The Water of Leith Walkway

STAGE 1, BALERNO to SLATEFORD 

29 January 2024

This part of the Way follows the path of the former Balerno branch railway line which closed in 1968. I had done this walk a number of times when I lived in Edinburgh although it was more than 20 years since the last occasion. What a difference! Former old mill buildings and waste land had gone and been replaced by attractive new housing. And the old railway tunnel at Colinton had been turned into a visitor attraction! I followed the track as far as Colinton and Craiglockhart Dell where I diverged down into the Dell itself re-joining the track just before reaching Slateford. This made a walk of c.6 miles. There is an information board at the start in Balerno, just north of the High School.....

The route is mostly fairly hemmed in and soon passes some new houses but there are also some more open aspects.....

The track passed through an avenue of trees on the approach to Currie....

The bridge here is over 500 years old and is said to be the oldest one on the river.....

There were more housing developments at Juniper Green and the track then passes under firstly the City bypass and then Colinton Road.....

This is an interesting and picturesque part of the river with an old weir and some rapids.....

I liked this sign.....

The Colinton tunnel was now ahead. I remember it as being gloomy with lots of graffiti and a bit scary. No longer. The local community have created  a mural linking the story of the railway with local heritage. Along one wall are the illustrated words of Robert Louis Stevenson's poem "From a Railway Carriage". These illustrations link across the roof and connect to images reflecting local heritage on the opposite wall. The entire length of the tunnel- 140 metres- has been covered. Stunning! Here are photos of some of the murals.....

Past Colinton village I left the track and descended into Colinton and Craiglockhart Dell,,,,,

The river flowed on and passed a grotto.....

And then I was at Slateford, dominated by an aqueduct and viaduct, with the Water of Leith Visitor Centre providing an excellent interactive exhibition, information about the river and a welcome cup of coffee. 

 

STAGE 2: SLATEFORD to STOCKBRIDGE

12 April 2024

I decided to break the remaining 7 or so miles down into two stages as there was a lot to see now that I had reached the urban area. So it was back to Slateford and a cup of coffee before I started the walk. Initially the path was shut in between the river and an big area of allotments and the only real point of interest was a view of part of HMP Saughton above the opposite river bank.....

The Way crossed the main Edinburgh - Kilmarnock road at Chesser and shortly after entered Saughton Park.....

The main point of interest for me was the formal gardens, including a glass house, a peaceful area to sit for a bit.....

There was another item of interest in among the neat gardens, the Saughton sundials.....

Leaving the park, the Way briefly carried on a road, passed under the railway line and turned north with Corstorphine Hill in the distance.....

It then approached Murrayfield stadium, passed it to the north, and crossed the main Edinburgh - Glasgow road at Roseburn.....

The river was tranquil here.....

A statue by Antony Gormley stands in the water at the back of a weir. It is one of 6, 5 of which stand in the river....  

The next section approaching Dean Village is the area of the former Bells Mills complex, now home to a hotel and a sports complex.....

There were a couple more weirs as the path approached the village, the major one previously powering all 8 mills on this part of the river.....

Dean Village is a major attraction, the peace and quiet of the previous stretch lost to hordes of tourists. It was not difficult to see why; it fully justifies its World Heritage Site status. I spent quite a bit of time here.....

The path now passes under the Dean bridge, which carries the main road between Edinburgh and the Forth bridges.....

The next point of interest was St Bernard's Well, a spring crowned by a circular temple featuring a statue of Hygeia, the Greek Goddess of Health and Cleanliness.....

Shortly after, the Way transfers to a street and enters Stockbridge.......

Where there is another Antony Gormley statue...... 

STAGE 3: STOCKBRIDGE TO LEITH

8 May 2024

I took the bus down to Stockbridge to do the final stage of the walk.....

The way soon passed a housing development on the opposite side of the river, The Colonies. These were built between 1861 and 1911 to provide low cost housing away from the slums of the Old Town.....

Next was Canonmills where the route diverged onto the pavement for a bit and passing the well known Canonmills clock.....

But it was soon back to the riverside park and more greenery as the route entered St Marks park, another green area of the City that I didn't know existed.. And another Anthony Gormley statue in the river.....

Bonington was next, and what a difference to what I remembered. The old mill buildings had been transformed into modern offices, warehouses and houses.....

and another statue.....

soon after, Leith came into view, signalling the end of the Way.....

It had been a fascinating walk, mostly rural but with some urban stretches, taking me to parts of the city that I didn't know existed and showing how the city had changed over the last few decades.