Water of Leith Walkway
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55°53′9.73″N 3°20′23.31″W / 55.8860361°N 3.3398083°W
The Water of Leith Walkway is a public footpath and cycleway that runs alongside the river of the same name through Edinburgh, Scotland, from Balerno to Leith.
History
The concept of a public path first appeared in 1949, but the necessary construction work was not begun until 1973. The walkway was laid out in stages. The section of the footpath between Juniper Green and Slateford was opened to the public on 30 August 1973.[1] A section near Dean Village was completed in 1977 using labour from a job creation programme.[2] In 2012 a landslip between Dean Path and Sunbury Bridge caused that section of the walkway to be closed. Remedial works failed and subsequent legal liability disputes delayed the section's reopening until May 2022.[3][4]
Points of interest
The walkway provides access to many interesting sights, like the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and the Dean Gallery.
Walking and cycling the path
The path runs from Balerno, south west of Edinburgh city centre to Leith on the Firth of Forth, 12 miles (19 km) to the north east. At Balerno the walkway begins next to Balerno High School.[5] The section from Balerno to Slateford utilises the dismantled Balerno railway line; it forms part of National Cycle Route 75.[6] The path runs downhill, but the incline is so slight that it is barely perceptible. Approximately half a mile of the route is on roads; for the remainder the path runs alongside the Water of Leith, and away from traffic. The path surface is a mixture of tarmac, compressed grit and compressed earth. The surface is uniformly good with very few muddy patches or potholes. The route is well used by both pedestrians and cyclists.
The path is fairly well signposted, but there are one or two places in Edinburgh where the path meets a road and it is necessary to hunt around for its continuation. Some signposts have been vandalised or pointed in the wrong direction.
The path passes through the attractive Dean Village area of Edinburgh and ends in the docks at Leith.
Walkers can return to Balerno by catching a bus to the centre of Edinburgh from Ocean Terminal, and then the 44 bus to Balerno. For cyclists the easiest way to return to Balerno is to cycle back, or use the train from central Edinburgh to Curriehill railway station.
The Water of Leith is also a good fishing spot due to the concerted effort to clean up the water. You can expect to catch wild brown trout (Salmo trutta m. fario) and grayling (Thymallus thymallus) with the odd pike (Esox lucius) lurking nearby. Grayling only swim in clean water so this is a good advertisement for the Water of Leith itself.
References
- ^ "Edinburgh Corporation City Planning Department Notice". The Scotsman. No. 40639. 29 August 1973. p. 14. Retrieved 23 August 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Untitled article". The Scotsman. No. 41911. 6 October 1977. p. 10. Retrieved 24 August 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Anderson, Joseph (8 April 2021). "Water of Leith river path to be repaired after years of closure". BBC News. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- ^ Bryan, Anna (13 May 2022). "Edinburgh Councillors celebrate as Water of Leith walkway reopens after 'so many years of closure'". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- ^ Wham, Alasdair (2006). Edinburgh and Lothians : exploring the lost railways. Wigtown : G.C. Books Ltd. p. 137. ISBN 978-1-872350-14-1 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Helen Brown (3 April 2020). Water of Leith Management Plan 2020-2030 (pdf) (Report). Water of Leith Action Group. p. 7. Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
External links
- An audio trail, text and video links hosted by the Water of Leith Conservation Trust
- Summary of places of interest along the route