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The Water of Leith running through the Dean Village below old mill buildings.
Edinburgh

Water of Leith

Edinburgh's river, followed by a 12-mile walkway from Balerno through Colinton, the Dean Village and Stockbridge to the sea at Leith.

Welcome

Edinburgh has a river, and most visitors never find it.

The Water of Leith runs from the Pentland Hills right through the city to the sea, hidden in a green cutting below the streets, and a walkway follows it for twelve miles from Balerno to the Shore at Leith.

The path starts on an old railway line and drops into the wooded Colinton Dell, then passes Slateford, where the Union Canal crosses overhead on its aqueduct, and runs on by Saughton and Murrayfield to the Modern galleries. From there it enters the loveliest stretch of all: the Dean Village, with its old mills and tenements crowding the water, St Bernard's Well under the trees, Stockbridge and the Botanic Garden, before it reaches the harbour at Leith.

Most of the way is off the road and on the level, and it can be walked a piece at a time from any neighbourhood it passes. The Water of Leith Conservation Trust looks after it, and has a visitor centre at Slateford.

Round the cornerTBCoThe first shop of the Tartan Blanket Co., on Great Junction Street in Leith, opened in 2022 by founders Fergus and Emma Macdonald.1 min by roadSee itTartan and check wool scarves hang on a white shop rail
The walk

The walkway starts at Balerno and follows an old railway line to Colinton, then runs beside the river through the Colinton Dell, past Slateford and the Union Canal aqueduct, Saughton, Murrayfield, the Modern galleries and the Dean Village, through Stockbridge and past the Botanic Garden to the Shore at Leith.

Most of it is off the road, and it can be walked in sections from any of the neighbourhoods it passes.

Distance
12 miles, 19 km, end to end.
Start
Balerno, or anywhere along the way.
Finish
The Shore, Leith.
Ground
Mostly surfaced paths beside the river; about half a mile on roads.
Before you go

The walkway is open at all times.

The Water of Leith Conservation Trust's visitor centre is at Slateford, and the Trust publishes a map of the whole route.

Visitor centre
The Water of Leith Visitor Centre, Slateford.
Where it is

Across the city from Balerno in the south-west to Leith in the north.

Close byAlong the river.
  1. Stockbridge MarketStockbridge MarketThe Sunday market in Saunders Street, since 2011.2 miles8 min by road
  2. St Bernard's WellSt Bernard's WellA little Greek temple of 1789 over a spring on the Water of Leith.2 miles9 min by road
  3. Dean VillageDean VillageA milling village of the 1100s on the Water of Leith.4 miles12 min by road
  4. Neoclassical mansion with columned entrance reflected in a curved garden pondScottish National Gallery of Modern ArtTwo galleries and two sculpture parks above the river.4 miles14 min by road
  5. Colinton TunnelColinton TunnelA Victorian railway tunnel on the walkway, painted end to end.7 miles24 min by road
Directions
Tartan and check wool scarves hang on a white shop railShoppingTBCo0.2 miles
Green-fronted shopfront reading "Big Hot Sandwiches" beside a weathered white tenement buildingCafeAlby's0.3 miles
Black hanging sign reading "Bitter Sweet" on a sandstone buildingRestaurantsBittersweet Leith0.5 miles
Chefs work a pizza oven at the back of a tiled restaurantRestaurantsRazzo0.5 miles
Sunlit table set for two beside a leather booth and windowRestaurantsRoseleaf Bar Café0.6 miles
Red-walled lounge with chandelier, fireplace, whisky bottles and dark wood furnitureAttractionsThe Scotch Malt Whisky Society - The Vaults0.6 miles
Friends chat round a candlelit table beneath a "Guest Keg" chalkboard menuRestaurantsTeuchters Landing0.6 miles
Signal flags strung from the mast of a moored boat against grey skyAttractionsRoyal Yacht Britannia0.6 miles
Wooden tables and chairs beside large windows in a dark-panelled caféRestaurantsThe Lioness of Leith0.6 miles
Stay nearby

Places to stay near the river, and when each is next free.

A man walks past Bucken Booths entrance flanked by black lamp postsOld Town Chambers
  • To stay
  • In Edinburgh
  • 2 miles from the Water of Leith
Check datesA round table and chairs stand before tall curtained windows looking onto stone buildings, a sofa and mounted television to the right.Moment George IV Bridge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Edinburgh
  • 2 miles from the Water of Leith
Check datesWest End Muse
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Edinburgh
  • 2 miles from the Water of Leith
Check datesA turreted sandstone building with conical spires catches the evening light above rooftops, a large pine tree standing beside it.The Scott Hotel
  • A hotel
  • In Edinburgh
  • 3 miles from the Water of Leith
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in EdinburghAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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