Edinburgh Castle Still Rocks

Edinburgh's most visited attraction still pulls in the crowds. Figures for last year show that a record 1.25 million people visited the Castle last year. Visitors to Edinburgh can learn about the fortress's long and turbulent history with a Walk Talk Tour mp3 guided tour. Both the Royal Mile & More podcast guided tour and the Old & New Towns Tour begin in the Castle Esplanade, where undercover tourists will have the chance to learn about some of the incidents that have shaped Edinburgh and Scotland's history.

The Castle rock was formed out of the molten lava of a volcano, over 340million years ago.

The Castle changed hands between the Scottish and English several times in the past. Listeners with either of the Edinburgh Walk Talk Tour iPod travel guides can discover about some of the grisly chapters in Scottish history that unfolded in the Castle. The Black Dinner ring a bell? It will do if you decided to purchase a Walk Talk Tour city guide of Edinburgh.

The Castle's ties with the military remain strong. The 52nd Infantry Brigade has the Castle as its headquarters.

Six days a week the sound of artillery fire booms out at 1pm exactly. As the timing suggests this is known as the One O'Clock Gun. Originally, the firing of the Gun was designed to provide sailors on the Firth of Forth with a time check.

The Honours of Scotland a powerful symbol of Scottish national identity consisting of a Crown, Sceptre and the Sword of State are displayed in the Crown Room. Discover who rescued the Honours from their inglorious state with either of the Edinburgh Walk Talk Tour tourist guides. To find out more about The Royal Mile & More mp3 guided tour your please click here.

In a survey of 2,000 people conducted earlier this year to find British citizens' favourite landmark Edinburgh Castle was ranked highly. Big Ben, the name popularly given to St Stephen's Tower came top in the survey. Visitors to London can learn about Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament with The Palace Trail downloadable travel guide. For more information about The Palace Trail please click here.

Please click here to find out about The Old & New Towns Tour. The Castle's opening times and admission charges can be obtained from our Where & When page.