Dunbar's Close Garden, Edinburgh
Shopping and sightseeing in the Royal Mile can be tiring, so if you don鈥檛 feel like having lunch in a crowded pub or restaurant, grab a packed lunch or pick up a sandwich, and sneak off to Dunbar鈥檚 Close Garden. Tucked near the Canongate Kirkyard, this hidden gem is one of those places that makes you feel like you鈥檝e just fallen through a medieval trapdoor.
Dunbar鈥檚 Close is one of about 80 medieval alleys still threading their way through the Old Town. At the end of it lies a garden that feels like it was designed for time travel. Truly a secret garden, many locals don鈥檛 even know it exists, which means you can enjoy your lunch here in peace.
The garden is surrounded by high, ancient stone walls shutting out the noise. The plot is long and rather narrow, with three-quarters of an acre laid out in a proper 17th-century style, featuring gravel paths and beds of herbs, shrubs, and flowers neatly bordered by ting hedges. Conical topiary points the way, while mature fig and sycamore trees lean in to offer a bit of shade over stone benches鈥攑erfect for a quiet pause or some light sandwich meditation.
The garden鈥檚 story adds another layer. It was created by Sir Patrick Geddes, a visionary biologist who dreamed of filling Edinburgh with pocket gardens like this. Sadly, he passed away shortly after Dunbar鈥檚 Close Garden was completed. By the 1970s, the place had gone wild from neglect.
Luckily, around that time, the Mushroom Trust鈥攁 charity promoting the creation of urban green spaces鈥攖ook over the garden and asked landscape architect Seamus Filor to bring it back to life. In 1977, the Trust gifted the restored garden to the city, and by 1978, it was open to the public. So now, whenever you need a break from tartan overload while in Edinburgh, you鈥檝e got your own secret garden waiting...
Dunbar鈥檚 Close is one of about 80 medieval alleys still threading their way through the Old Town. At the end of it lies a garden that feels like it was designed for time travel. Truly a secret garden, many locals don鈥檛 even know it exists, which means you can enjoy your lunch here in peace.
The garden is surrounded by high, ancient stone walls shutting out the noise. The plot is long and rather narrow, with three-quarters of an acre laid out in a proper 17th-century style, featuring gravel paths and beds of herbs, shrubs, and flowers neatly bordered by ting hedges. Conical topiary points the way, while mature fig and sycamore trees lean in to offer a bit of shade over stone benches鈥攑erfect for a quiet pause or some light sandwich meditation.
The garden鈥檚 story adds another layer. It was created by Sir Patrick Geddes, a visionary biologist who dreamed of filling Edinburgh with pocket gardens like this. Sadly, he passed away shortly after Dunbar鈥檚 Close Garden was completed. By the 1970s, the place had gone wild from neglect.
Luckily, around that time, the Mushroom Trust鈥攁 charity promoting the creation of urban green spaces鈥攖ook over the garden and asked landscape architect Seamus Filor to bring it back to life. In 1977, the Trust gifted the restored garden to the city, and by 1978, it was open to the public. So now, whenever you need a break from tartan overload while in Edinburgh, you鈥檝e got your own secret garden waiting...
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Dunbar's Close Garden on Map
Sight Name: Dunbar's Close Garden
Sight Location: Edinburgh, Scotland (See walking tours in Edinburgh)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Edinburgh, Scotland (See walking tours in Edinburgh)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Edinburgh, Scotland
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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles
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Travel Distance: 2.9 Km or 1.8 Miles
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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.6 Km or 1 Miles
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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles
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Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles
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One of the prominent landmarks in the New Town is... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles
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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles
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