whites. There was never a civilized nation of any kind other than white, nor even an individual eminent in action or speculation." Local tradition dictates that tapping David Hume's toe will bring good luck, although the practice ironically defies the philosopher's vehement rejection of superstition. Shortly after artist Alexander Stoddart's sculpture of the great Scottish Enlightenment thinker was installed in front of the Supreme Court building, philosophy students began making pilgrimages in his likeness and rubbing their toes in search of luck and wisdom. More than two decades later, crowds of tourists gather around Hume's foot at all times of the day, making the sacred toe a shining golden sphere of all contact. Hume maintained that all knowledge ultimately comes from experience; either from external experience, that is, that which comes from the senses, such as sight, hearing, etc., or from intimate experience, self-experience. Therefore, maintaining this tradition is indicating that no one has learned anything.
|
Information point
305 ft
Makars' Court o Plaza de los escritores
Makars' Court or Writers' Square is a small square where the Makars can be found. The Makar was originally a reference to the poets of 15th and 16th century Scotland. Now includes more recent writers. Among them we highlight: Sir Walter Scott: "THIS IS MY OWN, MY NATIVE LAND." Robert Louis Stevenson: "THERE ARE NO STARS AS CHARMING AS THE STREET LAMPS OF EDINBURGH." Robert Burns: "FROM MAN TO MAN IN THE WORLD THE BROTHERS WILL BE FOR A 'WHAT'". Also other poets who wrote in the Scottish language, such as: Robert Fergusson, Gavin Douglas, Tom Scott, James Boswell, Lachlan Mor MacMhuirich, etc... In the same square we can also visit The Writers' Museum, where there are manuscripts and personal objects of the writers Burns, Scott and Stevenson in a 17th century house.
|
Provisioning
302 ft
Deacon Brodie´s Tavern
Deacon Brodie's Tavern is one of those pubs classified as "Classic Pubs of Britain", due to its age and history. By day, Brodie was a businessman, a member of Edinburgh City Council and a deacon of the Corporation of Craftsmen and Freemasons. A well-connected guy, a cabinet manufacturer, who installed and repaired locks and security mechanisms on both home and business closet doors. At night, Brodie became a thief. He used his own trade to obtain information about his clients' security mechanisms. He worked in the homes of the wealthiest members of Edinburgh society and used stolen money to support his double life, including five children and two lovers who did not know about each other. He was also addicted to gambling. In 1786 he was the leader of his small gang of robbers, consisting of Brown, Smith and Ainslie. At the end of that same year, he organized an assault on the tax office at Chessel Courts, in Canongate. Brodie's plan failed when Ainsle was captured and Ainsle agreed to testify to avoid deportation, and betrayed the gang. Brodie fled to Holland, was arrested in Amsterdam and shipped back to Edinburgh to stand trial. The trial began on August 27, 1788. Much evidence of his misdeeds appeared in his house: copies of keys, disguise, and pistols. The jury found Brodie and his henchman George Smith guilty. Legend has it that it was Deacon who built the first gallows in Edinburgh, being his first victim. They say that on the day the sentence was carried out, October 1, 1788, Deacon tried to play dead (by bribing the executioner and using some trick) but he was buried, although the legend of whether he had been seen in London always remained. . A curiosity is that Stevenson based himself on this real "character" to write his famous novel "The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and that Stevenson's father owned furniture manufactured by Brodie.
|
Door
266 ft
Victoria Street
Victoria Street with its C-shaped slope connects the George IV Bridge with Grassmarket. For many it is the most beautiful street in Edinburgh. Although Victoria Street was laid out in the 18th century to create access to the Royal Mile from the west of Edinburgh, West Bow, the lower part of the street, dates back to medieval times. The upper level, with restaurant terraces and taller buildings, opens onto the Royal Mile. In addition to the double level of buildings, the most unmistakable thing about Victoria Street are the colorful facades of the lower part, which house countless small independent shops, as well as bars and restaurants. It is not difficult to imagine, walking down Victoria Street, why they say that JK Rowling was inspired by this street to create the bustling Diagon Alley of the Harry Potter books, full of shops for wizards. Additionally, from the upper level of the street you will see, on the horizon, George Heriot School, which was likely the base for Hogwarts.
