Arthur's Seat And The Salisbury Crags

This is a view of Edinburgh facing south from the top of Calton Hill. It includes the eastern end of the Royal Mile, Arthur's Seat and the Salisbury Crags, and a portion of the campus of the University of Edinburgh. Holyrood Palace lies outside the photo slightly further to the left. Arthur's Seat was, according to some, named in honor of the legendary King Arthur. This is a rather timely appelation, considering the current theory that King Arthur came from the Scottish Borders, and may once have been a commander of Roman cavalry patroling Hadrian's Wall. The Salisbury Crags are the remains of an extinct volcano, and present a vista far more rugged and elemental than anyone would expect to find in a cramped old European city. Edinburgh Castle stands on a similar formation which was originally a hill fortress of the Votadini, a tribe of P-Celtic speaking North Britons. The Votadini, also known as the Gododdin, called their fortress "Din Eidyn". The Angles captured the fortress in 638 C.E., and it was eventually renamed "Edinburgh".