Edinburgh: The Royal Mile and Arthur's Seat

A cannon has fired from the castle ramparts at exactly 1pm every day except Sunday since 1861, originally so ships in the harbour could set their clocks. It still catches first-time visitors off guard — check the time before you’re inside, and stand where you can see the gun on Mills Mount Battery for the moment itself.

Names like Fleshmarket Close, Advocate’s Close and World’s End Close aren’t decorative — they mark a butchers’ market, a lawyer’s house and the old city boundary (beyond it, medieval Edinburgh considered itself the edge of the known world). Mary King’s Close, sealed beneath the City Chambers since the 18th century, is the one you can actually walk through, on a guided tour below street level.

Arthur’s Seat is the eroded plug of a volcano that last erupted around 350 million years ago, and the summit is open rock with real drop-offs and no railings — take care in wind or after rain, when the grassy approach gets slick. Go at golden hour if you can; the gentlest ascent from Dunsapie Loch takes about 45 minutes, and the view of the castle and the Forth from the top is worth every step.