Branwen

Cat Nick. I don’t know if this is the original Cat Nick, but it is listed as such now. I remember hearing a story that a druid hermit lived in the Cat Nick in the 1800’s, with a leather hide roof to make a better shelter of his cave, but when he died they filled it in and bricked it over to stop anyone else trying to live rough there.

Well on a good day, sometimes it is a bit disappointing. This used to be the main source of water for the village of Duddingston, and was said to be the purest in the lothians. A giant hawthorn tree grew nearby, the largest in Scotland. It was blown down in the gales of 1844.

Nearby well, whats there now isn’t ancient. About a mile west on the Queen’s Drive, by the first mini roundabout you come to.

Nearby well, probably not ancient. Cross the road and go down the steps to the lochside and follow the path to hangman’s rock travelling west, you cant miss it.

The Hause Stone looking towards Duddingston

The hause stone looking towards Salisbury Crags.

Salisbury Crags from the ranger station near the palace.

Salisbury Crags

Heading east down the innocent railway cycle path, you come to some big rocks where you can see over and get a closer view of the pools. 100m further east is where the tunnel goes under the path, and over the wall on your right is where the Wells O’ Wearie used to be. I was too short to see over the wall, or get a pic.

Echo Rock hawthorn with the peak in the background

Looking at the peak from Echo Rock

View from close to the top of Arthur’s Seat, looking towards Dunsapie Loch and the Forth.

Arthur’s Seat from close to St Antony’s Chapel

This is the path that takes you from the Queen’s Drive, where you can look down on the wells o wearie, to the innocent railway cycle path, where you can get closer.

The meadow above Dunsapie Loch looking towards the Forth.

Standing between the peak and Salisbury Crags, facing towards the Forth.

From the Meadows

From Pollock Halls

This is where the Wells O Wearie used to be, or rather, very close to where the old maps say it was just off picture to the left. They dried up but the ground there is still boggy, and these pools are probably all that is left of a serious of pools, which is probably why modern maps give them as the location. Looking down from above, you can see a tunnel under the innocent railway, the well o weary was located on the far side of that tunnel, and the water came through there, wending its way through a series of pools until it eventually fed into the loch.

Near Hangman’s Rock on Duddingston Loch, where the remains of a Crannog were found.

Duddingston Loch and Bawsinch Bird Sanctuary, where the remains of a Crannog were found.

Looking over Salisbury Crags is supposed to be where you can see the Brocken Spectre, a phenomenon whereby your shadow is cast on mists below which has caused a lot of superstitions in the area.

I was trying to show the resemblance the hill has to a sleeping bear using photoshop to cobble several shots into one picture here, as per the connection of the name to bears, and not the myth of king Arthur. I need a panoramic lens or a picture from a helicopter to do it properly, I think.