A Trip to Auld Reekie Trivia Quiz

Answer: Firth of Forth

The Firth of Forth is an estuary of the Forth River where it connects with the North Sea. At 31 kilometres/19 miles across at its mouth and 88 kilometres/55 miles in length, it is geographically considered to be a fjord, and it turns out the "firth" comes from the Old Norse word "fjoeror" from which the Norwegian word "fjord" also evolved.

It is crossed by the iconic Forth Rail Bridge, a cantilever bridge that was built in 1882-1890 and designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.

Answer: Arthur's Seat

Arthur's Seat is a much-mythologised mound. Although the derivation of its name is unclear, one version holds that it was the location of King Arthur's court, Camelot. Another Celtic story describes how a ferocious dragon that used to fly above the city one day went to sleep, becoming what is now Arthur's Seat.

The feature was formed from volcanic activity of a volcano that is now extinct. Arthur's Seat has a prominence of 610 feet, and is thus designated as a "Marilyn" (prominence between 492 and 914.4 feet), a name coined to contrast with the more well-known hill designation of "Munro".

Answer: Built on seven hills

It turns out that A LOT of cities claim to be built on seven hills - over forty in Europe and over twenty in the Americas, including the cleverly-named Seven Hills, Ohio. Edinburgh is a hilly place, and the exact seven hills that make up the list are up for debate. According to an old rhyme, the hills are Abbey, Calton, Castle grand, St Leonards stand, St Johns, Sciennes, and Multrees.

A race called "Seven Hills of Edinburgh" was first organized in 1980 and considered Calton, Castle Rock, Corstophine, Craiglockhart, Braid, Blackford, and Arthur's Seat to be the seven hills.

Answer: Volcanic plug

The castle is built on the remnants of an extinct volcano that formed around 350 million years ago. Volcanic plugs are also known as volcanic necks, and they are created when the exterior of the volcano erodes, leaving the cooled lava tube. The volcanic plug on which Edinburgh Castle sits is known as Castle Rock, and it stands 80 metres/260 feet above the surrounding area.

Answer: Waverley

The south entrance of Waverley station can be reached via the Scotsman Steps, which lead down from the Scotsman hotel. In 2009, the Fruitmarket Gallery commissioned the artist Martin Creed to redesign the famous steps that link the New and Old towns, as the steps by then were in poor condition.

The result was his "Work No. 1059", where each of the 104 steps is covered in a different type of marble, sourced from a total of 26 different countries.

Answer: Declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites

The medieval Old Town includes Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile which extends downhill to Holyrood Palace. The Georgian New Town was a planned community that was designed in the late 18th century. Both areas received UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1995 because, according to the UNESCO website, "the harmonious juxtaposition of these two contrasting historical areas... is what gives the city its unique character".

Answer: Leith

The Water of Leith is the name of the main river in Edinburgh which rises in the Pentland Hills in the south-west of the city and flows north to the Firth of Forth. The point of entry is at the Port of Leith, which lies in the district of Leith, home to twins Charlie and Craig Reid (also known as The Proclaimers), whose song "(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles" some have joked is the national anthem of Scotland.

The song referred to in the question is "Sunshine on Leith". Leith is also the birthplace of novelist Irvin Welsh and was home to J. K. Rowling during the period in which she wrote much of the "Harry Potter" novels.

Answer: A lake

Most of the area occupied by Princes Street Gardens was once part of Nor Loch. The lake was originally a marsh that acted as a natural moat for Old Town Edinburgh. In 1460, the marsh was turned into a full lake by order of King James III by damming a stream that ran along Edinburgh Castle.

The lake wasn't a particularly pleasant place, as it was polluted with sewage that ran down the hill from the Old Town. Part of the lake was drained in 1763 to allow for the construction of the North Bridge, and the remaining lake was drained in the early 1800s to allow for the construction of the park.

Answer: The Meadows

Like Princes Street Gardens, the Meadows was also once a lake, although it wasn't the cesspool that Nor Loch was, and it was actually used as a source of drinking water. When drinking water was pumped into Edinburgh from springs in the mid-17th century, Burgh Loch was drained and a green belt was established.

Besides a large open grassfield, the park also contains a variety of elm trees and is good bird-watching spot as flocks of starlings and redwings visit the park at different times during the year.

Answer: Green Belt

According to the Scottish Parliament Green Belt Policy, the purpose of a Green Belt is to direct planned growth to particular locations to support revitalization, protect the quality and character of the urban settings, and protect and grant access to the open spaces surrounding cities.

Many of Scotland's main cities and towns have designated Green Belt areas. The Edinburgh Green Belt has an average width of 3.2 kilometres/2 miles. There are some developments located within the Green Belt, but they must be approved by government authorities.