In pictures: 9 of Edinburgh's lost lochs, including Nor' Loch where suspected witches and wizards were drowned

Did you know the site of Edinburgh’s iconic Princes Street Gardens was once occupied bythe Nor’ Loch, or that for every hill in the city there was a loch?

Indeed, Edinburgh was once dominated by rugged hills, volcanic crags and deep bodies of water. Tens of millions of years of intense volcanic activity followed by several thousand years of glacial erosion in the Lothians carved out a dramatic and picturesque landscape.

Some of Edinburgh most famous lost lochs include Canonmills Loch, the Burgh Loch, and the aforemntioned Nor’ Loch, where more than 300 men and women were sentenced to be tried for wizardry and witchcraft either in the loch itself or around its banks.

Others – such as Duddingston Loch and Lochend Loch – survive to this day, but they are now much smaller than they were.

Take a look through our photo gallery to find out more.

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