Calton Hill, Edinburgh

Calton Hill is open to all during daylight hours and is free of charge. Take the steps up from Regent Road and then choose between more steps or a more gentle walk along the path. There are magnificent views of Fife, Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth from the summit, and the definitive view of Princes Street. The hill is the stage for the epic Beltane Festival celebrations at midsummer, with drumming, partying and a colourful pageant ushering in the new season. Monuments at the top include the Nelson Monument and a part-reproduction of the Parthenon, intended to commemorate the war dead in the Napoleonic wars. Alas, it ran out of funding and has become known as Edinburgh's Folly.