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Duddingston – A Garden by the Loch and Tea at Prestonfield

A day.

Directions

The route

A quiet garden and a grand tea on the south side of the city.

Dr Neil's Garden slopes down to Duddingston Loch below Arthur's Seat, with winding paths and benches tucked in among the conifers. Then it's afternoon tea at Prestonfield House, a 17th-century mansion in its own parkland, where one drawing room holds family portraits, gilt and old Mortlake wall hangings.

Before you go

  1. Book accommodation nearby

    If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.

    The Scott HotelEdinburghThe Scott HotelA hotelMoment George IV BridgeEdinburghMoment George IV BridgeSleeps 2Old Town ChambersEdinburghOld Town ChambersA place to stayWest End Muse2 miles awayWest End MuseSleeps 4

  2. Book Afternoon tea at Rhubarb, Prestonfield House

    Book afternoon tea at Rhubarb, Prestonfield House ahead, online or on 0131 225 7800, and mention any allergies or dietary needs when you do.

The day

Duddingston and Prestonfield

Benches and winding paths above the loch, then a warm afternoon tea with a fire in the grate.

  1. Dr Neil’s Garden

    Dr Neil’s Garden

    An attraction

    There's parking in Duddingston Kirk's car park. Entry is free, with donations welcome. Two local doctors, Andrew and Nancy Neil, began the garden in 1963 on a steep, stony slope of church land, and a local charity looks after it now. Paths wind down past conifers, heathers and a pond with an iron footbridge to the loch shore and Thomson's Tower, which William Playfair designed in 1825 for the Duddingston Curling Society to keep its stones by the ice. The rules the society printed around 1803 are the basis of curling's international rules. Some paths are narrow, and a path laid for visitors with limited mobility reaches as much of the garden as it can, with wide steps on one short stretch.

    More about Dr Neil’s Garden

  2. Rhubarb

    Rhubarb

    Afternoon tea

    Prestonfield House has free parking in its grounds. Afternoon tea brings sandwiches, scones and cakes with tea or coffee, from £70 a head, and Prestonfield advises smart casual dress. It's served in the drawing rooms or in Rhubarb, the restaurant named after the rhubarb this estate was the first in Scotland to grow, in the 1700s. From November the house is dressed for Christmas and the tea turns festive. Children of all ages are welcome, and there's a ground-level entrance and a lift to the restaurant. Highland cattle and a peacock roam the parkland outside.

    More about Rhubarb

If it rains

The tea is indoors.

Make it a weekend

More days out in Edinburgh.

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