Calton Hill

Calton Hill pops up just beyond the east end of Princes Street like Arthur’s Seat’s hyperactive younger sibling – lacking the gravitas of its big brother, it overcompensates with an almost ludicrous pick and mix of monuments. The most striking is the enjoyably ridiculous National Monument of Scotland – originally intended as a memorial to soldiers killed in the Napoleonic Wars, the Parthenon-like structure was left half-finished when the project ran out of cash. Also of note are the City Observatory (which became less impressive when the Royal Observatory was erected on Blackford Hill), the Nelson Monument (a conical tower that looks like an upturned telescope) and the Dugald Stewart Monument (a many-columned temple that, when lined up with the Balmoral Hotel and Edinburgh Castle in the background, is the star of many an iconic Edinburgh postcard). All of which makes Calton Hill an enjoyable place to amble over for an hour, with some spectacular panoramic views to boot.