|
Information point
252 ft
Grassmarket
The Grassmarket was built on what was part of the south lake which was drained in the early 14th century. Shortly afterwards it became a cattle market and was officially one of the main markets of Edinburgh according to the ordinance of James III in 1477. There were many taverns and inns to satisfy the thirst of the cattle traders and the laborers who brought their animals to the market. The gallows was built around 1650 and executions were carried out regularly, the last hanging on 4 February 1874. The animal market took place here until 1911. Two of the taverns still remain The Last Drop where it was said that the person who was going to be hanged got his last drink there. The other is Maggie Dickson's famous story about how the law sentence 'to be hanged' was changed to 'to be hanged until dead' when Maggie was hanged and did not die. The White Hart Inn Edinburgh was established in 1516, it is one of Edinburgh's oldest and most historic pubs. Previous visitors have included poets Robert Burns and William Wordsworth. The murderers Burke and Hare were also regulars at the pub in the late 1820s, as this was where they had to lure their victims to their nearby lodgings, where they were murdered and their bodies sold to Dr Knox for medical research and study by students of the University's Faculty of Medicine. During the First World War, on 2 April 1916, a German Zeppelin bombing raid dropped its bombs on Edinburgh. During the bombing, a bomb exploded on the pavement outside a Public House, injuring four, one of whom died from shrapnel wounds. Grassmarket was also the scene of public executions. Maggie Dickson, a murderer, was a Musselburgh fisherwoman who was hanged at Grassmarket in 1728 for murdering her own baby and lived after the hanging. After she was hanged, her family took her body to Musselburgh in a coffin. However, on the journey home he woke up and, under Scottish law at the time, having served his punishment, he was free to leave. Only later were the words “until I die” added to the hanging prayer. You can find the pub that bears her name just meters from where she was hanged. The shadow of a gallows is marked on the cobblestones where the old gallows stood. The inscription around the stone says; In this place many martyrs and covenanters died for the Protestant faith.
|
Park
246 ft
Cementerio Greyfriar
This Edinburgh cemetery is the oldest in the city. The cemetery was involved in the history of the Covenanter (they were members of a Presbyterian religious movement that during that century caused a lot of war in Escoria). They began in 1638 with the signing of the National Covenant in the Chapel Kirk, and in 1679 around 1,200 Covenanters were imprisoned in the parish awaiting trial, an area known as the Covenanters' Gaol. The fact is that most of these prisoners died under torture or due to the poor conditions in which they were in prison, which earned Mackenzie the nickname Bloody Mackenzie. Many of the plots are surrounded by walls of ornate stone and iron, called mortuaries, to preserve the dead from the vandalism attempts of the early 19th century, used for practices such as the study of the dead, promoted by the Edinburgh Medical College (Edinburgh Medical College) with the corpses for dissection. Apparently, JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter saga, liked to walk through Greyfriars Cemetery, and she must have looked carefully at many of the graves, since there are a few characters in the Harry Potter novels who have surnames of some of the people buried in the cemetery. Greyfriars Cemetery is reputed to be haunted. One of the most frequent comments is attributed to the restless spirit of the infamous lawyer George Mackenzie known as "Bloody", buried there in 1691. The 'Mackenzie ghost' is said to cause bruises and cuts on those who enter contact with it and many visitors have reported feeling strange sensations. In particular, visitors who take the City of the Dead walk, which has access to the Covenanters Jail, in fact, maintain that they have emerged with injuries without having suffered any type of accident. Even more interesting, there are a number of deaths that have taken place in the cemetery itself. On the SciFi channel, Greyfriars Cemetery appears as one of the scariest places on Earth.
|
Archaeological site
253 ft
Tumba de John Gray
John Gray was a local Edinburgh policeman who worked as a night watchman. He was the owner of the famous dog Bobby for approximately two years, since he died of tuberculosis shortly after living together.
|
Monument
239 ft
Escultura de Greyfriars Bobby
Greyfriars Bobby was a Skye Terrier dog who became known in Edinburgh in the 19th century for staying at the grave of his owner, John Gray, until his death on January 14, 1872. A year later, Lady Burdett Coutts had a statue and fountain built on the south side of the George IV Bridge to honor him. Bobby belonged to John Gray, who worked for the local Edinburgh police as a night watchman, and the two were inseparable for approximately two years. On 8 February 1858, Gray died of tuberculosis. He was buried in Greyfriars Cemetery, next to Greyfriars Kirk, in Edinburgh's Old Town. Bobby, who lived for 14 years after Gray's death, is said to have spent the rest of his life at his master's grave. In 1867, due to the increasing number of stray dogs, the city authorities passed a rule requiring all dogs in Edinburgh to be registered, eliminating those that were not registered. Sir William Chambers (Lord Provost of Edinburgh) decided to pay for Bobby's license, and made him a necklace with a bronze plaque reading "Greyfriars Bobby from the Lord Provost - 1867 - licensed".6 Bobby died in 1872 and was buried next to the gate of Greyfriars Kirkyard, near Grey's grave, but not in the cemetery itself as it was considered a sacred place. In 2011 Jan Bondeson of Cardiff University published research suggesting that Bobby was actually an advertising gimmick by local businesses in the Victorian era to attract tourism. According to Bondeson's investigation, Bobby was a stray dog trained to stay in the cemetery that would have been replaced by another dog and, therefore, they would have been two different dogs.
