Duddingston

A sodden Sunday - but picturesque!

We had a cosy lunch at the venerable Sheep Heid Inn before going for a wander round Dr Neils' Garden (there were 2 Drs Neil, in case anyone thinks we don't know where to put our apostrophes!),which runs down to the shore of Duddingston Loch, in the shadow of Arthur's Seat & the Salisbury Crags. Then we were tempted into a church hall for cakes & tea, before meandering around the peaceful streets of Duddingston Village. It was hard to believe that the hurly-burly of Festival Edinburgh was so close at hand. We visited the Norman Duddingston Kirk with its atmospheric graveyard while an iron chain & necklet, hanging at the Kirkyard Gate, was a further reminder of times past – miscreants used to be tethered there for their sins, not to mention affording locals the chance for a spot of target practice with their rotten veg. Obviously the streets of Duddingston were not so quiet in years gone by but they are a haven of calm this century!