Dr Neil's Garden — Attraction in City of Edinburgh

Dr Neil’s Garden is one of the most remarkable gardens in Scotland today. Lying next to the twelfth-century Duddingston Kirk, where the lower slopes of Arthur’s Seat meet Duddingston Loch, this secluded garden is the result of the imagination, dedication and sheer hard work of Drs. Andrew and Nancy Neil. It has sometimes been called Edinburgh’s Secret Garden. Many people find it more than a mere garden, and – both before and since the garden was created – this spot has to many been a place of inspiration (artistic, literary, and spiritual), and for meditation and contemplation. We hope that you too may also take away lasting memories, and spread the word about this special place to others.

Drs Nancy and Andrew Neil were a husband and wife team of General Practitioners whose practice was in the Meadowbank area, on the north side of Arthur’s Seat. They were an energetic couple who loved to go to other parts of Europe on their summer holidays, towing a caravan through France, Spain and Greece, collecting plants and young trees.

In 1963 Andrew and Nancy began work on part of the Duddingston Glebe (church land) known as The Calves Field, and Dr Neil’s Garden was born. Though the ground had been used for grazing – for calves and geese, its steep slope and rocky surface made it unsuitable for growing crops, and thus so it had never previously been cultivated. The doctors liked to encourage their patients to assist in the Garden, thus allowing them to benefit from healthy outdoor activity and the tranquil setting beside the Loch.

The Garden has won a number of awards over the years and has featured in television programmes and many books and articles.

In 1997, Dr Neil’s Garden Trust was formed, in order to take over the running of the garden, and to safeguard its future. The Garden Trust is a registered charity.

Andrew and Nancy Neil both died in 2005. In 2012-2013 the Physic Garden was laid out to commemorate their lives as doctors and gardeners.

Dr Neil’s Garden is so much more than a garden. It is a friendly place that welcomes all to its peace and beauty and at the same time offers comradeship and training to volunteers. The Garden stimulates change through play, learning, the arts, healthy activity, and by addressing the special needs of people. It is open to all, free of charge 7 days a week. There are many expenses and we rely on donations to keep our gardener and...

This garden was so beautiful and peaceful. There are lots of benches, so you can just sit and admire the view. To access the garden, you need to go to No. 5 Old Church Lane. You go through a black gate, turn right, and walk towards the blue building. The gateway to Dr Neil's Garden is on the left. There is another entrance shown by following a path along the loch, but this does not actually provide access to the garden. You can also enter via the Garden Tearoom if it is open in the grounds of the kirk. The garden is free to enter, though you can make a three pound donation to help with the upkeep. There was a small shop selling plants. If you use a wheelchair or have other mobility issues, there is a main path that provides some access. The rest has steep slopes, steps, paths that can become slippery in the rain and are narrow. There is a disability toilet near the garden tearoom. Only accessibility dogs...

The garden is small but lovely with a winding path to access different levels overlooking the loch and lots of swans. At the end of Feb there were snow drops, hellebores, winter aconites, dafs and some cherry blossom. Lots of benches to sit down and absorb the tranquillity.

Getting there - Google maps will take you to the old Kirk itself, not the car park and you cannot get into the garden from there if the garden room cafe is closed (till March) as it's enclosed in ten foot high walls. The nearest entrance is through large gates to the Manse, back along the lane. There is no sign over the gate but the path is clearly signed inside the gate. Alternatively when driving navigate to Holy Road High School which is opposite the Kirk car park to help you find the Kirk car park which is not recognised by Google! The entrance to the garden is clearly signposted from the far corner of...