A view spoiled

Walking home last night, I decided to make the trip a little more interesting by cutting through the Old Town. It was a fine evening, and I had the wizard idea of observing the view from the Esplanade. Cut to the top of Castlehill. Some stands from the tattoo are still there (why does it take so long to take this down?) and an itty-bitty chain stretched across. There are two tourists ahead of me, and I can't see anybody else, so I step across. I'm then accosted by a security guard who appears from a wee hut. I won't bore you with the conversation, but you know how it goes: this area is closed, sir. Eventually, I negociate two minutes looking at the view (he thinks I'm some kind of weirdo though, and I have to repeat the request a few times). Maybe if you're a pretty female tourist, this part goes rather better.

As far as I know, the Esplanade is a public area, and the restriction is just because of that over-persistent scaffolding. The whole thing is trivial, yet it spoiled my evening. Over-zealous security guards seem to be a feature of our age.