Edinburgh ride re-enacts Flodden Field return
Edinburgh Captain Stuart Nicoll and Edinburgh Lass Karrie McGill led 250 horses from the city outskirts to the Royal Mile, with Mr Nicoll carrying the “Blue Blanket” banner at the head of the cavalcade, re-enacting the return of Captain Randolph Murray to Edinburgh after the disastrous battle of Flodden in 1513, which ended with the death of King James IV.
The Riding of the Marches dates from 1579, when able-bodied men rode the town boundaries on horseback, delivering the news to the city that the marches were clear. The ride concluded at the Mercat Cross in the Royal Mile.
In 2009, the tradition of riding the marches was reintroduced as part of the Homecoming Scotland celebrations and has continued each year since then.