Leo du Feu - Landscape, Art, Nature, Birds

Thursday, 10 February 2022

Scotland By Rail - Edinburgh Haymarket to Redhall Walled Garden along the Union Canal & Water of Leith

Water of Leith and red wall of Redhall

(Walled Garden).
Hoping for a Kingfisher or Dipper.

A three mile walk from Edinburgh Haymarket to Redhall Walled Garden. Almost entirely traffic-free along the very well-walked and safe feeling Union Canal & Water of Leith. At a fast speed I with long legs can manage it in a bit over an hour. I prefer taking much longer and enjoying all there is to see -including cafe at Water of Leith Visitor Centre!

Get off the train at Haymarket, a great one for train watching with four-year-olds. These are the views looking west and east from the station concourse:

It's hard to remember now just how much smaller and darker Haymarket used to be. It's my favourite of all the big station renovations. These two pics show the old stone building and how it was incorporated into the new:

There's loads of bike parking space outside:

From Haymarket turn right past historic Ryrie's Bar (interesting reading about its past here) and a huge construction site gradually shutting away the sky. Walk a short way along Dalry Road past an excellent Shelter shop then turn left up pedestrianised Dalry Place past the house where I spend the first two years of my life:

At the top of Dalry Place turn right and curve round with Morrison Crescent until you reach the lights taking you safely across the nasty Western Approach Road:

A good bit of urban tree planting as you walk straight ahead along McEwan Square (though more tall buildings have recently stolen the sky) but sadly sadly a lot of these are ash trees and last year were looking pretty unwell:

Cross Fountainbridge / Dundee Street (turning right takes you to cinema and bowling) and walk uphill up Gilmore Park. Edinburgh Printmakers is on your right with a great cafe and print Viewing Rooms:

The Canal

At the top of Gilmore Park is the Union Canal and the historic Leamington Lift Bridge:

And an info board about the area's canal, coal, rubber and breweries:

From here it's easy - turn right and walk along the Union Canal westwards for two miles until you reach the Slateford aqueduct.

On the way there's all this to enjoy:

first glimpse of the Pentland Hills

Harrison Park looks a great one with open space, tree planting, dog-free playparks and community events

A lot of watersports take place along this stretch:

And so many back gardens to enjoy!

A Cormorant was looking for fish just here:

canal crossing railway

If you're out of time you can at this point leave the canal and walk a short way to Slateford station.
Trains from Slateford run only hourly.

But you'd miss some more great gardens (and Wood pigeons):

Wood pigeon

And Goldfinches bathing:

And some extremely good beeches (the best type of tree):

And the Slateford Aqueduct:

Once you've walked over the aqueduct and back (of course you must) head down these steps to the Water of Leith:

Note the trough on the right for wheeling bikes up and down. If only all steps were this thoughtful.

The River

You're on the Water of Leith now!

Turn left for the Water of Leith Visitor Centre and the rest of our walk to Redhall Walled Garden:

The Water of Leith Visitor Centre is a lovely, small, free to enter centre with cafe, toilets, info to read, hands-on displays for the little and big ones, local books to buy.

Very useful map of the whole Water of Leith walkway from Balerno to Leith. Only £1.

and an audio trail - www.waterofleith.org.uk/audio-trail/

Here's how to donate to the work of the Water of Leith Conservation Trust:

www.waterofleith.org.uk/donate

Leave the Visitor Centre and cross your second really not nice road, Lanark Road, at the lights. The Water of Leith walkway continues just to the left of the lights.

Here on the ground twists a silver trail:

An intriguing woven enclosure, not yet finished, no gap for an entrance.

well-trodden path

There are various paths. To find a grotto stick to the low one.

To find where a Dipper once was look for little white patches on stones in the river:

Or maybe it was a Grey wagtail.

This is the bridge which takes you over the water to Redhall:

The yellow flowers of Lesser celandine are really beautiful but it's their leaves I love most of all.

I made time to sketch. No Kingfisher came, and no Dipper.

Sketch and picnic lunch over, back to the walk. You've crossed the bridge, now turn left and walk with river on your left and red wall of Redhall on your right. Under that gateway:

Here's Redhall Walled Garden where I am currently running art sessions.

Redhall Walled Garden is "a therapeutic horticultural project for SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) based in a beautiful walled garden.

The project works to improve... mental health and wellbeing through gardening and a variety of outdoor tasks... a supportive environment for learning skills in IT, horticulture, being more active, spending time in nature and working alongside others."

