Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, Scotland

It is not often that an imposing wonder of Nature over 800 feet tall would sit just to the side of a sprawling city. But that’s what Arthur’s Seat is at the summit of Holyrood Park, an ancient volcano that is easy to climb for a splendid view of the historic city of Edinburgh below.

When I first saw Arthur’s Seat in pictures some years ago, I thought, why climb for a view of a city? Looking down at powerlines, roofs of strip malls, and parking lots beside office buildings were not my idea of a fun reward after a laborious hike up a hill. I would much rather see Nature all around with nary a sign of human encroachment.

But there is something enticing about having the foot of a cliff right where your garden ends. (They don’t call it “backyard” in the UK.) It’s like a giant stopped short of trampling over your property and stood watch there instead.

But enough mythologizing.

If you like to travel (who doesn’t?) but want to set yourself apart from the mainstream tourist who only comes to see the hotspots and then goes home, I say put Edinburgh at the top of your list. After touring the city, you wouldn’t have to go far to experience the beauty of Nature—a wild Nature experience at that on landscape that is breathtaking and otherworldly—and be rewarded with a view of a city that is rich in history dating back to the Middle Ages, a city of castles, spires, kirkyards, sieges, and battlements—and, yes, shopping malls, too—at Edinburgh.