Valley of a thousand dogs
Date walked: 14/05/2023
Time taken: 2.5 hours
Distance: 7.5km
If you take the water of Leith walkway on a weekend, you feel very underdressed without one or preferably more dogs in tow hence my nickname I make this trip at least once a week, returning via Torphin, Torduff, Bonaly or Dreghorn, and to pass the time I count the number of dogs I encounter - 47 is the record so far. (edit Dec 23 55)
The Water of Leith Trust was formed in 1988 to clear up what I think was a tip, and to maintain it thereafter, and a great job they do too.
The water of Leith Walkway starts from the canal and continues to Balerno and on to Kirk Newton, and basically follows an old railway line: it is currently being resurfaced with a rubbery compound which is very pleasant to walk on - much nicer than tarmac.
At this time in May with the trees coming into leaf giving a mass of different shades of green, a host of wild flowers and a pervading smell of the ubiqitous wild garlic it is particularly entrancing.
I have put together a number of pictures mostly in upstream order : I feel they probably don't really do justice to the scenery - but here they are:-
At the start where the valley is wider, the Walkway is someway from the river, but there are numerous paths that lead down to it .
And a number of "meadow" areas. One of the large trees here had a notice saying " I eat carbon dioxide for breakfast" which I rather liked - but it has now been removed
This footbridge has been out of action for some ime, but is now being renovated
The road bridge by Colinton Church: the "famous" artwork tunnel goes underneath.
Just beyond is the entrance to Spylaw Park, and from here to Currie the dell is much narrower and the walkway goes right beside the water - crossing it a number of times.,
The Southern Bypass croses this high bridge
A weir - just beyond is Juniper Green
An underground inflow enters here - I suspect the stream at Bonaly which vanishes a short way below the car park
Corn Marigold I think and Bluebells. I thought at first the former was a garden escapee - but I saw it at a number of places. These bluebells I don't think are "wild"
Honesty - white and pink varieties
Wild garlic and Horse chestnut blossom
When I was a boy, woods like these would have been a mass of small songbirds at this time of year: chiffchaffs, willow warblers, blackcaps, whitethroats, flycatchers, tits, and finches . Alas no more There are magpies, woodpigeons and rooks. I saw a solitary grey wagtail flitting among the stones, and a heron - neither of which stayed to be photographed, but a dipper was darting around where the foortbridge crosses the stream leadingup to Woodhall road and Torphin
dipper
Red Campion, Carraway
Cowslip Cowwheat of some variety I think
At Currie the river turns away from the Walkway and you pass some houses
After a few hundred metres I turned left up a path signposted "Pentland Hills", and climbed up beside a small tributary that originates in Poet's Glen. Steps lead up to the road which I followed for a hundred metres or so to the entrance to the glen on the L
Hedgerow flowers - Speedwell and Crosswort
The entrance to Poet's Glen: the path a couple of metres to the right is much nicer to walk on
Stitchwort and Hawthorn blossom
The pond in the glen from the bridge over the burn
A fine clump of Marsh Marigolds
The carpet of Bluebells here are definitely wild
At the top of the glen I headed Left through the farmyard at Easter Kinleith and up the hill past a fine row of beech trees
Beyond the gate, the hillside is a mass of gorse - as is the whole area around Torduff. The coconut smell is quite intoxicating
A particularly fine bush
Maybe my favourite tree - Currie behind
Mapof walk
The Water of Leith Trust was formed in 1988 to clear up what I think was a tip, and to maintain it thereafter, and a great job they do too.
The water of Leith Walkway starts from the canal and continues to Balerno and on to Kirk Newton, and basically follows an old railway line: it is currently being resurfaced with a rubbery compound which is very pleasant to walk on - much nicer than tarmac.
At this time in May with the trees coming into leaf giving a mass of different shades of green, a host of wild flowers and a pervading smell of the ubiqitous wild garlic it is particularly entrancing.
I have put together a number of pictures mostly in upstream order : I feel they probably don't really do justice to the scenery - but here they are:-
At the start where the valley is wider, the Walkway is someway from the river, but there are numerous paths that lead down to it .
And a number of "meadow" areas. One of the large trees here had a notice saying " I eat carbon dioxide for breakfast" which I rather liked - but it has now been removed
This footbridge has been out of action for some ime, but is now being renovated
The road bridge by Colinton Church: the "famous" artwork tunnel goes underneath.