Learn more here - ithriveedinburgh.org.uk/services/redhall-walled-garden-samh

Visitors are welcome at Redhall Walled Garden, 9am-4pm Monday to Friday.

The garden is not open at weekends.

The inside of the garden will be the subject of my next Scotland By Rail blog post.

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Getting back to the centre of Edinburgh:

- walk back to Haymarket the way you came.

- walk to Slateford or Kingsknowe station, each about a 15 minute walk from the walled garden. Trains from these stations are usually hourly - check your journey in advance on ScotRail website or app - www.scotrail.co.uk

- get one of various buses from previously mentioned not nice road, Lanark Road

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Thank you for reading my Scotland By Rail blog. Please share with anyone who might be interested and let me know if there are any railway days out you recommend me to try.

Monday, 17 January 2022

Scotland By Rail - Charles Rennie Macintosh's Hill House, Helensburgh

The Hill House, boxed
acrylic, 15x21cm

This is The Hill House in Helensburgh, designed outside and in by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald in the first few years of the 20th Century. Nearly 120 years later the building is decaying badly thanks to Mackintosh's experimental modern designs and materials not being very compatible with a wet Scottish west coast climate.

Past National Trust for Scotland President Neil Oliver described The Hill House as "dissolving like an aspirin in a glass of water"

The decision was made to cover the entire house in a protective cocoon to slow the decay by allowing the building to dry out. The cocoon isn't necessarily a long-term solution (though it might be) but it buys time to investigate all options. One idea discussed is to keep the house boxed forever. That's where my vote goes, it's an incredible structure offering a unique opportunity to view the outside and rooftops of the house. High walkways have been built within the shelter of the cocoon meaning visitors can now explore not only the inside of The Hill House but also all around its exterior including walking right over the roof.

Getting to Helensburgh by rail is easy. A lovely journey from Glasgow Queen Street along the banks of the Clyde. Look out for sunken ships, liners at anchor across the water in Greenock, glimpses of Dumbarton Rock with its Historic Environment Scotland castle (the subject of a previous Scotland By Rail post here). Trains are half hourly from Queen Street and the journey takes just over 40 minutes. Helensburgh Central is the end of the line. The walk from Helensburgh Central is an uphill mile and takes about 25 minutes, or longer if you stop to explore, which you should.

You can make the walk much shorter by getting a different train from Queen Street and getting off at Helensburgh Upper station instead. From there the walk is only 10 minutes, still uphill. Helensburgh Upper is on a different line, the West Highland Line (previous blog post here), with far fewer trains, just five a day from Glasgow Queen Street.

Helensburgh Central station

Helensburgh Central station, looking east

From Helensburgh Central Station step out onto East Princes Street then turn right to head west straight along West Princes Street for one block to reach Colquhoun Square.

Helensburgh has lots of independent shops including a zero-waste refill shop and a greengrocer, both of which you'll pass before you reach the square.

Rossdhu Refills

Nature's Harvest greengrocer

Take time before or after visiting The Hill House to explore the shopping streets, mostly this one you're already on and down along the shore on West Clyde Street, and the streets joining the two such as Sinclair Street. I'll make Helensburgh shore the subject of a future blog post.

You have now reached Colquhoun Square.

I really really like it here. Low granite plinths are placed all along the road edges and gradually are being adorned with sculptures, artefacts and engraved words relating to the town and surrounding area.

shipwrecked sugar boat

Hermitage School pupils made these sculptures in tribute to John Muir.
Down at the shore a sculpture marks the beginning (or end) of The John Muir Way)

1920s 'Gareloch' racing yachts

Special Old Scotch Ginger Beer!

The Lions Club

Reid's Waters

Read more about The Outdoor Museum here. If any other towns have public art as interesting and informative and inspired as this I'd love to hear.

Once you're finished take the road heading uphill from the middle of the square - Colquhoun Street. Walk up to its very top enjoying quiet streets, beautiful houses, large and well vegetated gardens, grass pavements (really) and lots and lots of street trees including many recently planted - see Helensburgh Tree Conservation Trust.

At the top of Colquhoun Street you are interrupted by a cutting containing the West Highland Line and Helensburgh Upper station.

top of Colquhoun Street. Turn right along West Rossdhu Drive here

Turn right along West Rossdhu Drive then left to pass over the station with its single track rails, very unusual covered walkway and decorative carved fence tops.