Exploring

I decided to take a bit of toil and leave work early today. I was walking home in glorious afternoon sunshine and decided to plan a bit of an escapade.

I've heard of Dr Neil's Garden many times, but I'd never been able to find it. It's a hidden, secret garden near Duddingston. It was founded in 1963 by Drs Nancy and Andrew Neil, who were a husband and wife General Practitioner team. They had a keen interest in gardening and unusual plants. Friends and patients began to become involved in the garden, and found that they benefited from the rejuvenating effect of activity outdoors, in a location that became famous for its peace and tranquillity.

I always knew it was somewhere along one of my regular 5 mile running routes, but I'd never really gone looking for it. I decided today was the day.

In the 5 minutes it took to change into my running gear, the sun had gone, the wind had come out and it had started to rain. Hmmm. I headed out anyway! As you can see, the rain cleared up and the sun made a reappearance by the time I'd found the garden. I got a little lost, but got there in the end.

It was a lovely tranquil secret garden; exactly what it was meant to be. I sat on a bench relaxing as I took this shot. If you look closely you can see the bridge says Dr Neil's Garden Duddingston.

Then all there was to do was run home again. A nice little Friday afternoon exploration!