Inveresk Lodge Gardens. An Easy Cycle from Edinburgh

Inveresk Lodge Gardens, East Lothian, near Musselburgh

At Inveresk Lodge Gardens you will enter a haven, an escape from the city, a place to sit and clear your head. As soon as you walk through the entrance gate your nose will be delighted by the sweet scents of flowers, plants and herbs. There are immaculate lawns, staircases and pathways to lead you through this gorgeous place. It is only an 8 mile cycle from Edinburgh.
 
To get here by bicycle follow my Edinburgh to Musselburgh route guide. When you reach the path alongside the River Esk continue along this until you see a passageway on the right hand side that leads uphill on gravel. It is probably a good idea to push the bike up most of this because it is quite steep and the gravel difficult to get a grip on.
 
At the top you turn right onto a road that goes through the village of Inveresk. You will be immediately struck by the grandness of some of the properties, some in bright colour tones. It feels like a lovely place to live.

​It is only about one minute of cycling through the village before you spot the sign for the gardens, which are located on the right.

Inveresk Village

Inveresk village

Inside the entrance there are some handy bike racks, so you can park up before heading through the gate into the garden. 

Bicycle parking at Inveresk Lodge Gardens. Here there is a map of the gardens on the wall, but you will not get lost as they are quite small.

The first thing you will see is an immaculate lawn with perfect vertical stripes. It makes you think that someone bent down with a pair of scissors to get it looking this good. Facing this is the house, Inveresk Lodge,  built in 1683. This white house is not open to the public, but interesting to note that its first owner was Sir Richard Colt, Solicitor-General to King Charles II. I took a peek through a window and could see a grand wood paneled room with an antique rocking horse.

Inveresk Lodge and the immaculate lawn

Adjacent to the house there is an Edwardian conservatory where you can step inside and have a look at the potted plants and enjoy the wonderful aromas. There is also information panels that explain the history of the gardens.

The conservatory at Inveresk Lodge Gardens

Leaving the conservatory you will find a terraced walkway that is crammed with a variety of colourful flowers and plants. This is a joy to stroll along. From up here there are impressive views of the distant Pentland Hills. It is almost unbelievable that you are just a short distance from built-up urban areas. You are reminded of this by the background din from traffic on the A1 road, but the bird song triumphs over this.

Terrace garden at Inveresk Lodge Garden

You can just see the Pentland Hills over the treetops from the terrace of Inveresk Lodge Gardens

As you wander around you will come across many interesting features like the sundial at the centre of the garden, dating back to 1644. There is a water feature with a gentle trickle, a decorative urn and a wooden staircase leading you through thick foliage.

There are plenty of benches dotted around the gardens, so lots of opportunities to have seat a take a few moments to appreciate the surroundings.

The lower garden consists of a large meadow and a pond, bordered by woodland. The singing from blackbirds, wrens and thrushes is particularly prominent in this area.

Pond and meadow at Inveresk Lodge Gardens

My video gives an excellent impression of what you can expect on a visit to these gardens:

How to get there

Start in the Meadows in Edinburgh and follow the National Cycle Route One signs. A full description of the route can be found in my Edinburgh to Musselburgh route guide.

Follow the route until you reach the wooded path by the River Esk. Turn left along this path and look out for the uphill gravel path on the right-hand side. This will take you up to the village of Inveresk. If you don't fancy cycling back you can use the train station at Musselburgh.