55°57′02″N 3°11′08″W / 55.95056°N 3.18556°W
The Royal Mile (Scottish Gaelic: Am Mìle Rìoghail; Scots: Ryal Mile)[1] is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. The term was first used descriptively in W. M. Gilbert's Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century (1901), describing the city "with its Castle and Palace and the royal mile between", and was further popularised as the title of a guidebook by R. T. Skinner published in 1920, "The Royal Mile (Edinburgh) Castle to Holyrood(house)".[2]
The Royal Mile runs between two significant locations in the royal history of Scotland: Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The name derives from it being the traditional processional route of monarchs,[3] with a total length of approximately one mile.[4] The streets which make up the Royal Mile are (west to east) Castlehill, the Lawnmarket, the High Street, the Canongate and Abbey Strand. The Royal Mile is the busiest tourist street in the Old Town, rivalled only by Princes Street in the New Town.
The Royal Mile contains a variety of shops, restaurants, public houses, and visitor attractions. During the annual Edinburgh Fringe, the High Street becomes crowded with tourists, entertainers, and buskers. Parliament Square is at the heart of Scotland's legal system, being the home of both the High Court of Justiciary and the Court of Session.[5]
- ^ "Gaeilge na hAlban – Duilleag 2". Blog Pàrlamaid na h-Alba.
- ^ Harris, Stuart (2002). The Place Names of Edinburgh. London: Steve Savage. p. 497. ISBN 1-904246-06-0.
- ^ "The Royal Mile". Edinburgh World Heritage. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- ^ "The Royal Mile: How long is Edinburgh's High Street?". Edinburgh Evening News. National World. 7 December 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
- ^ "The Supreme Courts". Scottish Courts and Tribunals. Retrieved 22 September 2020.