Arthur’s Seat Webcam – Salisbury Crags in Holyrood Park

The Arthur’s Seat Webcam looks up at Salisbury Crags, the long wall of dark volcanic rock in Holyrood Park on the east side of central Edinburgh. The cliffs run across the upper half of the frame, a steep slope of grass and scrub falls away beneath them, and leafy treetops fill the foreground. Behind the right-hand end of the crags, the top of Arthur’s Seat itself shows on a clear day. Light does most of the work on this camera. Low morning sun picks out the vertical joints in the rock face, and fog can hide the whole hill. The operator sums the place up well: you can get all four seasons in one day here. It is a PTZ camera, so the framing can change, and the stream keeps 12 hours of rewind.

About Arthur’s Seat and Salisbury Crags

Arthur’s Seat stands 251 meters (823 feet) high, about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) east of Edinburgh Castle, and it is an extinct volcano from the early Carboniferous period. Its lavas have been dated to between 341 and 335 million years old. The hill sits inside Holyrood Park, 260 hectares (650 acres) of open ground owned by the Scottish Ministers and managed by Historic Environment Scotland. James V had the land enclosed with a stone wall in 1541 as a royal hunting estate, which is why it is still called the King’s Park or the Queen’s Park depending on who is on the throne.

Salisbury Crags, the cliffs that fill most of this view, are steep dolerite and columnar basalt up to 46 meters (151 feet) high. The track along their foot is the Radical Road, laid out after the Radical War of 1820 to give work to unemployed weavers from the west of Scotland, on a suggestion from Walter Scott. Around 1821 the official park keeper, the 8th Earl of Haddington, started quarrying the rock face, and the damage is still visible. The Radical Road was closed in 2018 after a large rockfall.

People have used this hill for a very long time. A hill fort occupies the summit and the neighboring Crow Hill, and Iron Age defenses can still be traced around the massif, probably linked to the Votadini. In 1836, 17 miniature coffins containing carved wooden figures were found on the hill. More recently, in July 2026, a wildfire damaged parts of the hill, and the channel behind this camera posted hours of footage of it from 19 and 20 July. The same channel has also posted clips of roe deer and a kestrel in the park.

Weather and Climate at Arthur’s Seat

Edinburgh has a mild, changeable climate, and the hill catches all of it. The Met Office station at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh averages a January high of 7.3 C (45 F) and a low of 1.7 C (35 F) on its 1991 to 2020 figures, while July averages a high of 19.3 C (67 F) and a low of 11.6 C (53 F). Highs in April and October usually land between about 11 and 14 C (52 and 57 F). The same station records about 728 mm (29 inches) of rain a year, spread across every month, and roughly 1,450 hours of sunshine.

Latitude shapes what the camera shows. At almost 56 degrees north, Edinburgh gets about 17 and a half hours of daylight in late June and only about 7 hours in late December, so winter days on the crags are short and the sun stays low even at noon. Summer evenings run long and bright. Fog and low cloud can blank out the cliffs entirely, and one of the channel’s own timelapses follows the hill from sunshine into fog. Rain darkens the rock, and a cold snap can leave snow on the summit.

Things to Do Near Arthur’s Seat

Climbing Arthur’s Seat is the obvious first move, and paths reach the summit from several sides of Holyrood Park, including from Dunsapie Loch beside Queen’s Drive, the road that loops through the park and dates from 1844. On the north side, St Margaret’s Loch, a shallow lochan made in 1856, sits below the ruins of St Anthony’s Chapel, which was built no later than the early 15th century and now stands as a north wall and a fragment of the west wall. Duddingston Loch and the old village of Duddingston lie on the southeast side of the park.

At the park’s northwest corner, the Palace of Holyroodhouse stands at the foot of the Royal Mile, with the Scottish Parliament building and the Our Dynamic Earth science center close by. From there the Royal Mile climbs through the Old Town to Edinburgh Castle, about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) to the west, so one day on foot can take in both the volcano and the castle.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More cliffs, hills and Scottish views from around the site:

• Bass Rock Webcam
• Fort William Webcam
• Westman Islands Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Arthur’s Seat located?

Arthur’s Seat is in Holyrood Park in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) east of Edinburgh Castle. The park begins beside the Palace of Holyroodhouse at the bottom of the Royal Mile, so the hill is a short walk from the Old Town.

What can you see on the Arthur’s Seat Webcam?

The main view looks up at the cliffs of Salisbury Crags, with grass and scrub on the slope below, trees in the foreground and the top of Arthur’s Seat behind the right-hand end of the crags. The operator describes it as a PTZ camera, so the framing can change.

What is the weather like at Arthur’s Seat?

Mild and changeable. January averages 7.3 C (45 F) by day and 1.7 C (35 F) at night, and July 19.3 C (67 F) and 11.6 C (53 F). Rain falls in every month, and fog can hide the crags completely.

How high is Arthur’s Seat?

The summit stands 251 meters (823 feet) above sea level. Salisbury Crags, the cliffs in front of it on this camera, reach up to 46 meters (151 feet) in height.

Is Arthur’s Seat a volcano?

Yes, an extinct one. It formed in the early Carboniferous period, and its lavas are dated to between 341 and 335 million years old. The cliffs of Salisbury Crags are dolerite and columnar basalt.

Is the Radical Road at Salisbury Crags open?

The Radical Road was closed in 2018 after a large rockfall. In December 2025 Historic Environment Scotland announced a plan to reopen the stretch between the Hawse and the northern end of the South Quarry, so check its current status before you set out.

Can you rewind the Arthur’s Seat Webcam?

Yes. The stream is set up with a 12-hour rewind, so after dark the YouTube player can scroll back to the crags in daylight. That helps in midwinter, when Edinburgh gets only about 7 hours of daylight.

Source: woollyjumperfilms