Holyrood Park
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2008-06-30T12:38:05Z
Jonathan Oldenbuck
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'''Holyrood Park''' (also called '''Queen's Park''', and formerly '''King's Park''') is a royal park in central [[Edinburgh]], [[Scotland]]. It is regarded as a microcosm of Scottish scenery, with a stunning array of hills, [[loch]]s, glens, ridges, [[basalt]] cliffs, and patches of [[whin]] packed into its landscape. The park is associated with the royal palace of [[Holyrood Palace|Holyroodhouse]], although it is now publically accessible. [[Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh|Arthur's Seat]], the highest point in Edinburgh, is at the centre of the park, with the cliffs of Salisbury Crags to the west. There are three lochs; St Margaret's Loch, Dunsapie Loch, and Duddingston Loch. The ruined St Anthony's Chapel stands above St Margaret's Loch. Queen's Drive is the main route through the Park, and is closed on Sundays to motor vehicles.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cyclingedinburgh.info/2007/12/20/try-your-christmas-bike-in-the-park |title=Try Your Christmas Bike in the Park |publisher=CyclingEdinburgh.info |accessdate=2007-12-21}}</ref> St Margaret's Well and St Anthony's Well are both natural springs within the park. Holyrood Park is located to the south-east of the [[Old Town, Edinburgh|Old Town]], at the edge of the city centre. [[Abbeyhill]] is to the north, and [[Duddingston]] village to the east. The [[University of Edinburgh]]'s [[Pollock Halls of Residence]] are to the south-west, and [[Dumbiedykes]] is to the west.
==Arthur's Seat==
[[Image:Edinburgh Arthur Seat dsc06165.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Arthur's Seat on a partly-cloudy summer evening]]
{{main|Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh|l1=Arthur's Seat}}
Arthur's Seat is the main peak of the group of hills which form most of Holyrood Park, a remarkably wild piece of highland landscape in the centre of the city of [[Edinburgh]], about a [[mile]] to the east of the [[castle]]. The hill rises above the city to a height of {{convert|251|m|ft}}, provides excellent views, is quite easy to climb, and is a popular walk. Though it can be climbed from almost any direction, the easiest and simplest ascent is from the East, where a grassy slope rises above Dunsapie Loch, a small artificial loch located between Dunsapie Hill and Arthur's Seat. The loch is fed with water from Alnwickhill in the south of the city, and is a popular location within the park, supporting plentiful numbers of bird species.
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==Salisbury Crags==
[[Image:Holyrood Park Salisbury crags DSC04962.JPG|thumb|200px|The Salisbury Crags, seen from Edinburgh University's Pollock Halls]]
The Salisbury Crags are a series of {{convert|46|m|ft|adj=on}} cliffs at the top of a subsidiary spur of Arthurs Seat which rise in the middle of Holyrood Park. Below the foot of the cliffs is a large and steep [[Scree|talus]] slope falling to the floor of Holyrood Park with a track known as the Radical Road running in the space between the two. This track was given its name after it was paved in the aftermath of the [[Radical War]] of 1820, using the labour of unemployed weavers from the west of Scotland at the suggestion of [[Walter Scott]].<ref>[http://www.99shadesofgrey.com/travel/edinburgh/ 99shadesofgrey > travel] Retrieved [[2007-01-12]]</ref>
The cliffs are formed from steep [[dolerite]] and [[columnar basalt]] and have a long history of [[rock climbing]] on their faces starting from the earliest days of the sport and leading to a number of [[traditional climbing]] and [[sport climbing]] routes being recorded. In recent years the Park Police (previously under the auspices of the [[Royal Estate]] and now [[Historic Scotland]], who have taken over management of the park) have attempted to regulate access to the cliffs for climbing. One now needs to apply for a permit, free of charge, at the education centre to the east of the park in order to be allowed to climb. There is still some activity, though most of it is [[bouldering]] rather than [[free climbing]]. The finest areas are in the two quarries, although it is only in the south quarry that climbing is still permitted at this time. The South Quarry contains the '''Black Wall''', a well known bouldering testpiece in the Edinburgh climbing scene.
On a somewhat less cheerful note, the Crags are a popular suicide spot.
==Samson's Ribs==
Samson's Ribs are a formation of [[columnar basalt]].
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==St Margaret's Loch==
[[Image:St Margarets Loch.jpg|thumb|200px|Looking south over St Margaret's Loch, towards St Anthony's Chapel]]
St Margaret's Loch is a shallow man-made [[loch]] to the south of Queen's Drive. It is around 500m east of [[Holyrood Palace]], and about 100m north of the ruin of St Anthony's Chapel. Once a boggy, [[marshland]], the loch was formed in [[1856]] as part of [[Prince Albert|Prince Albert's]] improvement plans for the area surrounding the [[palace]]. The loch was once a boating pond, but is now home to a strong population of [[ducks]], [[geese]], and [[swans]].
==St Anthony's Chapel==
St Anthony's Chapel is was probably built around the early half of the [[15th Century]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/edinburgh/stanthonys/index.html |title=St Anthony's Chapel |work=Undiscovered Scotland |accessdate=2008-06-30}}</ref> It was originally rectangular shaped (43ft x 18ft), and was built with local stone with 3ft thick walls. Now the [[chapel]] is a [[ruin]], only the north wall remains.
==Other geographical features==
Other geographical features include the Haggis Knowe, Whinny Hill and Hunter's Bog, which drains into St Margaret's Loch.
==See also==
* [[Holyrood]] (disambiguation page)
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*{{historic-scotland-link|125}}
{{commons|Holyrood Park}}
[[Category:Parks and commons in Edinburgh]]
[[Category: Parks in Scotland]]
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