Edinburgh - New Town - Water of Leith - Botanic Garden

Richard Stamp

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Edinburgh Centre - New Town - Dean - Gallery of Modern Art - Water of Leith - Stockbridge - Botanic Garden

A walk in two distinct parts, starting and ending right in the centre of Edinburgh. The outward leg meanders through Edinburgh's New Town, the finest concentration of Georgian architecture in the country. With broad, quiet streets and verdant gardens, it's difficult to believe you are in the centre of a city. The turning point is the Gallery of Modern Art, worth a visit in itself and which also houses a pleasant tea room.

The return leg is entirely different: leaving the streets behind, the route follows the banks of the Water of Leith, a most attractive walkway which for much of the route lies within a wooded valley. A sequence of weirs reflects the area's history as a milling centre and you pass under an impressive 1830s viaduct. The walk ends at the Botanic Garden, which you can explore at leisure before returning to the city centre by a walk or short bus ride.

You can walk either leg as a linear route (see Access Information) and there is a short cut reducing the distance to about five kilometres or three miles (see Waymark 7).

Scotland - Central Scotland - Edinburgh - Town or city

Features

Cafe, Church, Flowers, Industrial Archaeology, Pub, Public Transport, Restaurant, River, Tea Shop, Toilets, Woodland

10/15/2008 - Michael and Marian Vaughn

We were in Edinburgh for a long weekend visiting our son and did this walk on a day he was working. The Georgian architecture was well worth seeing and the section by the Water of Leith an absolute delight as were the botanical gardens.

9/16/2008 - Penelope Philipson

The New Town section, while pretty, is really just the warm up to the Water of Leith leg; its the breadstick you gnaw on while you're waiting for your steak to arrive. And the steak is fantastic! You will especially love the viaduct.