Why go
Knowing the landscape turns Edinburgh’s views into something more legible. Castle Rock, Arthur’s Seat, Salisbury Crags and the former Nor’ Loch explain the changes in level between Old Town, Princes Street Gardens and New Town. The local pronunciation notes are useful extras, but the geology is what helps a visitor understand how the city is arranged.
The full story
Edinburgh sits on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth in Scotland's central Lowlands. Its striking relief is not decorative background: it determines the shape of central walks and explains why the Castle and Arthur's Seat seem to rise so abruptly from the city. Both are eroded volcanic plugs, while glaciation later carved valleys around the old core. The former Nor' Loch lay below the Castle and is now the site of Princes Street Gardens. Knowing that change makes the gardens easier to place between the Old Town ridge and the New Town's regular streets. Salisbury Crags and Arthur's Seat show the same geology on a larger scale at the Holyrood end of the centre. A little vocabulary also helps. Princes Street is named in the plural for King George III's sons, which is why it has no apostrophe. Cockburn is pronounced “Coe-burn”, while Buccleuch is “Buh-clue”. These details are useful for following conversations, signs and directions, but the city is best learned by watching how the crags, gardens and ridge connect the main districts.