We started the day at Edinburgh Castle
http://www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk/ where I met representatives of Scottish
Heritage who kindly gave permission for the walk to take place at the Castle.
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| On the Royal Mile with Air Training Corps Cadets |
I was honoured to be presented with their Crests by
representatives of each Cadet Force.
BRIT has received support from the Virgin Group and Virgin Money since I
first founded the British Inspiration Trust.
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| Sir Richard Branson |
I have also been financially
supported by Virgin Money on many of my physical challenges for charitable
causes and I am very proud and honoured that Sir Richard Branson is a BRIT
Mentor.
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| Jayne-Anne Gadhia |
Virgin money Chief Executive, Jayne-Anne Gadhia, is a BRIT Advisor.
I was delighted that members of Virgin Money based in Edinburgh came to support
me today.
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline from its
position on top of the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site dates
back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is
unclear. There has been a royal castle here since at least the reign of David I
in the 12th century, and the site continued to be a royal residence until the
Union of the Crowns in 1603. From the 15th century the castle's residential
role declined, and by the 17th century its principal role was as a military
base with a large garrison.
The castle also houses the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish National War
Memorial, and the National War Museum of Scotland.
The Honours of Scotland, also known as the Scottish regalia and the
Scottish Crown Jewels, dating from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, are
the oldest set of crown jewels in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The
existing set were used for the coronation of Scottish monarchs from 1543 (Mary
I) to 1651 (Charles II). Since then, they have been used to represent Royal
Assent to legislation in both the Parliament of Scotland and Scottish
Parliament. They have also been used at State occasions, including the first
visit to Scotland as sovereign by King George IV in 1822 and the first visit to
Scotland as sovereign by Her Majesty the Queen in 1953.
There are three primary elements of the Honours of Scotland; the Crown, the
Sceptre and the Sword of State. These three elements also appear upon the crest
of the Royal coat of arms of Scotland, where the red lion of the King of Scots
is depicted wearing the Crown and holding both the Sword and the Sceptre.
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| The crest of the Royal coat of arms of Scotland, depicting representations of the Honours of Scotland: Crown, Sword and Sceptre. |
Although formally owned by the Ministry of Defence, most of the castle is
now in the care of Historic Scotland, and it is Scotland's most-visited paid
tourist attraction. There is still a military presence at the castle, largely
ceremonial and administrative, and includes a number of regimental museums.
As the backdrop to the annual Edinburgh Military Tattoo, it has become a
recognisable symbol of Edinburgh and of Scotland.
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| With Corporal Simpson from the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming at Edinburgh Castle |
We left the Castle and were piped down the Royal Mile by Corporal Simpson
from the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming who supported us by
kind permission of Major Steven Small.
With such a rich heritage, The Royal Regiment of Scotland has inherited a
wealth of Regimental music for both the Pipes and Drums and the Military Band.
Music is an essential part of Regimental life. Each battalion of the Regiment
has its own Band of Pipes and Drums manned by soldiers who receive their
musical training at the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming in
Edinburgh.
The Royal Mile is a succession of streets which form the main thoroughfare
of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh and is approximately one Scots mile
long. It runs from Edinburgh Castle down to Holyrood Abbey.
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| At Holyrood Park with Susannah, a Holyrood Park Ranger, and Cadets on Day 219 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk |
We arrived at the entrance to Holyrood Palace where we were met by one of
the Holyrood Park Rangers, Susannah Jennings, who accompanied us on our walk.
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| The Historic Scotland Ranger Service badge |
More information on Rangers can be found here; http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/learning/ranger.htm
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| St Margeret's Loch in Holyrood Park on Day 219 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk |
Created in 1541, Holyrood Park is also called the Queen's Park or King's
Park depending on the reigning monarch's gender. It has an array of hills,
lochs, glens, ridges, cliffs and patches of whin (gorse) providing a remarkably wild piece of
highland landscape within its 650 acres. The park is associated with the royal
palace of Holyrood House and was formerly a 12th-century royal hunting estate.
“Arthur’s Seat”, the highest point in Edinburgh, is at the centre of the park.
There are three lochs; St Margaret's Loch, Dunsapie Loch, and Duddingston Loch.
The ruins of St Anthony's Chapel stand above St Margaret's Loch.
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| With the Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, The Right Honourable Donald Wilson |
I was honoured that we were joined by The Right Honourable Donald Wilson
who is the Lord Lieutenant and Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh. He is
elected by the city council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but
as a figurehead for the entire city. He is equivalent in many ways to the
institution of Mayor that exists in many other countries.
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| The diamond encrusted badge of the Office of the Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh hanging from its sold gold chain |
While some of Scotland's local authorities elect a Provost, only the four
main cities (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee) have a Lord Provost. In
Edinburgh this position dates from 1667, when King Charles II elevated the
Provost to the status of Lord Provost, with the same rank and precedence as the
Lord Mayor of London. The Lord Provost of Edinburgh also holds the title of
Admiral of the Firth of Forth.
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| With Royal Palaces' Staff at Holyrood Palace on Day 219 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk |
The Palace of Holyroodhouse http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/palaceofholyroodhouse , commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace, is the
official residence of the Monarch of the United Kingdom in Scotland. Holyrood
Palace is the setting for state ceremonies and official entertaining.
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| With Abigail, the daughter of my great friends, Rick and Morag, outside Holyrood Palace on Day 219 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk |
Holyrood Abbey was founded by David I, King of Scots, in 1128, and Holyrood
Palace has served as the principal residence of the Kings and Queens of Scots
since the 15th century. Her Majesty the Queen spends one week in residence at
Holyrood Palace at the beginning of each summer, where she carries out a range
of official engagements and ceremonies. The palace is open to the public
throughout the year, except when members of the Royal Family are in residence.
It was super experience and I am sincerely grateful to the Lord Provost,
Royal Palaces, Historic Scotland, Edinburgh Council, The Armed Forces, the
Cadet Forces, Holyrood Park Rangers and Virgin Money for making Day 219 a
memorable experience for everyone who walked today.
Thank you!
I finished the day with 605 miles to go.
With kind regards,
Phil