Every occupant modified or added to the original structure, so that today it is a rich architectural mixture of palace, fortress, barracks, chapel and war memorial.

It is also the home of the Scottish Crown Jewels, the oldest Royal Regalia in Britain. A major exhibition of these symbols of sovereignty uses colourful tableaux, music and models to tell their tale, including how they were buried not once, but twice.

With many more sights to see, from the giant siege gun Mons Meg to the room where Mary Queen if Scots gave birth to James VI and I, the first ruler of both Scotland and England, Edinburgh Castle offers an absorbing mixture of entertainment and education.