Edinburgh has two castles. One is on every postcard; the other sits in a wood three miles south, half-forgotten, and is in many ways the better visit — because Craigmillar Castle is nearly whole, and you can walk it like the people who lived here did.
Under four kilometres, best on an afternoon when the light is on the crags. Approach through the grounds, the grey tower rising over the trees, and go in. This is one of Scotland's best-preserved medieval castles: an L-plan keep of the 1400s inside later courtyards, free to roam once you're through the gate. Climb the parapet, then stand in the inner courtyard — Mary, Queen of Scots sheltered here in 1566, and the plot to murder Darnley was sealed within these walls.
The castle's north side gives the view it was built for: Arthur's Seat, the city, the Forth. Then drop into the country park below, past the old doocot that fed the castle, and follow the wood and the burn down toward Cameron Toll and the bus home.
