Arthur’s Seat in the Mist

Busy Clerk Street is easily crossed via Gifford Park, Rankeillor Street and St Leonard's Lane leading to here, St Leonard's Bank. At the end is my route into Holyrood Park, home of Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags.

Frost lingers on the grass on this ridge path into the park. The faint outline of Arthur's Seat is just visible.

A little more can be distinguished nearer the end of the ridge, including some of Salisbury Crags up to the left, as well as a few cars on Queen's Drive down below.

The end of the ridge drops down to the short stretch of road between the two traffic roundabouts.

The unmistakeable outline of Salisbury Crags thrusts up towards the promise of blue skies.

No cars on the roundabout.

Camera panned slightly right showing Nether Hill.

Small red car on the roundabout.

A discreet sign on a convenient rock admonishes cyclists to give way to pedestrians. Blue skies beckon beyond.

Further up the grassy slope towards the paths leading to the summit.

Looking back up to the left towards Salisbury Crags. One or two figures can be seen walking along the Radical Road footpath below the crags.

Rather than take the zigzag steps straight up the front of Arthur's Seat I forked left to take a clockwise spiral route up. This is a look back along the path with Hunters Bog below in the mist. The top of the crags can be seen on the right.

Hunters Bog is below on the left. The path up the hill takes a turn to the right here.

Looking back down. More paths coming from Haggis Knowe direction connect at this point. The wooden steps are covered in frost.

A walker comes up one of the other paths. The mist is slowly drifting through Hunters Bog from right to left, coming from the North Sea.

Another look back down to the left. The mist has partially cleared below, but not for long.

Higher up, approaching a small plateau. The lone walker continues up the rough stone steps.

Looking back round the side of Arthur's Seat towards Salisbury Crags.

Zoomed in a little to show the crags poking above the mist, as well as part of East Cairn Hill from the Pentland Hills.

Looking back down one of the main paths up Arthur's Seat. The small plateau referred to above is where the path forks further down. Hunters Bog is to the left of the ridge. Beyond the hollow on the right is Whinny Hill.

The path to the summit has turned another corner. Whinny Hill is down below swathed in mist.

Down below, Musselburgh and the lagoons bordering the Firth of Forth are hidden from view. Only the chimneys of Cockenzie power station are visible 12km distant. The fence is to reduce erosion caused by climbers.

A similar view to Misty18 but from nearer the summit, the shadow of which can be seen on top of the mist.

Zoomed in a little to reveal some walkers climbing the path from Haggis Knowe direction (near Holyrood Palace).

From near the summit looking roughly north east to Whinny Hill. Several well worn paths converge at the eastern end of the hollow.

A wider view of the same scene showing the walkers coming up the path.

Looking back along the path to the corner. This east facing view shows the horizon over a sea of mist.

Almost at the summit now and there's a good view down on top of the semi-circular rim of Salisbury Crags.

Looking north with Hunters Bog hidden below the mist to the left of the ridge. The top of Whinny Hill is briefly clear of mist.

Showing more of the ridge and the sea of mist which conceals Edinburgh, Leith and the Firth of Forth.

Facing east towards Cockenzie power station and looking down to Dunsapie Loch. A group of people are enjoying the view. The white specks on the loch are probably swans.

The same scene but zoomed in more on Dunsapie Loch. Queens Drive passes by the west side of the loch.

The rocky summit is covered in lichen and is still frosty where the sun hasn't reached. Down below, the crags jut up through the mist.

From the summit, looking south west to the Pentland Hills 8km away. In front of the Pentlands can be seen two radio masts on Braid Hill and, in front of that, the dome of the Royal Observatory on Blackford Hill is only just visible.

The graffiti scrawled concrete marker post on the summit has a crow perched on top, surveying his kingdom. The summit is 251m or 822 feet above sea level.

A wider view showing more of the summit rocks and the distant Cockenzie power station.

Just below and south of the summit above the Gutted Haddie. Ordinarily, Edinburgh's South Side would be visible below. Only the Pentland Hills can be seen.

Two more pictures from the same viewpoint showing the surface texture which changes from rock-strewn to pitted as you near the edge of the plateau.

Zoomed in showing more of the Pentland Hills as well as glimpses of the Braids and Blackfords. The low winter sun makes the short grass look like bumpy velvet.

Two shots peering over the precipice of the Gutted Haddie down to the crags. There used to be a rough, unofficial path down here before the zigzag steps were built for safety and to prevent more erosion.

A narrower view showing more detail of the paths on top of the crags. Normally there would be views of Edinburgh Castle from here.

