Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
state functions (usually in mid-May, and mid-June to early July; check the website for ex-
act dates).
The self-guided audio tour leads you through a series of impressive royal apartments,
ending in the
Great Gallery
. The 89 portraits of Scottish kings were commissioned by
Charles II and supposedly record his unbroken lineage from Scota, the Egyptian pharaoh's
daughter who discovered the infant Moses in a reed basket on the banks of the Nile.
But the highlight of the tour is
Mary, Queen of Scots' Bed Chamber
, home to the un-
fortunate Mary from 1561 to 1567, and connected by a secret stairway to her husband's
bedchamber. It was here that her jealous first husband, Lord Darnley, restrained the preg-
nant queen while his henchmen murdered her secretary - and favourite - Rizzio. A plaque
in the neighbouring room marks the spot where he bled to death.
Holyrood Abbey
(admission incl in palace ticket; 9.30am-6pm Apr-Oct, to 4.30pm Nov-Mar)
King
David I founded the abbey here in the shadow of Salisbury Crags in 1128. It was probably
named after a fragment of the True Cross (
rood
is an old Scots word for cross), said to
have been brought to Scotland by his mother, St Margaret. Most of the surviving ruins
date from the 12th and 13th centuries, although a doorway in the far southeastern corner
has survived from the original Norman church.
ABBEY
Queen's Gallery
(
www.royalcollection.org.uk
;
adult/child £6/3, joint ticket incl admission to palace
£15.10/8.55; same as palace)
This stunning modern gallery, which occupies the shell
of a former church and school, was opened in 2002 as a showcase for exhibitions of art
from the Royal Collections. The exhibitions change every six months or so; for details of
the latest, check the website.
GALLERY
Our Dynamic Earth
(
www.dynamicearth.co.uk
;
Holyrood Rd; adult/child £11.50/7.50; 10am-6pm Jul &
Aug, to 5.30pm Apr-Jun, Sep & Oct, to 5pm Wed-Sun Nov-Mar, last admission 90min be-
fore closing; )
The modernistic white marquee pitched beneath Salisbury Crags marks
Our Dynamic Earth, billed as an interactive, multimedia journey of discovery through
Earth's history from the Big Bang to the present day. Hugely popular with kids of all ages,
EXHIBITION
