Duddingston Loch

Nestled at the side of Arthur’s Seat, Duddingston Loch is a great place to relax on a sunny day with a picnic (make sure you pack enough for the birds though).
Swans, geese, ducks and the more ruthless seagulls etc all gather here, bet they’re the best fed birds in Scotland with all the attention they get from tourists etc.
Benches surround the perimiter of the loch so you can sit and watch the world go by. or the birds!

Duddingston Loch nestles at the foot of Arthur’s Seat, to the south of Holyrood Park, in Edinburgh. It covers an area of about 20 acres, and although it looks fairly extensive from the surface, stretching out to widespread marshland, its maximum depth is only about 3 metres (10 feet). It has been a bird sanctuary for over 80 years and its reed beds are home to many species of rarely seen birds, including herons and grebes, as well as the familiar mallards, canada and greylag geese and mute swans.
52 weapons dating from the Bronze Age were uncovered when the waters were dredged in 1778 — currently stored in the National Museums of Scotland. It is believed that early Edinburgh settlers lived around the loch in ‘crannochs’ — wooden structures built on stilts.
A small car park is situated at the far end of Duddingston Village. Once you carefully cross the road, a pathway takes you right down to the shore where inquisitive (and hungry) wildfowl will immediately investigate to see if any bread is on offer.
The loch has long been associated with skating, and is the cradle of curling. Sir Henry Raeburn’s portrait of ‘The Rev. Walker skating on Duddingston Loch’ is a well-​known image — indeed, it was said to be the inspiration behind part of the frontage design for the new Scottish Parliament!
The loch is a short stroll away from the historic Duddingston Village. Once you’ve fed the ducks by this beautiful loch, what better way to round off the day than drop in at the ‘Sheip’s Heid’ tavern, offering a fine selection of traditional and very tasty Scottish pub grub!