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Edinburgh

Mons Meg

A six-tonne siege gun given to James II in 1457, which could throw a 150kg stone two miles, now on the battlements of Edinburgh Castle.

Welcome

Near the top of the castle, on a cobbled terrace outside the little chapel, a great squat gun sits on a wooden carriage with spoked wheels, her wide mouth open to the north.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

Walk round her and the size of the thing slowly sinks in: the thick, battered barrel and the low carriage built to take the weight. A plaque beside her wheels tells her story in brief; take a minute to read it before you look up.

Then look along the barrel. She points north, straight out over the rooftops of the New Town to the Firth of Forth, one of the finest views from the whole castle. It is always busy with people taking pictures, so come early, or late in the afternoon when the crowds thin and the light falls low across the city below.

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Before you go

Mons Meg is inside Edinburgh Castle, so she is seen on a castle ticket.

Where
Outside St Margaret's Chapel, near the top of the castle, just beyond the Whisky and Finest Food Shop.

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Did you know

The great cannon Mons Meg sits on its wheeled carriage at Edinburgh Castle, an information plaque beside it and the city spread out below.
Did you know

Named for a Belgian town.

Meg takes her name from Mons, the town in what is now Belgium where she was made. She was given to James II in 1457.

A plaque identifying Mons Meg stands beside the great cannon's wooden wheels at Edinburgh Castle.
Did you know

Three miles a day.

In 1460 James II had her hauled 50 miles to the siege of Roxburgh Castle; even a team of oxen could not move her more than three miles a day. The king was killed there when another of his guns blew up.

The barrel of Mons Meg points out over Edinburgh's rooftops toward the Firth of Forth.
Did you know

A shot for a royal wedding.

When Mary Queen of Scots married in 1558, Meg fired a stone over the city to celebrate. It came down where the Royal Botanic Garden is now.

The barrel of a cannon frames a view over Edinburgh's rooftops toward the Firth of Forth from Edinburgh Castle.
Did you know

The burst barrel.

Her barrel burst in 1681. When conservators stripped her paint, the damage showed clearly, along with how she was made: iron bars held in the shape of a barrel by iron hoops.

The great cannon Mons Meg sits on its wheeled carriage at Edinburgh Castle, an information plaque beside it and the city spread out below.
Did you know

Home from England.

After 75 years in England, Meg came back to the castle in 1829, escorted by cavalry and infantry from Leith Docks up to Castle Rock.

The barrel of Mons Meg points out over Edinburgh's rooftops toward the Firth of Forth.
Did you know

Retired to the navy.

James IV used her against Dumbarton and Norham castles, and she ended her fighting days in James V's navy, retiring around 1550.

A plaque identifying Mons Meg stands beside the great cannon's wooden wheels at Edinburgh Castle.
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Where it is

On the battlements of Edinburgh Castle, outside St Margaret's Chapel.

Close byThe places nearest Mons Meg, 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. Edinburgh Castle Dog CemeteryEdinburgh Castle Dog CemeteryA small walled garden where officers' dogs and regimental mascots are buried.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. Vennel StepsVennel StepsSteps off the Grassmarket with one of the best-known views of the castle.Under a mile 3 min by road
  4. Ross FountainRoss FountainA turquoise and gold fountain of 1872 in Princes Street Gardens, below the rock.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
Walker Slater on Victoria Street, Edinburgh: the dark green shopfront at numbers 44 and 46ShoppingWalker Slater, Edinburgh0.3 miles
Bedrock Coffee, EdinburghCafeBedrock Coffee0.3 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near Mons Meg, 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 Mons Meg
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 Mons Meg
Check datesWest End Muse
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from Mons Meg
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 Mons Meg
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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