248. Royal Mile

What is the Royal Mile? 

It's a series of streets that run from Edinburgh Castle to the Holyrood Palace, home of the Scottish Parliament, with St Giles Cathedral in the middle. There are loads of shops and pubs and little side streets. Underneath the cobbles are medieval catacombs - it's very touristy and there are a lot of Ghost Tours and suchlike on offer.

What's the Royal Mile like?

It's very touristy and yet still so evocative of olden Edinburgh at the same time. Make sure you see it in the evening/at night as as well as during the day.

Where is the Royal Mile?

Edinburgh, Scotland

When did we go? 

March 2008

How did we get there?

We went up to Edinburgh for a weekend for the Scotland vs England rugby match. Pete subsequently refused to take me to any more rugby matches as I complained a bit. We also visited Edinburgh Castle (removed from the 2020 list).

Worth noting 

I failed to get a picture of the Royal Mile so the picture below is actually of Greyfriars Bobby. He didn't make it into the Top 500, so I'm smuggling him in here. He's definitely worth a visit.

Where was the Royal Mile in the 2015 edition of the Lonely Planet Top 500? 

169

Does the Royal Mile deserve its place in the 2020 edition of the Lonely Planet Ultimate Travelist? 

I think it deserves this spot - as a fulcrum of Edinburgh history, it definitely deserves a place.