The Obscura Illusion

Reviewed by Le Grand Chocolatier On July 26, 2009

The Camera Obscura is nestled practically next door to Edinburgh Castle, making finding it an easy task. We arrive and surprisingly do not have to endure hoards of people waiting to get in, it's literally through the door and onwards and upwards.

We arrive at around 2.45 so get booked in to the 3pm 'show' on the top floor. Unsure of what this holds we head up there to await our showing. This turned out to be a viewing of the 'Camera Obscura' - one of the only remaining examples in the world of what turns out to be a rather large and rather old periscope.

A mirror on the roof projects images on to a table in the centre of the room and along with several others we wait and see just what happens. The lights go down and we are given a virtual tour of Edinburgh by our 'guide' who points out several landmarks and places of interest along with the history of the viewing tower itself (originally a tourist attraction and the first time that many people had seen moving colour images, causing many to go screaming from the tower in Victorian times!)

This tour only lasted around 20 minutes and the time flew by - it was great for the children as well as you are able to pick up and shake the people you see on the Royal Mile (not physically - just literally!) and this adds a great element of interactivity to the experience.

After this we head back in to the light to take in the great rooftop views that are available and then we gradually head back down to see what else there is to offer here.

Progressing through the floors you are treated to various different aspects of 'illusion' - from holograms, to plasma lighting, to optical illusion. One thing does seem inherent throughout - the attraction is very child friendly and children are in abundance on every floor. It seems odd therefore that a lot of the pictures and things to do are at an adult height level.

Altogether the Camera Obscura is a way to while away an hour or two without being too educational - the emphasis is on the fun and not necessarily the learning, both a good and bad aspect of the attraction. It was not something that I specifically enjoyed in great depth - mainly because the space felt rather cramped and it felt as though a lot of the time was spent just meandering through with nothing that really felt as though it pushed the boundaries - a lot of the actual optical illusions are very commonplace and most had been seen somewhere before, making it feel as though I was treading over old ground at times and causing a drop in levels of interest.

One issue was that there were no clear routes - nothing pointed you to which way to go in to each floor. Was it to the left or the right? Going to the left is recommended!

Overall - great for a family visit as there is something that everyone will enjoy doing and taking part in but not somewhere where you could easily lose track of time. The shop is great and sells a lot of interesting things but there is not really any accessibility for anyone with a wheelchair or similar - its all stairs and steps around the attraction and the doorways are narrow - not for people with issues walking!