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Edinburgh Castle Dog Cemetery

A small walled garden inside Edinburgh Castle where officers' dogs and regimental mascots have been buried since the 1840s, seen only from above.

Welcome

Most people walk straight past it.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

Below the path through the castle, set down inside a curved stone wall, is a small square of grass lined with rows of little headstones, each one for a dog. In a castle full of cannon, sieges and Crown jewels, it is the quietest corner of all, and one of the most touching.

You cannot go in. The garden is out of reach, and the only way to see it is to lean on the wall and look down. From there some of the names can still be made out, though more than a century of wind and rain has worn many of the stones smooth. Beyond the wall the city drops away below the rock. A small sign on the railings marks the spot, so keep an eye out for it as you climb.

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Before you go

The cemetery is inside Edinburgh Castle, so it is seen on a castle ticket.

You cannot go in, but you can look down on it over the wall.

Where
Inside Edinburgh Castle, at the top of the Royal Mile.

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Did you know

Edinburgh Castle's Dog Cemetery lies dusted with snow inside its curved stone wall, with a domed building and city streets spread out below.
Did you know

Fido was first.

The first dog buried here was Fido, the companion of the castle's commanding officer, in 1847.

Snow lies over Edinburgh Castle's Dog Cemetery, its curved wall and headstones seen from above beside a sign reading 'Cemetery for Soldiers' Dogs'.
Did you know

The band's dog.

The oldest inscription that can still be read is for Jess, the band pet of the 42nd Royal Highlanders, the Black Watch, who died in 1881.

A plaque reading 'Dog Cemetery' is mounted on railings at Edinburgh Castle, the city spread out below.
Did you know

Nine years on the march.

Dobbler went with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders for nine years, as far as China, Sri Lanka and South Africa, until he died in 1893.

A sign reading 'Cemetery for Soldiers' Dogs' marks Edinburgh Castle's snow-covered dog cemetery, with a domed building and Princes Street Gardens spread out below.
Did you know

The last stone.

The newest headstone is for Winkle, who died in 1980, the dear and faithful friend of Lady Gow and the Governor.

Edinburgh Castle's Dog Cemetery lies dusted with snow inside its curved stone wall, with a domed building and city streets spread out below.
Did you know

Once a tower, perhaps.

The little plot of grass is thought to have been the site of a medieval tower.

Snow lies over Edinburgh Castle's Dog Cemetery, its curved wall and headstones seen from above beside a sign reading 'Cemetery for Soldiers' Dogs'.
Did you know

A friend of Greyfriars Bobby.

The story goes that a sergeant from the castle used to treat Greyfriars Bobby to his dinner, and that Bobby came to turn up at Greyfriars for it once the one o'clock gun had fired.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to Edinburgh

Scamp, Dobbler, Yum Yum and Tinker are among the four-legged friends laid to rest in this small burial plot in the grounds of the castle, used since Queen Victoria’s reign as a burial site for regimental dogs.

Read more
Edinburgh Castle's Dog Cemetery lies dusted with snow inside its curved stone wall, with a domed building and city streets spread out below.
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Where it is

Inside Edinburgh Castle, below the path, at the top of the Royal Mile.

Close byThe places nearest the cemetery, at the top of the Royal Mile.
  1. Edinburgh CastleEdinburgh CastleA royal castle on its rock at the top of the Royal Mile, home of the oldest Crown jewels in Britain.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Mons MegMons MegA great siege gun of the 15th century, on the castle's battery.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. Ross FountainRoss FountainA turquoise and gold fountain of 1872 in Princes Street Gardens, below the rock.Under a mile 3 min by road
  4. Greyfriars BobbyGreyfriars BobbyThe statue of the Skye terrier who kept watch by his owner's grave.Under a mile 3 min by road
  5. Camera ObscuraCamera ObscuraSix floors of optical illusions at the top of the Royal Mile, with a Victorian camera obscura.1 mile 5 min by road
  6. The Scotch Whisky ExperienceThe Scotch Whisky ExperienceA whisky attraction at the top of the Royal Mile.1 mile 5 min by road
Directions
Woman in green jacket smiles beside a shop doorway with "History" posterShoppingArmchair Books0.2 miles
Timberyard sign above red-framed windows on a grey shopfrontRestaurantsTimberyard0.2 miles
A breakfast roll with fried egg and cheese and two scones with jam and butter on a table at Preacher's Patisserie.CafePreacher's Patisserie0.2 miles
The deep blue shopfront of Edinburgh Books on the West Port, books in both windows.AttractionsEdinburgh Books0.2 miles
Chefs work a pizza oven at the back of a tiled restaurantRestaurantsKanpai0.2 miles
The blue front of Hey Palu on Bread Street in the sun, with its red sign, wooden slatted windows and the words Modern Italian Bar on the glass.BarsHey Palu0.2 miles
The dark front of the Source Coffee Roasters at 4 Spittal Street, with a caffeine molecule drawn on the window and benches along the pavement.CafeThe Source0.2 miles
ShoppingWalker Slater, Edinburgh0.3 miles
Bedrock Coffee, EdinburghCafeBedrock Coffee0.3 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the cemetery, and when each is next free.

A round table and chairs stand before tall curtained windows looking onto stone buildings, a sofa and mounted television to the right.Moment George IV Bridge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from the Dog Cemetery
Check datesA hotel studio room with a beige fitted kitchen unit and stainless sink beside a bed dressed in white and teal cushions, a wall of black-framed pictures above a patterned headboard.Old Town Chambers
  • To stay
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from the Dog Cemetery
Check datesWest End Muse
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from the Dog Cemetery
Check datesA turreted sandstone building with conical spires catches the evening light above rooftops, a large pine tree standing beside it.The Scott Hotel
  • A hotel
  • In Edinburgh
  • A mile from the Dog Cemetery
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in EdinburghAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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What we have written about it, the collections it is in and more in Edinburgh.

From the magazineUnusual & Interesting Things in EdinburghCollectionUnusual and Interesting things to do in Edinburgh
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