My wife and I took a walk along the Water of Leith Walkway in Edinburgh today. Its a path that follows the Water of Leith, which is a river that runs through the city. The special thing about the path is that you would not think you are in a city - it feels like you are on a woodland path for most of it - but it cuts right across the city from Balerno to Leith Docks - around 8 or 9 miles in length.
Its pretty cool how they have integrated the path into the infrastructure of the city. In this picture we are looking down onto the path from a the top of an aqueduct which carries the Union Canal. The path runs under a rail bridge at that point as well.
The path is fairly spectacular with lots to see along it. We did a 3-4 mile section today from Colinton to Saughton (and back again). The Colinton Tunnel is probably the most interesting feature along the path. It is a dis-used rail tunnel from one of the old city lines that was closed down probably in the 1960s. In the last year or so, the tunnel was painted throughout its length to add a beautiful feature to the path.
Its a lovely piece of work and I really applaud those that made it happen as it is such a positive feature for the city.
The tunnel is around 300m long, and its painted all round - thats some job !
The last time we visited the tunnel the lights were not working, so its nice to see all of it this time !
I'm really pleased to see that other graffiti artists are respecting the work, and no-one has over painted any part of it with their work.
Its such a lovely feature on the path, and everyone, young and old, was stopping to look at the paintings and take pictures.
It certainly is an unexpected feature on such a walk !
It was quite a nice day today - it really did feel like spring, especially considering that yesterday it was really cold and snowing !
The walkway is very popular with dog walkers, cyclists, families and the like. It is muddy in places - but not too bad.
There were some sections that we hit for the first time today, and I'm just amazed at how many other paths there are that lead to and from this walkway and snake their way through the city - it really has been connected up well. And as you can see, you would hardly believe that you are walking though a capital city.
There are some quite impressive trees around - the one above looks a tad scary !
The picture above does not do the scene justice. The small green plants here are actually wild garlic - and it smelt lovely. We get a lot of wild garlic in the UK, and at this time of year it is just starting to shoot-up again in early spring.
The path is sign posted with information, and there is also a visitor centre part of the way along. We covered all of the section above today, and more.
There are also good direction signs to keep you on the right track.
We also took a deviation at one point to go onto the Union Canal. The full name is the Edinburgh and Glasgow Union canal, which connects the two major cities in Scotland, running via Falkirk.
The shot above is an aqueduct that carries the canal over a busy junction in the city. This is where I took the first pic in the post, which looks back down on the water of Leith path.
There has been some really good thought put into the path and its upkeep. This is the stairs that lead down to the path from the canal. The wooden runway on the right side is there to make it easier for cyclists to take the bikes up and down the stairs ! They can just wheel them up and down easily.
A bit further along towards the Saughton end of the walk, we came upon this large city allotment. Allotments are common in the UK, and allow people in built up cities to have their own patch of garden for growing veg, flowers, etc on.
We stopped to speak to one lady who was tendering to her allotment and she said she had just been given hers and that there is a 10 year long waiting list for this particular allotment ! I was quite shocked to learn that.
Its not a great pic, but I was tickled by this persons scarecrow !
On the opposite side of the river from the allotment is this large building. Its not easy to see, but its actually Saughton Prison ! This path really does take in all of the sights of the city !
The pic above is another shot of the aqueduct carrying the canal - I love the ivy growing up the side.
The aqueduct runs parallel to a rail bridge at the same point which is quite interesting.
We also passed the feature above, which is described as a dell. Its sort of a small grotto/folly - quite pretty.
The shaped window in the dell was quite impressive !
We were quite glad to get out for a walk on such a lovely day. It was about 6-8 miles all told (there and back) so we are feeling the effects now. Luckily our daughter was away at a birthday party, otherwise she would just have moaned during the walk - she doesn't appreciate them as much as us !
It was lovely to take in another section of the path and see its features and sights as it makes its way through the city.
As above though, the tunnel is the standout section - and I'd recommend anyone in the area go and see it - what a great asset for the city !
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A great report indeed. I love the painted tunnel. There are many similar tracks down south converted from old railway routes.
Perhaps worth entering in the #aroundtheworld challenge. Look it up, there are prizes for good pictures.
Many thanks - I hadnt heard of that challenge - I'll check it out !
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It's a small world. I was just 67 miles away from Edinburgh a few days ago and thought about popping up there to see a bit of history.
Next time for sure. It looks beautiful and the river walk is the icing on the cake. Nice blog @hoosie 👍
Many thanks - it is a fantastic city. Even though I'm biased, it has lots to offer - something for everyone.
My wife's family hail from Edinburgh so we need to do the whole roots thing at some point.
They are from the Og'tough clan. I'm not sure if that spelling is correct?
Thats not a name I've heard before, unless it is a spelling issue
I think it's a misspelling on my part. For the last 90 years they go by the name of Tough but it had an Og or Ogg prefix originally? I'll check it out before we visit Edinburgh. 👍
Wow - I've not heard of that prefix before. I've heard of the surname Oag (pronounced like Oak but with a g instead of a K).
Yay! 🤗
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