Incredible pictures show socially distanced tourists watching one o’clock gun firing at Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle reopened to visitors at the beginning of August – after its longest period of closure since World War Two.

Visitors are currently only able to see the castle's external spaces, with a one-way system put in place.

But that hasn't put people off visiting the country's most popular tourist attraction – as incredible new pictures of socially-distanced tourists witnessing the firing of the famous one o’clock gun show.

Visitors at Edinburgh Castle can be seen social-distancing while watching the one o'clock gun show.

A spokesperson for Historic Environment Scotland (HES) told the Evening News: “The firing of the one o’clock gun is an most iconic moment at the castle, however with social distancing we needed to look at innovative solutions to allow visitors to watch while keeping a safe distance from others.

“We decided to mark the ground with a series of socially distant circles painted on the ground, one and half metres in diameter with two metre spacing between them throughout the area around the cannon.

“The rings are working well and look very striking from above, especially when each is filled with families, group of friends or individuals holding their breath waiting for the final few seconds before the clock strikes one.”

A message from the Editor:

Visitors at Edinburgh Castle stand socially distanced in marked out circles as they watch the daily one o'clock gun ceremony.

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

Subscribe to the Edinburgh Evening News online and enjoy unlimited access to trusted, fact-checked news and sport from Edinburgh and the Lothians. Visit https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director