walkhighlands

Read other users walk reports for the long distance trails - and add your own.

NB. This board is for reports on multi-day long distance routes - reports on simply long walks should be added to the standard boards.
Warning Please note that hillwalking when there is snow lying requires an ice-axe, crampons and the knowledge, experience and skill to use them correctly. Summer routes may not be viable or appropriate in winter. See winter information on our skills and safety pages for more information.

Duddingston and the Innocent Railway

Duddingston and the Innocent Railway


Postby nigheandonn » Wed Nov 25, 2020 9:48 pm

Route description: John Muir Way

Date walked: 19/11/2020

3 people think this report is great.
Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).

I was tired of having nothing to write up, so I decided to set out for one last little stretch of the John Muir Way, beyond where I'd picked up the new stretch where it meets the canal, earlier in the year.

I've generally been walking west, even if not in order, so to pick up the JMW at Duddingston my plan was to go over what looked like more or less like the middle of Arthurs Seat - right down to the bottom of the oddly quiet High Street and past the parliament into the park, and onto the path behind Long Row.

IMG_6162.JPG
Long Row and Arthur's Seat

I climbed up to St Anthony's Chapel to eat my lunch - scenic in the sunshine. Crows and magpies gathered round on the rocks, but did nothing worse than stare at me.

IMG_6164.JPG
St Anthony's chapel

From the path through to Dunsapie Loch the summit of the hill stands above quite an impressive corrie - I don't think I'd ever been round this side of the hill until fairly recently, as I tend to go round or over the Crags if heading for Holyrood.

IMG_6171.JPG
The corrie

Once I was over the high point of the path the oddly shaped little Dunsapie was in view below, and beyond it the East Lothian coast stretched out in the sunshine.

IMG_6172.JPG
Dunsapie

The little loch was very pretty, but not so pretty that people would be standing staring at it.

IMG_6175.JPG
Dunsapie Loch

It turned out they had a reason, however, as an otter was doing a kind of vanishing and reappearing trick all over the loch.

IMG_6176.JPG
Vanishing otter

From here a path led down past some lovely autumnal trees to reach the road just by Duddingston Loch.

IMG_6180.JPG
Autumn trees

It was also lovely - not at all a city view, with the Pentlands rising beyond - but the sun was so directly behind it that it didn't photograph very well. It was definitely a winter afternoon by now - not bitterly cold, but with the low slanting sun.

IMG_6184.JPG
Duddingston Loch

My way on was really straight down the road beside the loch, but I took a detour first into Duddingston village, where I couldn't remember being before - because of where it sits behind the hill it has stayed more neatly tucked together than most of Edinburgh's old villages, with two streets of old houses, a very old pub, and a medieval church made of the kind of stone which glows warmly in the sunshine.

IMG_6194.JPG
Duddingston Kirk

The road skirts round past the modern school, and a nature reserve which was locked up, and the pavement ran out at a very sharp bend where it wasn't all that easy to get to the other side.

Further down this road I finally joined the John Muir Way, although to be honest most of the day's excitement was over by then. The path here is the old Innocent Railway, which linked Dalkeith and Edinburgh with horse-drawn wagons - innocent probably just because it was rather unsophisticated by later standards, although I like the alternative explanation that it was because they never issued tickets to passengers (explaining that it was because the passengers often hadn't made up their minds where they were going).

IMG_6200.JPG
Innocent Railway

There's also the remains of an interesting old bridge here, where the track crosses a burn.

IMG_6201.JPG
Cast iron bridge

But although this stretch looks quite scenic on the map, between Duddingston Loch and the Prestonfield golf course, on the ground the path ran between a hedge and a high wall which blocked out the sun, with only the steep slopes of Arthur's Seat for a view.

IMG_6209.JPG
The back of the hill

Eventually there were some little ponds on the left, and the main path vanished into a long tunnel instead - the JMW obviously didn't, as its little picture was missing from the signpost, but there seemed to be nothing to say whether it climbed the steps beside the tunnel or took a gentler path over to the left. I went for the steps, which I think was wrong, but they turned out to join up again quite quickly.

IMG_6210.JPG
Tunnel

I was back on the path parallel to the Holyrood Park road now, leaving Arthur's Seat behind and looking to the Crags ahead.

IMG_6214.JPG
Salisbury Crags

The route led out of the park by the road, and past Pollock and the Commonwealth Pool to the main road, and on again to the junction at the Meadows - nothing very exotic there, and the path then kept to the worst bit of the Meadows, tucked between the houses and the busy road.

IMG_6215.JPG
Squeezed in

Brunstfield Links was better - more space and fewer cars, and the old 'short hole' golf course laid out to the right, and even two golfers playing on it.

IMG_6221.JPG
Golfers

The other half of the Links looked peaceful and autumnal, with families and others strolling about.

IMG_6223.JPG
Autumn on the Links

From there it was straight downhill to the canal, and through the last narrow street on the other side of Gilmore Place to the Leamington Lift bridge. This is where I joined the John Muir Way on my walk along the canal earlier in the year, so it was where I could leave it again and take the most direct route home.

IMG_6225.JPG
Back at the canal

A nice day, with the hill and Duddingston, but I have to say not the most interesting stretch of the John Muir Way. Hopefully at some future point I can combine the missing bit between Fisherrow and Duddingston with a trip to Newhailes.
User avatar
nigheandonn
Wanderer
 
Posts: 1663
Munros:19   Corbetts:9
Fionas:7   Donalds:26+10
Sub 2000:64   Hewitts:133
Wainwrights:214   Islands:34
Joined: Jul 7, 2011
Location: Edinburgh

Re: Duddingston and the Innocent Railway

Postby jmarkb » Thu Nov 26, 2020 10:53 am

nigheandonn wrote:Hopefully at some future point I can combine the missing bit between Fisherrow and Duddingston with a trip to Newhailes.


Don't get your hopes up too high - we did this bit out of boredom/curiosity during Lockdown 1.0. Bingham is really not the most scenic part of Edinburgh and The Jewel is rather ironically named! It improves a bit along the burn beyond Brunstane Station but nothing special.
User avatar
jmarkb
Mountaineer
 
Posts: 5857
Munros:246   Corbetts:105
Fionas:91   Donalds:32
Sub 2000:46   
Joined: Oct 28, 2011
Location: Edinburgh

Re: Duddingston and the Innocent Railway

Postby nigheandonn » Thu Nov 26, 2020 11:57 am

My expectations aren't very high :lol: But I walked the old JMW to its end at Fisherrow, so I feel like I should.

I've done odds and ends out to the west, as well, because the JMW keeps joining the canal for a bit and leaving it for a bit. Plenty of retracing my steps if I ever set out to finish the whole thing - not that I would really mind seeing the canals again.
User avatar
nigheandonn
Wanderer
 
Posts: 1663
Munros:19   Corbetts:9
Fionas:7   Donalds:26+10
Sub 2000:64   Hewitts:133
Wainwrights:214   Islands:34
Joined: Jul 7, 2011
Location: Edinburgh

Re: Duddingston and the Innocent Railway

Postby RML12 » Tue Jan 05, 2021 11:56 am

Happy memories! I got to Campsie going west on the John Muir Way then lockdown 2 happened. Can't wait to complete the final sections.
RML12
Mountaineer
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Jan 22, 2017

3 people think this report is great.
Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).




Can you help support Walkhighlands?


Our forum is free from adverts - your generosity keeps it running.
Can you help support Walkhighlands and this community by donating by direct debit?



Return to Walk reports - Long Distance routes

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: SuperMillie and 6 guests