Day 94: South Queensferry, West Lothian to Edinburgh Castle, Midlothian

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021

8th April 2021: 38.11km walked taking us to the end of the walk of 8868km. 5.45% of 81 entries submitting 698.21km.

Today we finish our walk after travelling 8868km around Scotland. In that time between us we have walked 99,752.76km. What a wonderful total. Congratulations everyone.

Today’s walk takes us through South Queensferry and the Dalmeny Estate before visiting Cramond and then walking back into Edinburgh along the Water of Leith finishing on Edinburgh Castle esplanade.

Route 24: Glasgow to Edinburgh

Before reaching South Queensferry, we pass back under the southern end of the Queensferry Crossing before passing above Port Edgar, which started operating as a fishing and ferry harbour in 1810. It was commissioned as HMS Columbine in 1916, when the Admiralty acquired it as a base for destroyers and then it closed, becoming a holiday camp for unemployed families from Edinburgh and Glasgow. At the start of World War 2, it was recommissioned as HMS Lochinvar where minesweepers were based. It continued as a minesweeping training centre until 1975 and, in 1978, it was developed into a marina and sailing school.

To the south of us is Dundas Castle, which was home to the Dundas family. It is a 15th century castle but with substantial alterations made by the architect, William Burn in 1818. The cost of the changes though meant that the Dundas family were forced to sell the castle and estate in the late 19th century and it eventually ended up being owned by Stewart Clark. His son took the double-barrelled surname ‘Stewart-Clark’ in honour of his father and he was made a Baronet in 1918. During World War 2, Dundas Castle served as the headquarters for protecting the Forth Bridge. The castle is still owned by the Stewart-Clarks and, after being restored in 1995, it is now a wedding venue.

After passing under the Forth Road Bridge, we turn left heading into the centre of South Queensferry, or just Queensferry, named after Queen Margaret, when she started a ferry service in the 11th century, as we found out when we passed North Queensferry across the River Forth. Just before we enter the cobbled High Street, we pass the oldest building in South Queensferry, St Mary’s Church, also called the Priory Church. This was built in the mid-15th century for the Carmelite Order, before serving as the parish church in the 16th and 17th centuries. It fell into disrepair before being restored and taken over by the Scottish Episcopal Church in 1890. It is now the only medieval Carmelite church still in use in Britain.

As we enter the cobbled High Street, we pass the tolbooth which was built at the end of the 16th century and probably served as a jail before becoming the town hall in the 19th century. The clock tower was built in 1720 and was remodelled in 1887 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee.

As the High Street had to cope with the town’s steeply sloping site above the shore, it has elevated pavements on the inland side of the street. On our right we next pass the Black Castle, the oldest house in the town and was built on the High Street in 1626 for a sea captain, William Lowrie. When he was lost at sea along with his ship, his sister-in-law confessed to paying a street witch to cast a spell that would sink his ship. William’s brother was so shocked by this that he paid for his wife and the street witch to be burnt at the stake. Just after passing Black Castle, the buildings stop on our left and there are good views back to South Queensferry Harbour and the 2 road bridges.

We continue walking through the twisted cobbled street passing the Queensferry Museum on our left before reaching the end of the buildings where the street opens out with the Forth Bridge in front of us. On our left, we pass the pier where there are boat trips out to the islands on the Forth, particularly to Inchcolm Island, where Inchcolm Abbey, also called St Colm’s Abbey, is located. It was an Augustinian monastery originally dating from the 12th century with later additions in the 13th and 15th centuries. It was founded by King David I, after his brother King Alexander I was forced to seek shelter there during a crossing of the River Forth. The abbey was abandoned after the Scottish Reformation in 1560 and, although it is now a ruin, it is one of the best-preserved monastic buildings in Scotland.

On our right we pass the Hawes Inn. This inn has connections to the author Robert Louis Stevenson who is supposed to have stayed there and written part of the novel ‘Kidnapped’ in one of the rooms.