|
World Heritage Site
259 ft
McEwan Hall
McEwan Hall is the graduation hall of the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh. It was presented to the University in 1897 by William McEwan, brewer and politician. Sir Robert Rowand Anderson is the architect. The interior, completed in 1897, is built in the Italian Renaissance style and features hand-painted wall decorations by William Mainwaring Palin. The central artwork is a large painted work known as the "Hall of Fame" depicting a large number of philosophers and students. Another feature of McEwan Hall is its large dome. Inside the dome is a biblical inscription: Wisdom is the main thing, so get wisdom and with what you get, get understanding. Exalt her and she will honor you. (Proverbs 4:7). McEwan Hall is used for graduation ceremonies, public lectures and meetings, some Edinburgh Fringe Festival events and organ recitals.
|
Museum
193 ft
Talbot Rice Gallery
Established in 1975, this gallery is named after one of the most prominent Fine Art professors at the University of Edinburgh. David Talbot Rice was born in England, but taught in the Scottish capital until his death. The gallery occupies several rooms in the University of Edinburgh's Old College, all located in a large neoclassical hall originally built to be the home of the university's Natural History Museum. The Old College itself was designed by Robert Adam and William Playfair, with construction beginning in the early 19th century. The neoclassical hall of the Talbot Rice Gallery is considered a kind of sister to the University's Playfair Library also designed by William Playfair. While the Library is only open to students and for special events, the Talbot Rice Gallery is open to all and free to visit. Inside the gallery, both modern and classical art share the same space. The gallery also hosts artist residencies and outreach programs. The grassy courtyard adjacent to the gallery's east entrance has several unique features. The northeast corner once housed the operating room of the infamous Dr. Knox. He was the doctor responsible for financing the notorious Burke and Hare serial killings. Along the western wall is a set of steps and a balcony leading to one of the museum's entrances. It is at the top of this staircase that actor James Mason, addressing a large enthusiastic crowd, gave a speech at the end of Jules Verne's classic 1959 film Journey to the Center of the Earth. Talbot Rice sat on several national committees associated with the arts, including the Arts Council, of which he was a member from 1963 to 1968. He was an honorary member of the Royal Scottish Academy and a senior trustee of the National Galleries of Scotland.
|
World Heritage Site
282 ft
Universidad de Edimburgo
The founding of this university is attributed to Bishop Robert Reid, of St. Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, who bequeathed funds after his death in 1558. The University was established by a Royal Decree granted by King James VI in 1582 (it opened its doors in 1583), becoming the fourth Scottish university, at a time when England, much more populous and prosperous, had only two. In the 18th century Edinburgh was one of the major centers of Europe and developed as one of the continent's important universities. The Edinburgh Seven were the first group of university women enrolled at a British university. They began studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1869 and, although they were ultimately prevented from both graduating and becoming doctors, their cause gained national attention and gained numerous supporters, including that of Charles Darwin. The right of women to a university education became part of the country's political agenda and, in 1876, a law was approved that protected and ensured the right of women to study medicine at the university. The group is also called Septem contra Edinam ("The Seven Against Edinburgh", a term inspired by the Greek myth of "The Seven Against Thebes"). Although during the four-year campaign some of the original seven members left and new ones joined, the Edinburgh Seven are considered to be: Sophia Jex-Blake, Isabel Thorne, Edith Pechey, Matilda Chaplin, Helen Evans, Mary Anderson, Emily Bovell. These names appeared in the petition made on 15 November 1869 to the Royal Infirmary, requesting admission to Medicine. All of them appeared in the Registry of Medical Students of the CMG (General College of Physicians) between 1869 and 1870 as bona fide (full) students, and they were required to receive clinical instruction at the Infirmary in order to meet the necessary requirements and Obtain the tittle.
|
Museum
220 ft
Museo Nacional de Escocia
Opened in 1998, the modern National Museum of Scotland building houses more than 10,000 objects, including a host of works of art, jewelery and weapons. It allows the visitor to travel through Scotland, from its geological origins to the present day, without leaving the building. The museum is divided into five large sections, which in turn are distributed across five levels: Nature, World Cultures, Art and Design, Science and Technology and Scotland. You can see characters such as Mary, Queen of Scots, the infamous guillotine The Maiden, who beheaded more than 150 people in 17th century Edinburgh. The tragic Glencoe massacre or the Jacobite uprisings, the industrial era in the country... One of the most popular pieces at the National Museum of Scotland is the body of Dolly the sheep, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell. It served as inspiration for the Disney Pixar film "Brave", whose action is set in the Scottish Highlands.
|
Comments (4)
You can add a comment or review this trail
I have followed this trail View more
Information
Easy to follow
Scenery
Easy
Un paseo lleno de historias y escritores. Gracias por compartirla 😘
Y de pintas 🍺🍺😃
I have followed this trail View more
Information
Easy to follow
Scenery
Easy
Gracias por compartirla!
Thank you!!💂♀️