Walk 286 - Balerno to Slateford along the Water of Leith

On a surprisingly dry and fairly sunny day thirteen Strollers met up at Balerno High School entrance to stroll along the Water of Leith walkway to the Water of Leith centre at Slateford. Some even had time for a quick bite in the breakout café at the rugby club before the walk.

Now that the pathway has a proper surface to it there were no more puddles to wade through or holes to try and avoid, though there were lots of donations left by horses and the occasional cyclist to avoid.

The path follows the route of the old Edinburgh to Balerno railway line which closed in 1967, though by then it was just a freight service. It benefitted us as it made a very nice flat walk. We passed the sites of some of the mills which used to line the Water of Leith and for whom the railway had kept running, like the Kinnauld Leather Mill and the Kinleith Paper Mill which had been there since the early 18th century. Flats and houses seem to be the new industry on these sites.

We stopped at Spylaw Park for a lunch break where we were joined by Ken B who had taken a wrong turn to catch up with us. This seemed to take in Glasgow, Perth and Glasgow again before joining us for lunch. Something about the piping needed fixed. He then went home for a rest. While in the park, we took the time to admire the house that used to be the home of James Gillespie who had snuff factories on the river. It’s now flats.

We then passed through the Colinton Tunnel with its painted walls reflecting the diversity of the area and the well-known people who lived here.

Finally, finishing at the Water of Leith Centre with most Strollers braving the walk over the aqueduct where it was time for a well-earned coffee or tea.

Thanks very much to Alistair B for arranging the walk and the lovely weather.

Hopefully the next one will be as dry!

 

Walk 285 - New Town Authors - March 2024

Twenty seven Strollers met up at the side of the Guildford Arms to hear about the authors who frequented this area of the New Town.

We met on what at one time was the site of the Ambrose Tavern where Christopher North (John Wilson) as well as James Hogg used to meet. We could also look at the Balmoral Hotel where JK Rowling finished her Harry Potter books. Moving on, we stopped to look at the Scott Monument and then into St Andrew Square one time home of David Hume. We then went on into Multrees Walk, named for the Mulberry trees that once grew there in an attempt to produce silk, and from there to Picardy Place named for the families who came over from France to weave the silk that had been produced.

Down into Albany Street with its many authors including Mary Brunton and Susan Ferrier, as well as Catherine Hogarth who married Charles Dickens then onto Heriot Row to look at the house where RL Stevenson was brought up. The family who now own it are great fans and even have a model of a lighthouse in the window in reference to the Stevenson family lighthouse designers and builders. Next we went up to George Street where the publisher Blackwood was based as well as bookshops such as Thins.

We finished up in Rose Street at Milnes Bar which once hosted Hugh MacDiarmid, Sorley MacLean, and Norman MacCaig. Not forgetting the Abbotsford, named after Sir Walter Scott’s home.

I’ve probably missed a lot of other names off like Ian Rankin etc. but my head can only cope with so much information!

Our thanks to our guides Karen and Helen.

Walk 284 - Historic Walk Morningside - February 2024

After all the rain and winds of the previous days it was nice to meet on a reasonably sunny day for a walk round Morningside. Twenty eight Strollers met at Holy Corner to be entertained by our guides Karen and Helen.

Named Holy Corner because of the churches at each street corner, we heard about the ‘disruption’ of the Church of Scotland in 1843 when 450 ministers left and formed the Free Church. The new moderator of this church, Thomas Chalmers, was appointed in Tanfield Hall long before SLAC moved there. We moved on to the small area of John Livingstone’s Tomb and from there to the old stop for the trams at the end of Strathearn Road, then took in St Bennet’s Church and the Archbishop’s house where Popes have stayed on their visits to Scotland.

Moving on to Morningside House, sometime home to author Susan Ferrier, we viewed the flats where the Woodcroft telephone exchange once stood. Passing Thomas Chalmer’s house, where he held services until a church was built, we visited the Churchill Theatre, previously a church, with its sculptures outside depicting the local areas and working life. From there we headed to Cuddy Lane, beside the old Schoolhouse, so called as that’s where the horses and ponies were tied up when dropping the children off at school. On the way we passed the site of Falcon House, now flats, where the impressive gate posts were taken away and are now at the entrance to the zoo.

Some people also reminisced about their time at the Plaza dance hall as we made our way to the ‘Wild West’, passing the site of the Spring Valley cinema which then became the Silver Slipper nightclub. The Wild West was built as an advertising feature for a nineties furniture store. The western facades include a trading station, saloon, jail and a cantina (which is actually the fire door for Morningside Library.)

We finished our walk in the car park of the Merlin where Smithy's and other small businesses used to be.

Our thanks to Karen and Helen for all the interesting facts, too many to put here.

Fingers crossed for similar weather for the next walk in March.