Royal Mile - A visitors guide

The Royal Mile is, as it suggests, a mile long (although this is an old Scot's mile) and is actually made up of four distinct streets; Castlehill, Lawnmarket, the High Street and Canongate.

Castlehill

This is the small stretch which runs down from the Castle Esplanade to the top of Lawnmarket where it joins Johnstone Terrace. Here you can see see Cannon-ball House, which has a cannon ball alledgedly fired during the second Jacobite rebellion still lodged in the gable wall.

Lawnmarket

Lawnmarket carries on down the hill to the junction with George IV bridge and is now the home of the 'Tartan Tourist shop' For the history buffs, David Hume and James Boswell both lived in a tenement (now long gone) at James's Court.

High Street

This is the main section of the Royal Mile and stretches from George IV Bridge to the World's End - the site of the Netherbow Gate which was the boundary of the City walls. (the location of the gate is marked by a series of brass cobbles in the street. The High Street is home to the Courts, St. Giles Cathedral, the City Chambers and John Knox's house. The top section has been partially pedestrianised and in August becomes the centre of the Fringe street performances, where you'll see anything from juggling chainsaws to Japanese Kabuki.

Canongate

Canongate runs down to Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament and is the forgotten part of the Mile. Many of the orginal buildings are gone and have been replaced by post-war 'brutalist' tenements. The area was historically a more industrial part of the city with a number of breweries. Canongate was where Burke and Hare picked up Mary Patterson and Janet Brown, the former ending up as one of the 17 victims of the bodysnatchers. Canongate Kirk was the venue of the 'other' Royal wedding in 2011.

The Royal Mile

(Edinburgh's most famous street)

Castlehill

Lawnmarket

High Street

Canongate