Where the road turns uphill, we walk straight on into the Dalmeny Estate under the Forth Bridge. The path passes Whitehouse Bay and beaches before we pass Barnbougle Castle on our left. This was originally built as a tower house in the 13th century and then was expanded and rebuilt in 1881 by the Earl of Roseberry who served as British Prime Minister for a period.

Soon after this, we arrive at Dalmeny House which is a stately home completed in 1817 in the Tudor gothic style. It was designed by a friend of the 4th Earl of Roseberry, William Wilkins, who also designed the National Gallery in London. It sits in parkland with spectacular views overlooking the Forth and is the home of the 7th Earl and Countess of Roseberry. As we get to Dalmeny House, we turn left to walk around the edge of the golf course beside the beach. There is a good view back to Barnbougle Castle from here. We cross the Cockle Burn over a footbridge and stay on the path through the woods keeping straight on near cottages and then taking the right branch when the path forks in the trees to pass Snab Point and Eagle Rock. Eagle rock is a rocky outcrop with a worn carving of an eagle thought to date back to the Roman occupation of Cramond between about 140 AD and 200 AD. It’s near Drum Sands which is a site for feeding and roosting waders and wildfowl.

The path now turns inland to head up the River Almond as there is now no ferry crossing to take us straight across the river to Cramond. The ferry operated from the mid-1800s taking foot passengers across the River Almond. The ferryman lived in a cottage on the Dalmeny Estate beside the river and, when passengers wanted to cross, he would propel and steer the ferry using a large oar at its stern. The ferry closed in 2000 due to an outbreak of foot and mouth disease and then never reopened as the jetty was deemed unsafe. The track takes us in a south-westerly direction until we reach the A90 where we turn left, down beside the Miller and Carter Steakhouse to the old Cramond Brig. This bridge was the former boundary between Edinburghshire and Linlithgowshire and was the main route out of Edinburgh to Queensferry. It dates back to the early 1400s but was rebuilt in 1619 and has been repaired at other points since then. It is also the site of the rescue of King James V by Jock Howison when the King was attacked by thieves, as immortalised by Sir Walter Scott.

We turn left after the bridge, leaving the John Muir Trail for the moment and instead walk down the River Almond Walkway to Cramond. This follows the River Almond through woodland past place names which show the area's industrial past such as Dowie’s Mill and Peggy’s Mill. In the 18th and 19th centuries the waters of the River Almond powered 3 iron forges, 2 steel furnaces and 3 water-powered rolling mills. After the iron industry failed the mills were converted to saw or pulp mills before finally disappearing at the beginning of the 20th century.

At one point on the path there are steps which were built to allow people to walk between the Cramond Brig and Cramond. These are called the ‘Salvesen Steps’, named after Captain Keith Salvesen of Inveralmond, who gifted the steps in 1966. These were shut for a time after falling into disrepair but there is now a temporary structure in place allowing us to continue our walk to Cramond. Just past the steps we reach a weir on the River Almond where there are also the ruins of Fair A Far Mill and a new fish ladder which opened in 2018, which has been constructed on the other side of the river. Fair A Far mill was originally a corn mill and was first mentioned in 1676 but was converted to iron working in 1773. The weir was built around 1790 to provide the ironworks with a water source. The ironworks ceased operation in 1873 and a large part of the mill was swept away by a flood in 1935.

We soon reach Cramond, whose name comes from Caer Amon meaning the ‘fort on the River Almond’. It was named after the Roman fort which was built by the Romans between 140 AD and 142 AD to protect the southern shore of the Forth and to act as a port to supply the Roman army. The fort was abandoned in 170 AD then enlarged when the Romans came back to Scotland in 209 AD. We will shortly see where this Roman Fort was situated.

