Thirty one Strollers met at Haymarket Station
to walk to Leith, finishing at Ocean Terminal. There was some confusion at the
meeting point. As it was a cold day we had moved inside the station for some
warmth but some Strollers thought we had already gone. We all managed to get
together! The weather stayed dry though cold for all of the walk.
Following the tram tracks to Roseburn, we
then joined the cycle path which follows the old Caledonian Line, part of the
North Edinburgh Network. This was created after 1981 when Lothian Regional
Council bought the trackway from British Rail and along with support from
Spokes and Sustrans it is now part of the many cycle ways around the region.
Crossing the Water of Leith and past
Ravelston, we made our way down to Craigleith. Now a shopping centre,
Craigleith Quarry at one time produced a lot of the stone used in the buildings of
Edinburgh and beyond. From here we took the path down past Pilton to Crewe Toll
where Ferranti was once a huge employer. The site is now run by BAE.
We passed all the flats which are built on
the site of what was the McTaggart & Mickel depot and the playing fields of
Ainslie Park School. The school was rebuilt with new areas further along near
what was the site of Parsons Peebles. This factory was mostly destroyed by a
fire and the company moved to Leith. Their site is also now all flats. As we walked on we passed the
Edinburgh Sculpture Centre which was opened here in 2012 by Fiona Hyslop, who
some may remember from her days in Marketing. It offers opportunities for
people to use facilities for sculptures using wood, stone and metal and has an
active interaction with local schools.
It was amazing how quickly the Strollers
departed at the end of the walk to seek out the scones and more in Ocean
terminal!
Our thanks to Drew for arranging the walk on
a dry day.
