Hills in Edinburgh

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Arthur's Seat (right) from Blackford Hill
Arthur's Seat (right) from Blackford Hill

Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland is traditionally said to have been "built on Seven Hills", presumably in an attempt to liken the city with other cities supposedly built on seven hills such as Rome and Lisbon. There is considerable room for debate as to which hills are included and excluded from the seven.

The Pentland Hills are also just to the south of the city, and their lower slopes are within the city boundary, especially around Hillend/Swanston and Balerno.

Some of the hills are formed from ancient volcanic processes, and all show the effect of glaciation.

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[edit] Traditional Seven

Edinburgh Rock, site of Edinburgh Castle, perhaps the best known hill of Edinburgh
Edinburgh Rock, site of Edinburgh Castle, perhaps the best known hill of Edinburgh

There is some argument as to which the seven are. Arthur's Seat and the Braid Hills, for example, are really a mini range, containing several hills, rather than just one.


A running race, held yearly since 1980, takes in these seven hills, starting and finishing at Calton Hill (although it actually excludes Wester Craiglockhart because it is private property, and instead includes the lower Easter Craiglockhart).

[edit] Debate over 'The Seven'

Traditionally - i.e. before the construction of the New Town - Edinburgh was built on a single hill, the volcanic Castle Rock and its tail that extended to the east. The building of the New Town and subsequent development in the 19th and 20th centuries saw first Calton Hill and later all of the others listed above being absorbed into the city, and the "traditional seven" have some claim to being described as the seven principle hills within the modern boundaries of Edinburgh.

There are many other hills in Edinburgh, some part of the above ranges, or simply hidden beneath housing etc. There are for example, ridges extending from Dalry and Ardmillan, and also Sighthill. Craigmillar Castle is also on top of a small hill, and there is another small one underneath Colinton. There are also hills beneath the New Town, and the Old Town to the south of the Cowgate. Some of these hills rise to heights substantially above the traditional seven - for example parts of Fairmilehead at 183m.

The Pentland Hills to the south of Edinburgh are traditionally thought of as being outside the city, although they are very close, and because of their height they dominate views to the south of the city. Allermuir Hill (493m) is only slightly further from the centre of Edinburgh than Corstorphine Hill, and is almost twice the height of Arthur's Seat.

A number of Edinburgh suburbs, also contain "hill" or synonyms in their name - Abbeyhill, Alnwickhill, Church Hill, Curriehill, Drylaw (Lowland Scots for a "hill without a spring"), Ferniehill, Firrhill, Greenhill, Piershill, Sighthill; and others also contain the element "Craig" meaning a large rock - e.g. Craigentinny, Craigmillar.

[edit] Hills in the Centre

Edinburgh is also traditionally thought of as being a hilly city, because of the number of hills in or close to the city centre that walkers and cyclists have to contend with. Many of the city's streets are long or steep slopes - first time visitors to Edinburgh will often be taken aback by what seems like an almost endless sequence of uphill streets. Chief among these is the Royal Mile which rises continuously from Holyrood House to Edinburgh Castle for approximately a mile. Others include -

  • Dundas Street and Hanover Street, which rise steeply from the Water of Leith to a summit at George Street, then descend slightly to Princes Street, before climbing the very steep Mound to join the Royal Mile
  • Several streets in the New Town which run parallel to Dundas Street and Hanover Street for part of their length, including Frederick Street and Castle Street
  • Leith Walk, which rises continuously from just above sea level at Leith, to a summit at Princes Street.
  • A number of short and very steep streets in the Old Town, including Victoria Street, Candlemaker Row, and Infirmary Street.

The many height changes have led to several roads crossing other roads on bridges, which was relatively rare in pre-20th century Britain. These include Waterloo Place above Calton Road, George IV Bridge over the Cowgate and Merchant Street, South Bridge over the Cowgate, and Castle Terrace over Kings Stables Road. There are also several staircases accessible to pedestrians only, linking streets at different heights, including Playfair Steps between the Mound and Princes Street, Jacob's Ladder between Calton Road and Regent Road, and the News Steps, between St Giles Street and Market Street.

Outlying hills include the climb from Toll Cross to Bruntsfield and beyond Morningside to Fairmilehead, and Liberton Brae.

[edit] External links