Edinburgh - Day 12

Arthur's Seat
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We took toured Holyrood Palace (Queen Elizabeth’s official residence) and Gardens. Afterwards, I hiked up to Arthur’s Peak. Dad waited and tried to tour the Scottish Parliament, but it was closed due to a beam that had fallen from the ceiling. On my hike, one trail was closed by the police to investigate a fallen hiker. I had to take an alternate route up steep steps and ran into a guy and his girlfriend who was passed out or dehydrated from heat stroke or too much partying the night before. I gave her my water when she woke up. She took a drink and immediately started throwing up. I suggested they go back down to where the police and ambulance were and they should be able to help. Also, I offered to help the boyfriend get his girlfriend down the trail, but they said they could get down on their own and eventually they started down the steps. I proceeded up the trail to Arthur’s Seat. Parts of the trail were a bit sketchy and narrow. With thoughts of the fallen hiker, I proceeded up the trail to the peak. I arrived safely at the top of Arthur’s Seat and climbed up the last of the volcanic rock to have a seat on Arthur’s Seat. It was a lot windier on top than it was even just 6 feet below. I took a few pictures and then rested for a few seconds before policeman interrupted everyone and asked everybody to leave the top, so they could investigate where the hiker fell from. I decided to take the easy way down which ended up not being the shortest. It was still a scenic hike, but mostly on sidewalk all the way around Holyrood Park. Dad was waiting at the Holyrood Palace Café in the shade. Later, we walked back down the Royal Mile to South Bridge Road to catch our bus back to the hotel. We did some shopping for souvenirs along the way. Ate dinner at the dinner hotel and visited with one of the staff who turned out she was from Poland. Walked = 13.22 miles. Steps = 23,333.