A short distance long distance walk

[nigheandonn]

I set out on Sunday to walk a short local section of the John Muir Way - I thought it would be interesting, because it linked several places that I go to by routes that I never quite use, and it was, but it also had the unexpected effect of making me look at my local area in the way that I would look at any other town I found myself walking through, which was more interesting still.

I picked up the route on Clermiston Road, first meeting signs for the cyclists' version. I have walked all the stretch over Corstorphine Hill in some combination, but I don't think I've ever done it in one go - something for another time.

Cyclists' route

My starting point this time was the walled garden just above the road - I've visited it quite a few times in the last few weeks, but didn't hang around today.

Walled garden

From here the route follows a path which runs parallel to the road on the other side of a broad strip of grass - it's always quite busy here at the moment (and maybe it always is, because it's a good stretch for small cyclists and so on).

Parallel path

On the other side of a fence a monster was lurking.

A monster

I had a vague idea that I had to turn off left at some point, but whenever I found a sign attached to a lamppost it told me to go straight on. This was less familiar territory, and although it's nearly all modern estates up here (the inside out kind with paths in front and roads at the back), there were occasional houses which looked older, and might be survivals from when the hill was just a hill.

East Lodges

In the end I didn't have to turn the corner until I reached the main road down towards Drumbrae, and then almost immediately turned off it again, back into places where I never quite go. Here they have an odd spire apparently without a church, which would certainly have caught my eye if I'd seen it in any other town. (Apparently it's the only Scottish church designed by Sir Basil Spence, who has designed quite a lot of other ugly buildings elsewhere.)

Odd church spire

I was curving downhill quite steeply, down roads with a surprisingly vivid view over to Fife, which I kind of envied them (it didn't show up as well in the photos, apart from the dusty smudges in the camera)

Over to Fife

It got a bit confusing here, between the curves and an apparent lack of waymarkers - I thought I might have figured out which way to go, then saw that it was marked as a cul-de-sac and thought I must be wrong, but it turned out that it was only a dead end for cars, and brought me out onto Queensferry Road where I wanted to be.

Not quite a dead end

On the far side of the road I was onto a broad path through trees, which for some reason reminded me quite strongly of walking into Saltburn on the Cleveland Way three springs ago. As well as the trees there were flowers out on the slopes - celandines and a scattering of primroses.

Through the woods

The woods opened out to Davidson's Mains park, with board telling about its history as the grounds of the local big house, which some of the big trees date back to.

Davidson's Mains park

The other side of the road I was into a curving street of houses again, but very different kinds from the ones on the hill - posh and often quite peculiar. I did quite like this fancy gate, although I wasn't sure I exactly approved of it!

Fancy gate

Although the day was supposed to be warm, it really hadn't been, and I'd gone out fairly well wrapped up - at this point it finally decided to warm up after all, so that I regretted it.

Eventually the road ran out, and a variety of barriers marked where it turned back into a path again.

Barriers

The path ran along skirting a very well protected golf course - no less than seven strands of barbed wire!

Well protected

Beyond that was a very narrow stretch, with a high wall on one side - fortunately I didn't really meet anyone until I was nearly at the other end, where it got a bit wider again.

Narrow path

There was still golf course on the other side - protected by hedge, but a very pleasant view. It's always amazing how much open space is squeezed into Edinburgh - it doesn't seem to show when you just go along streets of houses, but it's hiding there beyond.

A glimpse of green

There were a lot more fancy houses on the other side, and then I crossed another main road and came out onto the little road leading down to Cramond Bridge - I hadn't been sure about doing this last stretch, as it made the route back less obvious, but I couldn't resist it in the end. The bit down by the bridge was reasonably familiar territory again, although I usually arrive there from Cammo - I've walked past this sign about Walter Scott's 'Pet Marjorie' before.

Pet Marjorie

The area around the bridge is another tiny cluster of older buildings squeezed among the new, as the road dodges round them.

Cramond Bridge cottages

I finished my stretch of path at the old bridge - there's a modern traffic bridge towering somewhere up in the trees behind, but it's so far above that it feels quite separate.

Cramond Bridge

I meant to retrace my steps back up to Whitehouse Road, but instead I was led astray by a little climbing path up by the back of a building, so took a rather unexpected route back to Barnton junction - but I found it. And so home.

[RiverSong]

Very nice, always enjoy seeing a local area through someone else's eyes. Sounds like you got a bit lost coming off Corstorphine Hill. If you keep on the hill path instead of coming off at Clermiston, you can walk through the woods to the exit directly onto Queensferry Road, then just cross the road to get into Davidsons Mains Park. Avoids the built-up areas

[nigheandonn]

I've been just about everywhere else on Corstorphine Hill, but not right down to Queensferry Road yet. I was religiously following the John Muir Way markers, though - presumably they have a reason for not sticking to the hill!