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Colinton Tunnel and the Dells with the dog
A walk · Edinburgh

Colinton Tunnel – A Riverside Dog Walk Through the Dells

About 3 miles on foot.

Water of Leith Visitor CentreStartColinton TunnelWhere you turn

The Water of Leith Walkway between Slateford and Colinton makes a lovely dog walk.

It follows the river through the old woods of Craiglockhart Dell and Colinton Dell to a railway tunnel painted end to end with a huge mural, then into Colinton village for lunch at a pub that welcomes dogs. It starts at the Water of Leith Visitor Centre, where dogs are welcome too.

Time
About an hour and ten minutes on foot in all: about 30 minutes from the Water of Leith Visitor Centre, 7 more through the tunnel to Colinton village, and about 35 back.
The path
The walkway is a made path, partly accessible by wheelchair, with slopes and some rougher stretches in the Dells; the tunnel floor is tarmac.
When to go
The walkway is open all year; the Water of Leith Visitor Centre opens every day, 10am to 4pm, and the Spylaw every day from 10am, serving lunch from noon.
Dogs
Keep dogs close: the walkway is shared with cyclists, and the river runs beside it.
Children
The river runs beside the path in the Dells.
Toilets
At the Water of Leith Visitor Centre, 10am to 4pm, and for customers at the Spylaw in Colinton.
Before you set out
The walkway route was open when the trust's walkway page was read on 4 October 2026; after storms, check its path closure notice.

The walk

Start at the Water of Leith Visitor Centre on Lanark Road in Slateford, open every day from 10am, where dogs are welcome. Come by bus or train: Lothian 20, 34, 36 and 44 stop outside (check the times), and Slateford station is a short walk away. Then follow the Water of Leith Walkway upstream through Craiglockhart Dell and Colinton Dell, about 30 minutes, to the Colinton Tunnel.

The old railway tunnel is painted from end to end with what the river's trust calls Scotland's largest historical mural, full of pipers, poppies and a Highland cow. The walkway is shared with cyclists, so keep the dog close. Walk on through it into Colinton village, 7 minutes from the tunnel's mouth, for lunch at the Spylaw on Spylaw Street, a pub where dogs are welcome: brunch until 11.45am, lunch from noon.

Then it's about 35 minutes back along the same path to Slateford.

If it rains

The path is under trees most of the way and the tunnel is dry, so a light shower does no harm; in heavy rain the path in the Dells gets muddy, so take it slowly and let lunch at the Spylaw run long.

Before you go

  1. Book accommodation nearby

    If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.

    West End Muse2 miles awayWest End MuseSleeps 4Moment George IV Bridge3 miles awayMoment George IV BridgeSleeps 2Old Town Chambers3 miles awayOld Town ChambersA place to stayThe Scott Hotel3 miles awayThe Scott HotelA hotel

  2. Book lunch at the Spylaw, Colinton

    Book a table at the Spylaw online for about noon and say you're bringing a dog, as it keeps a dog-free area: lunch is served every day from 12pm, and its garden tables are not booked, first come.