Car-Free Christmas at Holyrood Park

Submitted by edg on Wed, 23 Dec '09 7.19pm

Visitors to Holyrood Park will have the opportunity to enjoy the park free from traffic over the festive season. Traffic restrictions will be in place on the 25 and 26  December and the 2 January, with no vehicle access to Queens Drive and Duddingston Low Road between 8am and 4pm, following current Sunday access arrangements.


The High Road Loop will remain open to cars weather permitting.

Martin Gray, Royal Parks Visitor Services Manager said, “Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are very popular with visitors to the park. Kids often want to come down and try out their new bike or toys, and it’s nice for parents to have somewhere to bring them where they don’t have to worry about the traffic."

“Sundays are very popular with visitors as they can come down and enjoy the surroundings free from traffic. Christmas and New Year, in a similar vein, are times to be spent relaxing with families and loved ones and we want to make that experience as pleasant as possible for them."

In addition all park roads will be closed on the 1st January between 8am and 6pm as events are taking place in the park as part of the citywide New Year celebrations. Additional roads affected include Holyrood Road and Horse Wynd, whilst parking will not be available at the main car park. The High Road loop will also remain closed to traffic.

Martin continued: “We have a number of events happening in the park on the 1st including the triathlon. These restrictions are designed to ensure that the participants and the public can enjoy these events safely and comfortably and we look forward to welcoming visitors to the park to celebrate the New Year.”