We celebrated last night with a meal at David Bann‘s vegetarian restaurant, then watched Edinburgh’s Hogmanay fireworks from our street.

To blow away the cobwebs and start 2012 in the way we mean to go on, we climbed Arthur’s Seat – along with hundreds of other people. Despite the drizzle it was obviously a popular thing to do!

We took our first breather at St. Anthony’s Chapel, overlooking St. Margaret’s Loch.

Then it was onwards and upwards! In the end we didn’t go all the way to the top, stopping at the shoulder just before the summit as the rain got heavier.

The views over Edinburgh really are spectacular, even on such a dreich day.

Despite the grey clouds, this being Scotland there were inevitably blue skies at the same time, and the half moon was clearly visible.

As we reached the foot of the hill, the sun was well and truly setting over the cityscape.

Rising 187 metres from the seaside at North Berwick, this volcanic plug was formed around 340 million years ago, and now dominates the surrounding landscape. From the car park at the bottom, the task in hand is clear.

A fort was built on the Law several thousand years ago, defended by three stone-built walls stretching around the hill. Most of the stone has now slipped down the Law’s steep slopes, up which we started to climb, stopping for a breather and to admire the view of Arthur’s Seat and Edinburgh in the distance.

As we climbed, the path got steeper and the views got better, the sun lighting up the farmland to the south.

To the south-west a farmer was ploughing his field next to the car park.

The path starts to curve around the Law to the west, revealing the River Forth in all its glory (and also emphasising how steep these slopes are in places).

On we pressed with the relentless climb, the summit coming into view.

When I say relentless, there was plenty of relenting in order to take photos of the amazing views. To the north, North Berwick laid out below us, with the island of Craigleith beyond.

To the south-west, the size of the car park gives you an idea of how high we had climbed.

Before long we reached the top, and marvelled at the panoramic views. An arch made from a whale’s jaw bone crowns the summit. This one is actually a fibreglass replica, installed in 2008 after the previous one, put up in 1935, was deemed unsafe. It had replaced another arch erected in the 1850s, which had itself replaced another set from 1789, which had in turn replaced the original whale bone arch built in 1709.

To the east we could see Tantallon Castle, a curtain wall castle stretched along the edge of the cliffs.

To the north-east another volcanic plug, the Bass Rock, covered in and surrounded by seabirds.

To the north-west the beautiful golden beach of Broad Sands, stretching its way along the East Lothian coast.

The views from the top of North Berwick Law are simply stunning, particularly on a day with as good weather as today. It was well worth finally making the effort to climb it.

We passed under the railway line, and came out onto the track which runs up to Coire an Dothaidh.

There were clouds in the sky, but it was dry, and that’s what matters!

The path gets gradually steeper as it approaches the Coire, and after just half an hour the height gained means impressive views back down over Glen Orchy and Loch Tulla.

We were making steady progress, so rewarded ourselves with a break for lunch before continuing up to the edge of the Coire.

Once through Coire an Dothaidh the path turns south at the head of Coire an Ghabhalaich, with views east to Beinn a’ Chùirn.

The path ascends the slab-rock edge of Beinn Dorain on its way to the summit.

There are several false summits, which becomes obvious when looking back along the shoulder of the mountain.

Eventually, after a couple of hours climbing, we reached the blustery summit, where we posed for the obligatory photo.

The views from the summit are magnificent – west over Glen Orchy, east towards Glen Lyon, and south to Beinn Odhar.

It was really quite windy, and everyone was hungry, so we didn’t hang about and instead soon started our descent.

Every time I’ve been up here (apart from in winter!) I’ve seen either frogs or tadpoles in Coire an Dothaidh, and this time wasn’t any different, as we saw several frogs, including this little guy.

But again, we didn’t stop for long – the call of The Bridge of Orchy Hotel was strong. We had tables booked for dinner and were staying the night, so we continued to make our way down the mountain to continue the celebrations indoors.