Scotland By Rail - Edinburgh Gateway, Edinburgh Park sculpture & nature, Union Canal to Wester Hailes & WHALE Arts Agency

goosander, Edinburgh Park, pastel, 24x30cm

Leo du Feu

Community Rail Champion

A walk from Edinburgh Gateway station, alongside the trams, past the Gyle, through Edinburgh Park business parky sculpture parky area, past Edinburgh Park station, along the Union Canal to WHALE Arts Agency in Wester Hailes.

As I've talked about before, wherever possible I try to work nature and walking into my day.

Because, well, nature, you know, it's great. 

And because I'm not a gym person.

Though I can do about 8 push-ups. Maybe 10 on a good day. 

Though that implies I do them every day.

Walking is my exercise. 

So when I was asked to stand in running an art session at WHALE Arts Agency I knew that although I could get the train to Haymarket then change onto another one out to Wester Hailes station I would much rather get a bit of a walk in.

So I got off at Edinburgh Gateway and had a very happy time walking my route, looking at the sculptures and plantings and wildlife of Edinburgh Park (the area, not the station), coffee and twenty minutes reading my book near Edinburgh Park (the station, not the area), enjoying the canal and hoping hoping to see an otter there as I did last time. I didn't this time.

Then two hours of lovely chat while painting birds with palette knife and acrylic at WHALE.

Then the walk back to Edinburgh Gateway, getting a bit of shopping done along the way.

Here's the walk.

tramlines seen from Edinburgh Gateway station

concrete sculpture & poetry @ Edinburgh Gateway station.
the grassy areas around here are brilliant wildflower meadows in summer.

sculpture and tram stop, The Gyle

through Edinburgh Park area the trams run off-road across lush green turf

Edinburgh Park is a place of offices - and water, reedbeds, trees, public art. A really inspiring area. Everywhere be planned so thoughtfully, bringing people into such close contact with nature.

poets' walk. Norman MacCaig

poets' walk. Naomi Mitchison.
In this photo there are also five waterbirds from four different species

male goosander, pastel, 24x30cm

Also:

female goosander

mallard

moorhen

black-headed gull

I love these tall tactile ceramic sculptures 

Paolozzi

Vulcan
Sir Eduardo Paolozzi
1999

trees, hedges, grasses, everywhere.
Everywhere should and could be like this

On the right, poles and metal cabling designed specifically to allow climbing plants to wind their way up and form a green screen. 

Edinburgh Park future plans

spot the grey wagtail.
Hint, grey wagtails are bright yellow underneath

Under the railway by Edinburgh Park station (you can also go up and over the railway via steps and bridge in the station

five minute walk uphill then onto the Union Canal

This feels like childhood. I grew up by the canal so I always love being back on one.

nature-painted shipping containers by the canal
edartfestcommunityengagement.com/wester-hailes-canal-connections

At exactly this spot, a year or few ago, I saw an otter.

I spotted bubbles in the canal.
I walked fast to the edge and stood at the very front of what you see in this photo.
The bubbles came right up to me and at the same moment that something about the bubble trail and swirling of mud made me think "otter..?..!", an otter head popped out of the water a foot from my foot.
It got a very great shock and splashed straight back in.
Gone.

This time I saw no otter.

3 bullfinches in this photo - two rusty red males & one female the same colour as most of the photo.

And a hanging poo bag, that obligatory decoration on shrubs and trees all across Scotland.

can you spot them?

off the canal and across the bridge for the last few minutes to WHALE

you can get here by bus too

WHALE Arts Agency

then avian acrylics with palette knife,
a lovely session for Art in Healthcare's Room For Art social prescribing project

gull

great tit, male (females have a much narrower black vertical chest stripe

brimstone butterfly on lavender

robin

puffin

And back onto the canal

www.edinburghpark.com

www.whalearts.co.uk

www.artinhealthcare.org.uk

-------------------------------------

Edinburgh Gateway and Edinburgh Park stations are both in Edinburgh and trains are frequent.

Check before your journey at - www.scotrail.co.uk

Thank you for reading my Scotland By Rail blog.

Spread the word and let me know about your own favourite railway days out.

Leo du Feu

ScotRail Community Rail Champion

March 2023

#ScotlandByRail on facebook, instagram, twitter

Scotland By Rail - Stirling Castle

An icy afternoon visiting Stirling Castle.

Leaving coastal Burntisland where our snow of several days ago had melted within hours of falling, I forgot to think that more elevated, non-coastal Stirling might still have some. As got off the train onto crunching platforms our five year old was delighted - as was I! We love snow and ice in our family. Winter is meant to be cold. It makes the world seem so fresh.

Leo du Feu

Community Rail Champion

We skated our way up the steep and picturesque old streets to the castle, me enjoying being back in this place we explored often as children. I pushed and pulled the baby and buggy and thought what a good toboggan the buggy might make on the way down. Oren made the most of every treacherous patch of iced over snow we came to.

The lovely little park sandwiched between Spittal Street, Baker Street and Bank Street (can you have a sandwich with three slices??) half way up the hill was looking especially beautiful, a great arena to play in.

Quite.

Reaching the top the Ochil Hills looked stunning with their snow tops, Wallace Monument dark in front of them. Oren found lots of snow mountains to climb in the car park while I looked down freezingly at that rather wonderful Old Town Cemetery and wondered how it can be that children don't feel the cold.

- www.oldtowncemetery.co.uk/stones/the-star-pyramid/

I made this pastel piece in my studio a few days later.

Inside the castle we explored and played. As dusk fell the Great Hall looked stunning from the outside and stunning from the inside, Christmas tree in place and stage all set up for a performance of A Christmas Carol with a very nice wintery snowy scene.

In the Royal chambers a French courtier - dressed for the part and holding her needlework - pointed out some of the eleven unicorns in and around the Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries. The tapestries took years to weave and cost £2 million. I remember watching them gradually taking shape on visits to the castle when I was much younger. 

The costumed courtier brought alive for us what it would have been like to visit this room for an audience with the Queen. We'd know we were really important if the Queen invited us next door, past her guards, for a private hearing in her bedchamber, at the desk beside the four poster bed - where she probably didn't actually sleep.

In the vaults we played with musical instruments, interactive screens, a court jester. Learned about where pigments and dyes came from in the 1500s...

Views from the castle down to the Queen's Knot and King's Knot

Stirling Castle is a great day out. Entrance is free to Historic Scotland members. Booking is recommended but not always necessary.

www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/stirling-castle

Trains to Stirling are three an hour from Edinburgh, journey time 40-50 minutes. Even more frequent from Glasgow Queen Street and journey time of only around half an hour.

Check before your journey at - www.scotrail.co.uk

Thank you for reading my Scotland By Rail blog.

Spread the word and let me know about your own favourite railway days out.

Leo du Feu

ScotRail Community Rail Champion

December 2022

#ScotlandByRail on social media