NHS Lothian Charity @ Edinburgh BioQuarter

Find out about the about green health opportunities across the BioQuarter

The BioQuarter is home to the the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and the Department of Clinical Neurosciences (DCN). This 167-acre site is connected to some of the best greenspaces in Edinburgh.

Across these three hospitals, NHS Lothian provides a full range of acute medical and surgical services, over three thousand NHS staff work onsite and support patients from across Lothian and beyond, this makes it one of the most important healthcare settings in Scotland.

Working together with staff and partners on site we are delivering range of Green Health projects to improve health and wellbeing and increase biodiversity.

Get involved

What’s on

Find out what’s on at the Bioquarter this month. Led by our Nature Rehabilitation Ranger, these activities bridge clinical care with the outdoors to help boost staff well being.

What’s on now

Meet the Ranger

Our Nature Rehabilitation Ranger, Lou Evans, works with patients and staff on site two days a week to promote and support positive health and wellbeing through nature-based activities and interventions.

Contact me

Latest news

Want to see how our outdoor spaces are transforming? Check out Lou’s seasonal round-ups to read stories, track our progress, and discover all the creative ways patients, staff, and volunteers are getting involved.

Royal Infirmary Edinburgh outside hospital

Greenspace and Biodiversity Projects

We are working to protect and improve our grounds to ensure they remain a vibrant haven for both people and wildlife and help us tackle climate change.

Staff Wellbeing Courtyard

Opened in September 2025, this beautifully reimagined space is designed to support staff wellbeing by bringing nature closer to the workplace.

Ria’s Story

At just 23-years-old, Ria O’Hanlan found herself in hospital fighting for her life. The occupational therapy student went from experiencing back pain, to collapsing on the floor and being diagnosed with an aortic aneurism, her lungs filled with blood. The game-changer came with a visit to the hospital garden, at the insistence of one of the nurses.

Royal Infirmary Edinburghfrom the air — An aerial view of the Edinburgh BioQuarter

Little France Park is located to the east of the Royal Infirmary, and is most easily accessed from the hospital at an entrance which starts at the top of Car Park 2C. You can also access it by walking from the hospital main entrance to Old Dalkeith Road and walking along the road until you see a small bridge on the left. See the map of the site below:

It has a variety of habitats to explore, such as woodland, wetland, grassland and wildflower meadows which supports an array of wildlife such as butterflies, birds and bees.

There are wide hard surfaced paths in the park (paths marked in purple on the map), making it easy to access. In the above Little France Park map there are suggested walking routes. There are also benches, providing places to rest, relax and enjoy the views.

Although the north side of the slope is more easily accessed from the hospital, we would highly recommend visiting the south side if you have time as it offers spectacular views of the sea, Edinburgh Castle, Craigmillar Castle and Arthur’s Seat.

There are interpretation panels which provide a map of the site as well as interesting information on its history and wildlife.

You can find more detailed information on the map here: www.innertubemap.com/little-france/

There are also Little France Park Cycleways Innertube Maps available to pick up at the main reception to the hospital, as well as at the BioQuarter (5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh, EH16 4UU).

What we do

Green Health projects on site