Looking south along one of the paths along Nether Hill. The Pentlands, Braids and Blackfords are in view. Some of these paths are quite dangerous; it's best to follow the ridge further to the left.

Showing more of the hills beyond the mist.

More variations on the same theme as the mist swirls and changes. The Hillend Ski Slope is visible at the extreme left.

A wider view showing all 3 sets of hills. Allermuir is the highest visible point on the Pentlands at 493m.

A classic view of Salisbury Crags showing the footpaths which meander along close to the edge of the cliffs.

This particular convolution of the crags is favoured by climbers (who are supposed to get permission). The man down below has left the Radical Road footpath and is striding towards the cliff bottom, perhaps to climb.

Another shot of Braid Hill and Blackford Hill which is almost concealed once more by the drifting mist.

This variation shows East Cairn Hill in the Pentlands, about 18km distant. It's the flat topped hill on the right.

This south facing view reveals little but I believe the church spire near bottom left to be Liberton Northfield Parish Church.

Moving over to the south side of Nether Hill for safer access to the zigzag path down. Ordinarily you would look down on Prestonfield and the Innocent Railway path here.

Facing west again and although the mist has got thicker again, the top of Salisbury Crags still pokes through.

Two vapour trails above the Pentland Hills.

Some gorse bushes on the north slopes of Nether Hill. The route down is straight ahead.

Peffermill Court and Craigmillar Court poke through the mist on the left. Behind is Craigmillar Castle and, over to the right, the six tower blocks of the Moredun Flats are visible.

Looking straight into the sun and descending the main path which turns to the right to head towards the zigzag steps down.

There is an alternative route down here but it has some risky parts to negotiate. Two figures are discernable down below, just right of centre.

This is the main path, not much to look at but it's the safest way down - apart from the paths leading east to Queens Drive near Dunsapie Loch.

There's no let-up in the mist today; the sun isn't strong enough to burn off the haar drifting off the North Sea.

The path turns a corner ahead, and a fence discourages walkers from wandering near a cliff top.

The rough rocky steps down begin just round the corner. Great care is necessary on the slippery surfaces.

Descending to the west, but a look to the south shows the summit of Arthur's Seat, sometimes referred to a the Lion's Head - as Nether Hill is occasionally called the Lion's Haunch.

My shadow on the mist is superimposed on the hill's shadow and has a corona effect round it. Same view as above but zoomed in.

An ultrawide view with Salisbury Crags on the left and Arthur's Seat on the right.

Another ultrawide view taken with a fisheye lens. (The horizon is straight because it's central.) The sun will not get much higher today - it will soon be noon on this December day.

My personal choice for Desktop Wallpaper in its larger 1920 x 1280 version (next picture). That speck on the edge of the crags is a person, which gives an idea of scale in this scene.

My personal choice for Desktop Wallpaper in its larger 1920 x 1280 version. That speck on the edge of the crags is a person, which gives an idea of scale in this scene.

Taken 30 seconds later than the picture above but the clifftop figure hasn't moved, presumably spellbound by the magical vision before him.

Students accomodation at Pollock Halls of Residence is mostly hidden except for a chimney.

A wider view of the same scene. A little bit more of Pollock Halls is visible now.

The figure on the edge of the crags is still pondering the panorama. A temporary hole has formed in the mist giving a glimpse of Queens Drive and the roundabout pictured in Misty4,5 and 6.

Another temporary hole appeared giving a more convincing look at part of Pollock Halls.

Interesting wave patterns form as the mist ebbs and flows up the slope leading up from Hunters Bog to the top of the crags.

8 minutes have elapsed since the last view of the lone walker on Salisbury Crags and he's started the walk down to Holyrood Palace and Haggis Knowe. He won't see any more sunshine and blue skies today.

A last look at the Pentland Hills. A line of pollution from cars on the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass lingers in front of the Pentlands. The dome of the Royal Observatory is only just visible in the mist.

Descending the rough rocky steps into the mist. The fence discourages the inept from straying from the path into the Gutted Haddie where erosion prevention work is ongoing.

Down a bit further and a brief glimpse of sunshine is reflected by the damp rocks of the path. Behind the gorse bushes are paths diverging to the crags, Hunters Bog and Arthur's Seat.

The last picture is almost all greyed out by mist.

Out of sequence but photographed the previous morning so I've added in these two non-misty pictures. One entrance to Holyrood Park is near Carnegie Street in the St Leonard's / Pleasance area. I first photographed the crags from these steps in the 1970s.

Standing at the top of the steps gives a better view of the crags. Nether Hill is partly visible at the right edge of the picture.