Gothic Tower, City Observatory, Calton Hill, Edinburgh
Before the light-pollution of an expanding city made it impractical, Edinburgh's Calton Hill was a perfect vantage point from which to gaze at the night sky. Fanned by the intellectual flames of the Enlightenment, the city granted permission to Thomas Short, an Edinburgh-born optician, to found an observatory on top of the volcanic hill in 1776.
Calton Hill is one of Edinburgh's main hills, set right in the city centre. It is unmistakable with its Athenian acropolis poking above the skyline.
The top of Calton hill is a usually quiet place to come on any day, with its grassy slopes and panoramic views of the city, including down the length of Princes street (the main shopping thoroughfare) and Edinburgh Castle. There is a good view North of the ruddy-coloured cliffs of Salisbury Crags, Arthur's Seat, and the undulating slopes of Holyrood Park.
Gothic Tower, City Observatory, Calton Hill, Edinburgh
Before the light-pollution of an expanding city made it impractical, Edinburgh's Calton Hill was a perfect vantage point from which to gaze at the night sky. Fanned by the intellectual flames of the Enlightenment, the city granted permission to Thomas Short, an Edinburgh-born optician, to found an observatory on top of the volcanic hill in 1776.
Calton Hill is one of Edinburgh's main hills, set right in the city centre. It is unmistakable with its Athenian acropolis poking above the skyline.
The top of Calton hill is a usually quiet place to come on any day, with its grassy slopes and panoramic views of the city, including down the length of Princes street (the main shopping thoroughfare) and Edinburgh Castle. There is a good view North of the ruddy-coloured cliffs of Salisbury Crags, Arthur's Seat, and the undulating slopes of Holyrood Park.