Castle Rock is a Carboniferous volcanic plug in the heart of Edinburgh, on which stands Edinburgh Castle. Rising to 133m (435 feet) and certainly settled by the 2nd century AD, the Castle Rock is one of the seven hills of Edinburgh, that are often compared with Athens (Greece), the others being Arthur's Seat, Blackford Hill, the Braid Hills, Calton Hill, Corstorphine Hill and the Craiglockhart Hills. Running down a ridge to the east is the Royal Mile, this ridge having been left following the action of glaciers, which flowed from the west removing the surrounding softer rock, but leaving this 'tail' in the lee of the Castle Rock. Thus we have the exemplar for what is described geologically as a crag-and-tail feature.
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