Just beyond is the entrance to Spylaw Park, and from here to Currie the dell is much narrower and the walkway goes right beside the water - crossing it a number of times.,
The Southern Bypass croses this high bridge
A weir - just beyond is Juniper Green
An underground inflow enters here - I suspect the stream at Bonaly which vanishes a short way below the car park
Corn Marigold I think and Bluebells. I thought at first the former was a garden escapee - but I saw it at a number of places. These bluebells I don't think are "wild"
Honesty - white and pink varieties
Wild garlic and Horse chestnut blossom
When I was a boy, woods like these would have been a mass of small songbirds at this time of year: chiffchaffs, willow warblers, blackcaps, whitethroats, flycatchers, tits, and finches . Alas no more There are magpies, woodpigeons and rooks. I saw a solitary grey wagtail flitting among the stones, and a heron - neither of which stayed to be photographed, but a dipper was darting around where the foortbridge crosses the stream leadingup to Woodhall road and Torphin
dipper
Red Campion, Carraway
Cowslip Cowwheat of some variety I think
At Currie the river turns away from the Walkway and you pass some houses
After a few hundred metres I turned left up a path signposted "Pentland Hills", and climbed up beside a small tributary that originates in Poet's Glen. Steps lead up to the road which I followed for a hundred metres or so to the entrance to the glen on the L
Hedgerow flowers - Speedwell and Crosswort
The entrance to Poet's Glen: the path a couple of metres to the right is much nicer to walk on
Stitchwort and Hawthorn blossom
The pond in the glen from the bridge over the burn
A fine clump of Marsh Marigolds
The carpet of Bluebells here are definitely wild
At the top of the glen I headed Left through the farmyard at Easter Kinleith and up the hill past a fine row of beech trees
Beyond the gate, the hillside is a mass of gorse - as is the whole area around Torduff. The coconut smell is quite intoxicating
A particularly fine bush
Maybe my favourite tree - Currie behind
Mapof walk
Click to mark this as a great report. Register or Login free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Comments: 5
A tour of Switzerland and Italy
Date walked: 23/01/2023Comments: 3
Views: 1690
The Bore Stane - a circuit
Sub 2000s: East Cairn HillDate walked: 12/11/2022
Views: 741
East and West Cairn hill
Sub 2000s: East Cairn HillDate walked: 06/07/2022
Distance: 12.6km
Ascent: 440m
Comments: 4
Views: 1463
Preshal Beg and the Coral beaches
Date walked: 04/06/2022Distance: 8.8km
Ascent: 540m
Comments: 3
Views: 3257
Sgurr na Stri
Sub 2000s: Sgùrr na StrìDate walked: 02/06/2022
Distance: 14.5km
Ascent: 879m
Comments: 3
Views: 2168
The Quiraing and the Old Man of Storr
Date walked: 31/05/2022Views: 1132
The FOF in Torridon
Corbetts: Beinn Damh, Sgùrr a' ChaorachainDate walked: 26/05/2022
Comments: 1
Views: 1193
Orton Scar - A wild walk in tame surroundings
Date walked: 09/05/2022Distance: 14.3km
Ascent: 400m
Comments: 1
Views: 1227
Hare Black and Bell's
Sub 2000s: Black Hill (Pentlands)Date walked: 01/05/2022
Distance: 15.9km
Ascent: 684m
Views: 975
-
past my sell by date
- Activity: Mountaineer
- Mountain: Weisshorn
- Place: Torridon
- Member: FRCC, John Muir Trust, Woodland Trust, Border Forest Trust
- Camera: Lumix G6
- Ideal day out: remote mountain where i'm unlikely to meet many people
- Munros: 282
- Tops: 110
- Corbetts: 86
- Fionas: 27
- Donalds: 6
- Wainwrights: 159
- Hewitts: 146
- Sub 2000: 8
- Islands: 5
- Filter reports
- Trips: 2
- Distance: 7.5 km
- Trips: 9
- Distance: 82.6 km
- Ascent: 3843m
- Corbetts: 2
- Sub2000s: 5
- Trips: 5
- Distance: 50.8 km
- Ascent: 3305m
- Munros: 1
- Corbetts: 1
- Sub2000s: 2
- Trips: 9
- Distance: 80.2 km
- Ascent: 3536m
- Munros: 1
- Fionas: 2
- Trips: 10
- Distance: 91.8 km
- Ascent: 7166m
- Munros: 2
- Corbetts: 4
- Trips: 11
- Distance: 39.3 km
- Ascent: 2088m
- Munros: 1
- Corbetts: 2
- Fionas: 1
- Trips: 13
- Distance: 39.75 km
- Ascent: 3366m
- Munros: 1
- Corbetts: 2
- Trips: 15
- Distance: 210.95 km
- Ascent: 11849m
- Munros: 3
- Corbetts: 8
- Fionas: 5
- Trips: 21
- Distance: 143.9 km
- Ascent: 10590m
- Munros: 1
- Corbetts: 7
- Fionas: 8
- Donalds: 1
- Trips: 6
- Distance: 80.6 km
- Ascent: 5180m
- Munros: 2
- Corbetts: 6
- Fionas: 1
- Trips: 5
- Distance: 42.9 km
- Ascent: 3887m
- Munros: 3
- Corbetts: 2
- Fionas: 2
- Trips: 1
- Trips: 4
- Distance: 32 km
- Ascent: 2397m
- Corbetts: 1
- Trips: 2
- Trips: 6
- Trips: 5
- Trips: 2
- Trips: 5
- Ascent: 3900m
- Trips: 3
- Trips: 3
- Trips: 13
- Distance: 107 km
- Ascent: 2586m
- Trips: 11
- Trips: 8
- Trips: 8
- Trips: 4
- Distance: 35.7 km
- Ascent: 1768m
- Munros: 2
- Trips: 1
- Distance: 36 km
- Ascent: 1760m
- Munros: 4
- Trips: 2
- Distance: 41.35 km
- Ascent: 3622m
- Munros: 7
- Trips: 1
- Distance: 70 km
- Ascent: 3700m
- Munros: 8
- Trips: 2
- Distance: 29 km
- Ascent: 2548m
- Munros: 3
- Trips: 3
- Distance: 43.1 km
- Ascent: 3739m
- Munros: 7
- Trips: 2
- Distance: 47.5 km
- Ascent: 3050m
- Munros: 4
- Trips: 1
- Munros: 2
- Trips: 2
- Distance: 16.5 km
- Ascent: 1108m
- Munros: 4
- Trips: 3
- Distance: 48.5 km
- Ascent: 3780m
- Munros: 9
- Trips: 1
- Munros: 2
- Trips: 1
- Distance: 29 km
- Ascent: 1230m
- Munros: 1
- Trips: 1
- Distance: 7.3 km
- Ascent: 962m
- Corbetts: 1
- Trips: 1
- Trips: 1
- Trips: 1
- Munros: 3
- Joined: Apr 24, 2013
- Last visited: Apr 21, 2024
- Total posts: 1069 | Search posts