About The City

Welcome to Auld Reekie, the Capital of Scotland. This is where it all began for the Rat Race back in 2004. The ingredients are simple: UNESCO heritage skyline, rocks, crags, sand, sea, hills, historic buildings, huge flights of steps, the World’s first mediaeval Skyscraper, enthusiastic participants and even a mountain. All within the city limits.

This is Edinburgh and the home of the original Rat Race Urban Adventure. It’s a total gold-mine of adventure and year on year, the Rat Race liberates more and more of its treats for the event. Whether it’s Edinburgh Castle, the oldest continually inhabited place in Europe or the splendour of the mediaeval Royal Mile, Edinburgh oozes history. The Queen keeps her Scottish home in fine order at Holyrood Palace and the mighty volcanic rock of Arthur’s Seat stands guard over a hoard of architectural treasures, both old and new. Edinburgh’s built landscape bears witness to its many stages of development: Fortress stronghold of the Scots and the English over centuries of turmoil, Centre of Government, seat of learning and Georgian wealth and splendour, the city houses buildings as diverse as Brunel’s masterpiece of the Industrial Revolution the mighty Forth Rail bridge and the rather more recent and controversial Scottish Parliament building

The whole place is sculpted in the mould of the Scottish people; rugged, sophisticated, wild, beautiful and inventive. A seat of Government. A powerhouse of academia. A city steeped in millennia of history and possibly the very best urban adventure in the World. This is Edinburgh. The home of the Rat Race.

For everything you need to know about what’s happening in Edinburgh, visit www.edinburgh.org where you can also buy the Edinburgh Pass. This is a one, two or three day smart-card giving you unlimited bus travel, airport transfers, a 90 page guidebook, free entry to attractions and great discounts in the city.

If you are local or if you are visiting, the Edinburgh Rat Race is a superb weekend for all. It’s not just the race here – it’s the whole ambience. The huge starting line up in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle, the magical setting of the event village in princes Street Gardens and the sights and sounds of the bands, all night party tents and