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Natural Monuments

Princes Street Gardens

Natural Monuments

Princes Street Gardens

Highlight (Segment) • Monument

Princes Street Gardens

Name: Princes Street Gardens
Rating: 2

Recommended by 19 hikers

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Location: New Town/Broughton, Edinburgh, Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom

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Best Hiking Routes to Princes Street Gardens

4.8

(45)

339

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1. Edinburgh Castle – Royal Mile loop from Haymarket

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Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

4.9

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2. Scott Monument – Royal Mile loop from Old Town

9.25km

02:30

120m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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4.7

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3. Scott Monument – Edinburgh Castle loop from West End

8.45km

02:19

130m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

Tips

Jaro🇵🇱⛷️🛶🚴🏃‍♂️

December 5, 2024

Princes Street Gardens is one of the most important city parks located in the heart of Edinburgh. It separates the Old Town from the New Town.

The gardens cover over 37 acres (150,000 m2) and are divided into two parts by The Mound, a man-made hill that connects the New Town and Old Town of Edinburgh and is home to the Scottish National Gallery.

introducingedinburgh.com/princes-street-gardens

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Jaro🇵🇱⛷️🛶🚴🏃‍♂️

December 5, 2024

Princes Street Gardens was created by draining Edinburgh’s largest lake, the Nor Loch.
The Nor Loch was originally a marshland on the north side of Edinburgh, initially used as a natural medieval defence alongside Edinburgh Castle. With the north and west sides of the city protected, Edinburgh only needed fortifications to the east and south of the city.
From the Middle Ages until the 19th century, it is believed that the Nor Loch was a place where ‘witch ducking’ would take place (a way of discovering whether a suspect was guilty of witchcraft), an ideal place to dispose of dead bodies, where waste water was dumped, and some historians believe that many citizens even walked to the loch for fresh water despite this.
Princes Street Gardens was first designed in 1770, but was inaugurated in 1820 when the loch was completely drained.
introducingedinburgh.com/princes-street-gardens

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Jaro🇵🇱⛷️🛶🚴🏃‍♂️

December 5, 2024

The gardens are beautiful all year round. This is where many locals meet, especially at the Ross Fountain, the park’s most important landmark. This cast iron structure was installed in 1872 after the Great Exhibition of 1862 in London.

Each year at Christmas, part of the gardens is transformed into a ‘Winter Wonderland’ with a Christmas market, an ice rink and many other fun attractions, including a 108-foot (33 m) high Ferris wheel, often called The Edinburgh Eye.

introducingedinburgh.com/princes-street-gardens

Translated by Google •

Details

Informations

Distance 1.15 km

Uphill 0 m

Downhill 10 m

Weather

Today

Saturday 1 November

11°C

6°C

0 %

If you start your activity now...

Max wind speed: 21.0 km/h

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Location: New Town/Broughton, Edinburgh, Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom

Other Popular Places to Check Out

Edinburgh Castle

Scott Monument

Victoria Street, Edinburgh

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Scottish National Gallery

Adam Smith Statue, Royal Mile

View of Salisbury Crags

West Princes Street Gardens

Water of Leith Walkway

Meadow Walk, The Meadows

Edinburgh Castle

Princes Street Gardens

1. Edinburgh Castle – Royal Mile loop from Haymarket

2. Scott Monument – Royal Mile loop from Old Town

3. Scott Monument – Edinburgh Castle loop from West End

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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