Arthur's Seat: the volcano in the middle of the city
An extinct volcano, a clifftop traverse, and the whole of Edinburgh from the summit cairn. This is a Claude-drafted route awaiting the editor's walk.

1. Holyrood Park gate, by the Parliament
Start at the foot of the park where the Scottish Parliament meets the royal palace. Go anti-clockwise toward the crags; the climb eases in from the south and the summit comes last, the way it should.

2. Salisbury Crags (the Radical Road)
The dolerite cliff that curves above the city like a frozen wave. Walk the path along its base or its lip — the Radical Road, paved by unemployed weavers in the 1820s. Either way the Old Town sits laid out below you the whole length.

3. Arthur's Seat summit
The high point, a basalt plug about 251 metres up, with a trig pillar and a 360-degree view: the Forth and its bridges, the Pentlands, the castle, the sea. A proper scramble at the top. Pick a clear morning and bring a windproof — the wind here means it.

4. Dunsapie Loch
Drop down the eastern side to the small loch tucked under Dunsapie Hill — the calmest corner of the park, with swans and a view east to the sea. The shortest way up the Seat starts here if you ever want the easy version.

5. St Anthony's Chapel ruin
A single gable of a medieval chapel standing alone on a knoll above St Margaret's Loch. Nobody quite knows who built it or why. Stand by it for the view back to the city and the long descent ahead.

6. St Margaret's Loch and the descent
The lochan at the park's northern edge, busy with swans and the odd model boat. Follow the road back along the foot of the crags to where you started, by the Parliament. Coffee on the Royal Mile is five minutes uphill.

Arthur's Seat: the volcano in the middle of the city