Home to Edinburgh’s most sig­nif­i­cant land­marks, the Roy­al Mile is actu­al­ly a col­lec­tion of con­nect­ing streets that col­lec­tive­ly run for near­ly an exact mile in length.

Streets that make up the Roy­al Mile include Castle­hill, Lawn­mar­ket, High Street, Canon­gate, and Abbey Strand. The route runs between the impres­sive Edin­burgh Cas­tle and the Palace of Holy­rood­house, the offi­cial res­i­dence of the British Queen.

Oth­er notable land­marks on the Roy­al Mile include St Giles’ Cathe­dral and the Heart of Mid­loth­i­an, a heart-shaped mosa­ic in the street which marks the loca­tion of the old 15th cen­tu­ry tol­booth and once pub­lic exe­cu­tion site.

Crim­i­nals that were released from the near­by prison would spit on the loca­tion upon leav­ing, and today vis­i­tors con­tin­ue to spit on the Heart of Mid­loth­i­an for good luck.

While the Roy­al Mile 05/be beau­ti­ful today, ear­ly res­i­dents once poured their human waste on it dai­ly. Thank­ful­ly, this no longer occurs.