Edinburgh Castle

Dan Snow's History Hit

History Hit

History

4.7 • 12.9K Ratings

🗓️ 10 August 2025

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

From its origins as a Bronze Age settlement, to a battleground for Robert the Bruce’s men during the Wars of Independence, and a refuge for Mary, Queen of Scots, this castle has stood witness to thousands of years of Scottish history.

Dan joins Senior Guide Mhairi Summers at Edinburgh Castle to tell the tales of the kings, queens, rebels, and prisoners who have passed through its gates over the centuries, revealing how the castle shaped and was shaped by Scottish history.

This is part of Dan's 'Guide to Europe' travel series.

Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore

You can find out more about visiting Edinburgh Castle here: https://www.edinburghcastle.scot/

Join Dan and the team for a special LIVE recording of Dan Snow's History Hit on Friday, 12th September 2025!

To celebrate 10 years of the podcast, Dan is putting on a special show of signature storytelling, never-before-heard anecdotes from his often stranger-than-fiction career, as well as answering the burning questions you've always wanted to ask!

Get tickets here, before they sell out: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/dan-snows-history-hit/.

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello,
0:00.5	folks, Dan Snow here.
0:01.6	I am throwing a party to celebrate 10 years of Dan Snow's history hit.
0:06.1	I'd love for you to be there.
0:07.5	Join me for a very special live recording of the podcast in London,
0:10.4	in England on the 12th of September to celebrate the 10 years.
0:14.1	You can find out more about it and get tickets with the link in the show notes.
0:17.6	Look forward to seeing you there.
0:26.7	Thank you. show notes. Look forward to seeing you there. I'm Tom Newton-Dun from the General and the Journalist. If you like history hit,
0:31.7	we think you'll love our new podcasts from The Times and the Sunday Times. Hearing History
0:36.8	in the Making Today discussed each week with me, the journalist, and General Sir Patrick Sanders.
0:43.2	The old global orders breaking down, conflicts on the rise, and the world is getting ever more dangerous.
0:48.8	Join us as we try to make sense of an ever more dangerous world.
0:52.8	The general and the journalist, wherever you get your
0:55.5	podcasts.
1:01.5	Edinburgh is a city where there's no shortage of myth and legend, but also thankfully
1:06.1	a vast reservoir of actual history as well. Beyond the tales of Arthur's Court and fearsome dragons,
1:14.7	we have angles and Picts, Jacobites, body snatchers and artists. It feels as though every street
1:22.2	in Edinburgh has a story to tell. Built between seven hills, much like Rome.
1:28.3	Edinburgh has been a place of human settlement, we think, for 10,000 years at least.
1:32.3	Around 2,000 years ago, we think a small fort called Dunedin
1:36.3	was built by the Celtic Groddin people on what is now Castle Rock.
	...

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