Landmark
Duddingston
Reed-fringed freshwater loch below crags, a bird sanctuary and inspiration for a famous skating portrait.
0:00≈ 2 min
Location
0:00≈ 2 min
About this audio guide
This guide to Duddingston in Edinburgh opens with a puzzle: why one of Scotland's most famous paintings shows a churchman skating across a loch that today almost never freezes. It traces the story of the Reverend Robert Walker, the Dutch canals where he learned to skate, and the world's earliest figure-skating club that once met right here on the ice. You'll also hear how curling took hold on the same loch, and why a small stone tower still stands to watch it.
This audio guide was created using AI.