Visiting Dr Neil’s Garden in Duddingston, Edinburgh

A Magical Loch & Garden - Visiting Dr Neil’s Garden & Jock Tamson’s Gairden in Duddington, Edinburgh © David Wheater

This fabulous botanical garden, located on the banks of lovely Duddingston Loch, is often called Edinburgh’s secret garden. It’s located close to Arthur’s Seat, on the edge of Holyrood Park, and is about a 20 minute drive from the city centre.

It’s the creation of husband-and-wife team, Drs. Andrew and Nancy Neil, who ran a medical practice in close-by Meadowbank. They began work on the garden in 1963 and enjoyed collecting plants from their travels all around Europe.

The garden slopes down gently to the banks of Duddingston Loch (a wonderful nature reserve) and is a haven of peace and tranquility. The Doctors realised the therapeutic benefits of the garden, and would encourage their patients to enjoy it, to improve their health and well-being.

Sadly, they both passed away in 2005, and the garden is now in the safe hands of Dr Neil’s Garden Trust. The Doctors are remembered by the creation of a small Physic Garden which beautifully fuses their interests in medicine and horticulture.

The garden is open all year round and free to visit, although donations are gratefully received. There is an accessible toilet, and an excellent wee cafe is open spring and summer (check website - www.drneilsgarden.co.uk).

Don’t forget to visit the lovely garden next door, called “Jock Tamson’s Gairden”, which was designed and created to help people improve their health & wellbeing, and to alleviate isolation and loneliness in the community - an extremely important and worthwhile cause, that deserves all our support.

Please do make a donation, as the garden relies on its friends to keep it going. Edinburgh needs special places like this garden to survive and thrive.

After, visit Duddingston Kirk next door and have a drink and something to eat in The Sheep Heid Inn in the village. If it’s a nice evening, walk up the steps from the public car park, next to the village, to Holyrood Park and enjoy spectacular views of the city. The steps are quite steep, so only attempt if you’ve a good level of fitness.

This is a truly wonderful place to visit and I hope you love it as much as I do.