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Millar Hall (Cafe) at Duddingston Kirk Garden, 7.30pm-8.30pm (refreshments afterwards)

Speaker: Mike Lewis

This talk describes the route that Robert Louis Stevenson reputedly took from Edinburgh’s New Town to Swanston and the Pentlands.

Our Winter Talks are free, but a donation to Dr Neil’s Garden woud be welcomed.

The Winter Talks take place on the first Thursday of the month until April 2024 (with the exception of January) Find out more

Why not become a ‘Friend of the Garden’ for only £15 per annum? As a Friend of the Garden, you will be supporting the maintenance and future development of this extraordinary garden.

Application form is available from Barbara Anderson, please email banderson456@hotmail.co.uk 

Millar Hall (Cafe) at Duddingston Kirk Garden, 7.30pm-8.30pm (refreshments afterwards)

Speaker: Ian Archibald

The Firth of Forth has been for centuries one of the major gateways to Edinburgh and Scotland from Scandinavia and the Baltic.

This presentation shines a spotlight on the deserted islands of the Forth. All within viewing distance of the land, many of these abandoned islands are home to tales that deserve to be better known.

Our Winter Talks are free, but a donation to Dr Neil’s Garden woud be welcomed.

The Winter Talks take place on the first Thursday of the month until April 2024 (with the exception of January) Find out more

Why not become a ‘Friend of the Garden’ for only £15 per annum? As a Friend of the Garden, you will be supporting the maintenance and future development of this extraordinary garden.

Application form is available from Barbara Anderson, please email banderson456@hotmail.co.uk 

The Riding of the Marches through Edinburgh is a cavalcade of almost 300 horses accompanied by pipe bands making their way to the Royal Mile where up to 20,000 people will line the streets to see them.

However, for a better view and close-up experience, make you way to Duddingston Village where you can see the procession as they make their way through King’s Park to the Royal Mile. They should be in the village around 3pm. 

Why not come and make an afternoon of it by visiting Dr Neil’s Garden where you can enjoy these special attractions to mark the occasion:

• Music from the wonderful The Tubby Horse Company (in the Garden)
• Art Exhibition by Kenny Macalister and Helen Orr (in Thomson’s Tower)
• Plants and Bric-a-brac sale
• Delicious home baking and refreshments in the The Garden Café (open from 1pm)

Kenny Macallister and Helen Orr both hail from the West of Scotland.

They have led parallel lives but now come together to exhibit art that reflects their interpretation of life, travelling and working in South India and Scotland.

Their art describes the chaos and colour of street life in India as well as the remote and wild landscapes of Scotland.

Kenny Macallister spent his formative years on the west of Scotland and spent his career as an exploration geologist living for several years in south India and Egypt. A self-taught artist working with acrylic and experimenting with oils, ink and charcoal, he describes the chaos and colour of street life in India in this exhibition and introduces some literary inspiration from Robert Burns and others.

Helen Orr is a self-taught contemporary Scottish artist who has a distinctive abstract style which captures the mood of a place. Helen’s art evokes a sense of escape: the smell of the wind, the rolling of the sea, the threat of the storm, the escape of the water and the warmth of the sand. Helen paints mainly in oils on canvas or board and sometimes in mixed media using acrylics, oils and ink. Her recent work, inspired by time spent living in California, explores the human form in water, floating, diving and swimming with strong aquamarines and dancing reflections on water.

Alicia Hendrick

Àite Naomh / Sacred Place is an exhibition showing the original drawings and prints produced from a funded residency on the Isle of Iona through the Columcille Legacy Award and the subsequent installation entitled Leabaidh rìoghail do Chalum Cille / A royal bed for Columba at Cobhan Cùildeach (The Hermits Cell) funded by VACMA award. Both awards were administered by CHARTS.

I grew up in Argyll on the Kilmahew Estate, Cardross, trained at Glasgow School of Art and recently moved to Edinburgh. I am delighted to be able to show this work at Thomson’s Tower at Dr Neil’s Garden and look forward to spending time in the garden drawing.