Scotmid

Duddingston Loch

Duddingston Village · 7.5 miles

A freshwater loch of roughly eight hectares lies on the southern edge of Holyrood Park, just south of Arthur’s Seat and a short walk from the village of Duddingston. It is one of the last two natural lochs remaining within the city limits of Edinburgh, the other being Lochend Loch, and the only natural water body among the three lochs in the park. The loch’s history stretches back to the Bronze Age, when a hoard of swords, spears and other artefacts was deliberately deposited in its waters. The items lay undisturbed until a dredger recovered them in 1778; they are now displayed in the Early People gallery at the National Museum of Scotland. The scene of Henry Raeburn’s painting *The Skating Minister* was once a popular ice-skating venue, and the loch also hosted early curling activity. Records of curling date from at least 1761, with the Duddingston Curling Society formally established in 1795. William Henry Playfair’s Thomson’s Tower, built in 1824, still stands on the north side of the loch, marking the sport’s historic presence. Designated a bird sanctuary since 1925, the loch supports the most extensive common reed bed in the Lothians and a wildlife reserve at Bawsinch managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. Mammals such as otter, hedgehog and water vole are regularly observed, while the western end hosts the region’s largest heronry, recorded with 27 nests in 2017. Anglers may obtain free coarse-fishing permits from the Holyrood Park Ranger Service, though fishing is restricted to the north shore and all catches must be released. Species commonly targeted include carp, perch, roach and pike.

The Meadows

Quartermile · 8.1 miles

Stretching across more than 60 acres south of Edinburgh’s city centre, The Meadows offers open grassland crossed by tree-lined avenues, a children’s playground, croquet and tennis facilities and several sport pitches. Step-free routes make the park accessible for wheelchair users, and the surrounding network of paths links the University of Edinburgh’s George Square campus, the Quartermile development and the residential areas of Marchmont, Summerhall, Sciennes and Newington. To the south-west the ground continues as Bruntsfield Links, where a public short-hole golf course is available. The site began as common land that supplied drinking water from the burgh loch until the early seventeenth century. Drainage work in the mid-1600s and again in 1722 transformed the marshy area into a landscaped park known then as Hope Park, with lime-tree avenues and a summer house. An 1827 Act of Parliament later protected the area from building. Throughout the nineteenth century the Meadows evolved from grazing ground to a public recreation space, gaining full public right of way in the mid-1800s. It hosted early football matches, including the first Hearts-Hibernian derby in 1875, and provided over 500 allotments for the Victory Garden scheme during the Second World War. The park continues to host community events, including the annual Meadows Marathon, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Sunday and occasional circuses. Remnants of the 1886 International Exhibition, such as the Prince Albert Sundial, remain visible near the western entrance. Facilities such as the playground and sports courts are available. Access is provided via the surrounding streets and public transport routes serving the Quartermile area.

Cairn for Margaret Hall

Meadowbank · 8.7 miles

This cairn commemorates an event on 17 October 1720 when Nicol Muschat, a surgeon, dragged his wife to a nearby spot and brutally murdered her. He was eventually tried and hanged for this crime. At his trial he said that he had simply tired of her.

Merchiston Tower

Church Hill · 8.7 miles

Birth place of John Napier (Inventor of logarithms)

Palace of Holyroodhouse

Holyrood · 8.7 miles

A royal residence at the foot of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, opposite the city’s iconic castle, serves as the official Scottish home of the United Kingdom monarch. The palace borders the historic Holyrood Abbey and its grounds lie within Holyrood Park, offering visitors access to the State Apartments, the 16th-century chambers once used by Mary, Queen of Scots, and the King’s Gallery, which since 2002 displays works from the Royal Collection. Opening times are published on the palace’s listing, and the site remains a venue for state occasions, official entertaining and, each summer, a week of residence by the reigning monarch. The complex originated alongside the abbey founded in 1128 by King David I, a site that hosted medieval parliaments and the 1328 Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton. A Gothic palace was erected by James IV between 1501 and 1505, forming a quadrangle that included a chapel, great hall and royal apartments. James V’s additions from 1528 to 1536 introduced the surviving tower that now bears his name. The building suffered damage during the English assaults of the 1540s, after which Mary of Guise oversaw repairs. Following the Reformation, the abbey fell into partial ruin while the palace continued as a royal dwelling. Today, the historic apartments and state rooms are open to the public except when members of the royal family are in residence, and the palace also hosts the Lord High Commissioner during the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

Old College

Pleasance · 8.7 miles

The historic university building that dominates the south side of South Bridge serves as a focal point for several of the University of Edinburgh’s contemporary functions. Within its walls lie parts of the university administration, the School of Law and the Talbot Rice Gallery, offering visitors a chance to see legal lectures, administrative offices and an art exhibition space in one setting. Recognised as a Category A listed structure, the edifice was first opened in 1789 and provides step-free wheelchair access; opening hours are listed on the venue’s official page, and the nearest town recorded for way-finding purposes is Pleasance. Construction began under the direction of architect Robert Adam, who intended the building to replace earlier structures on the former Kirk o’ Field site. After Adam’s death, William Henry Playfair continued the work, merging the original dual-court plan into a single quadrangle that was essentially finished by the early 1820s. A dome, added in 1887 to a design by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson and topped by John Hutchison’s gilded Youth statue, completes the skyline. The quadrangle’s western end features a bronze war memorial by Sir Robert Lorimer and Pilkington Jackson, while the central courtyard was re-paved in Hazeldean sandstone and landscaped in 2011 to provide a grassy gathering area for graduations and festivals. All of these elements combine to give the Old College a layered architectural narrative that can be explored during publicly advertised opening times.