The Water of Leith Walkway is a public footpath and cycleway that runs alongside the small river of the same name through Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, from Balerno

Balerno

Balerno is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland situated 12 kilometres south west of the city centre, next to Juniper Green and Currie. Administratively, Balerno falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Edinburgh Council.- History :...

 to Leith

Leith

-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....

.

The concept of a public path first appeared in 1949, but the necessary construction work was not begun until after 1973. Nowadays, it provides access to many interesting sights, like the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art

The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh, holds the national collection of modern art. When opened in 1960, the collection was held in Inverleith House, at the Royal Botanic Gardens...

 and the Dean Gallery

Dean Gallery

The Dean Gallery is an art gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is part of the National Galleries of Scotland. It was opened in 1999, opposite the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, which is its sister gallery. As the result of a rebranding exercise in 2011, the buildings have now been...

.

Walking and cycling the path

The path starts next to Balerno High School and runs 12.25 miles [19.6 kilometres] to Leith

Leith

-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....

. 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

Water of Leith

The Water of Leith is the main river flowing through Edinburgh, Scotland, to the port of Leith where it flows into the sea via the Firth of Forth.It is long and rises in the Colzium Springs at Millstone Rig of the Pentland Hills...

, 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 breaks and it is necessary to hunt around for its continuation. The odd signpost has been vandalised, so that the sign points in the wrong direction.

The path passes through the attractive Dean Village

Dean Village

Dean Village is a former village immediately northwest of Edinburgh, Scotland city centre. It was known as the "Water of Leith Village" and was a successful grain milling hamlet for more than 800 years. At one time there were no fewer than eleven working mills there, driven by the strong currents...

area of Edinburgh and ends in the docks at Leith. The docks were once a dismal place but are being gentrified and there are a lot of new restaurants and bars.

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.
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 and Grailing with the odd Essox Lucius or Pike lurking nearby. Grailing only swim in clean water so this is a good advertisement for The water of Leith itself.

External links

• Map of pathway.
• Places of interest along the route