Introduction
This is the fifth in a series of posts, where I record my visits to the classic ‘Seven Hills of Edinburgh’. Please use the tag ‘Edinburgh’s 7 Hills’ to pull these posts together as a group, as they are not being created consecutively. This post features Calton Hill, which is found near the east end of Princes Street, in the city centre. Calton Hill is home to a number of well known monuments and there are a number of other landmarks in the immediate vicinity. At an elevation of 103m, it is the lowest of the seven.
Calton Hill
A choice of routes is available for ascending Calton Hill: a particularly easy walk from the roundabout on Regent Road, a moderate climb from Greenside Parish Church (Blenheim Place) or a somewhat daunting staircase ascent from Regent Road. I took the middle option. Once on the summit, the visitor is rewarded with a wealth of excellent views across the New Town, Old Town, Holyrood and Arthur’s Seat, and North Edinburgh to the Firth of Forth and Fife beyond. Additionally, on the hill itself is a collection of monuments and buildings including the National Monument, Nelson Monument, Dugald Stewart Monument and the City Observatory.
Calton Hill is included in Edinburgh’s UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Video clip
Old Calton Burial Ground
This historic graveyard is situated on Waterloo Place, not far from the ‘steps’ entrance to Calton Hill. It contains a number of notable graves and monuments.
Jacob’s Ladder
In the direction that I used it, this biblically named staircase leads down from Regent Road to Calton Road, emerging opposite the new Waverley Square development. There are 140 steps in total.
New Calton Burial Ground & Regent Road
This ‘overspill’ cemetery for the one mentioned above lies further to the east on Regent Road. I entered from Calton Road and used it as a convenient way to regain the elevation lost in descending Jacob’s Ladder. The main attraction here for visitors is the number of fine views to Holyrood Palace, the Scottish Parliament and Arthur’s Seat. Having reached Regent Road, nearby points of interest were the Old Royal High School, the Robert Burns monument and Regent Road Park.
