Edinburgh Riding of the Marches fills the Royal Mile with 300 horses and a record-breaking ceilidh

The Royal Mile was packed in September as the Edinburgh Riding of the Marches returned for another year of pageantry, music and horses. The weather was kind as almost 600 people took part in the People's Procession, ahead of the arrival of around 300 horses and riders led by the Lord Provost on the final stretch of the cavalcade from Holyrood to St Giles'.

Thousands of spectators lined the High Street to watch. Entertainment came from The Jacobites Ceilidh Band, who set a record with 646 people dancing Strip the Willow. Other bands included the St Ronan's Silver Band and the pipe bands of Erskine Stewart's Melville, George Heriot's and George Watson's College.

The History Matters Reenactment Team and the Wild Knights Jousting and Tournaments Group kept the crowd entertained, along with Edinburgh's Pulse of the Place Youth Samba Band, the Mission of Innocents Ukrainian Children's Choir and Dancers and the Nikkan Dance Academy.

This year's Edinburgh Captain was Jonathan Cooper, a former Royal Scots Dragoon Guards soldier who is now a reservist with the regiment, and the Edinburgh Lass was Amy Joanne Mole, a midwife at the Royal Infirmary. The day concluded with a ceremony at the Mercat Cross.

The Edinburgh Riding of the Marches was formed in 2008 to promote and facilitate the annual re-enactment and its traditions, which commemorate Randolph Murray's return to the city with the ancient Blue Blanket after the Battle of Flodden. Organisers describe it as the jewel in the crown of the Common Ridings.

Riders come from around the world, and the annual rider application process sells out in minutes. Those who secure a place take on a 26-mile ride before the finale on the Royal Mile, where crowds gather around the Mercat Cross in Parliament Square. The event is free to watch.

It is one of the city's most colourful traditions, and a reminder that Edinburgh's history is still lived on its streets.

Details of the event and next year's rider applications are on the Edinburgh Riding of the Marches website.