Before that though we pass where a Roman sculpture of a lioness was found in the River Almond in 1997 by the ferryman, Robert Graham. The Cramond Lioness is a stone sculpture of a bound male prisoner being killed by a lioness and can be seen in the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Reaching Cramond there is a harbour on our left and a row of whitewashed houses on our right, one of which houses an exhibition showing the history of the area. Walking from the harbour we can cross to Cramond Island across a causeway as long as the tide is right. We have to make sure there is enough time to walk the 1 kilometre out to the island and back as it is easy to get stranded on the island. The concrete teeth, which run alongside the causeway, were built by the military to ensure that small boats could not pass to the south of the island at high tide. It is fun to explore the almost 8-hectare island where there are lots of old military buildings and there are also great views, particularly of the Forth Bridges.

After returning from the island, we turn east along the esplanade before going up the hill to Cramond Kirk and the remains of the Roman Fort. As stated earlier the Roman fort was used between 140 AD and 170 AD and was a large structure of almost 2.5 hectares with a bathhouse and a large annexe running down to the shoreline. Although not part of the Antonine Wall it did act as the port used to supply the Roman army. Cramond Kirk is built on the site of the Roman fort with part of the building dating back to the 14th century with the tower being the oldest part of the church.

From Cramond we head up Cramond Road North and then Cramond Road South until we reach Lauriston Castle. The present castle was built in 1593 by Sir Archibald Napier. It was extended in 1827 by the architect William Burn with a Jacobean style to blend in with the existing building. It was bought in 1902 by the Reid family who installed plumbing and electricity. After the couple had died as they had nobody to leave the house to, they left it to Scotland, on the condition that it should remain unchanged. The City of Edinburgh has administered the house since 1926 and today it offers a glimpse into Edwardian life. The gardens are free to enter and there are 3 croquet lawns and a new Japanese garden given as a gift of friendship from Kyoto.

From Lauriston Castle we cross the road into Davidson’s Mains Park before crossing the A90 and walking up Clermiston Road before we turn left onto Corstorphine Hill itself, walking south on paths through the woods. The hill remains because it is made up of hard igneous rock which has not been eroded compared to the surrounding area which consists of sedimentary rocks. The path winds through the trees until we reach Clermiston Tower (also called Corstorphine Hill Tower or Scott Tower) which is quite hidden by the surrounding woodland. It was built in 1872 to mark the centenary of Walter Scott's birth. It was presented to the city in 1932, the anniversary of Scott's death. From the tower we still head south with fantastic views over Edinburgh and the Pentlands before we turn east to skirt around the northern end of Edinburgh Zoo.

Edinburgh Zoo is on the southern slopes of Corstorphine Hill and was opened to the public on the 22nd of July 1913. It is run by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland although Royal wasn't added to the name until 1948, after a visit by King George VI. Edinburgh Zoo is famous for its Penguin Walk where the penguins go for a walk each day passing the crowds lined up to see them. It is totally up to the penguins whether they decide to participate or not. The zoo is now one of Europe’s leading centres for conservation, education and research. It works with other zoos around the world in co-ordinated conservation programmes, to help ensure the survival of many threatened animal species.

After passing around the top end of the zoo we reach a viewpoint called the Rest and Be Thankful. From here there are fantastic views to the east to Calton Hill, Arthur’s Seat and Edinburgh Castle. We continue down the hill and then cross the Corstorphine Road and find the walkway which used to be part of the Corstorphine branch railway to head towards the Water of Leith walkway. When we reach the Water of Leith, we turn south to walk into Saughton Park. This was where the Scottish National Exhibition was held in 1908. The exhibition ran for 6 months and in that time attracted nearly 3.5 million visitors. The council had just taken ownership of the 42 acre, Saughton Hall estate and it was an ideal place for the exhibition to take place, being at that time on the outskirts of the city. After the exhibition finished the gardens were laid out by John McHattie with £4000 from the Exhibition fund. There was a winter garden and a rose garden as well as a paddling pool and bandstand. In the 1950s an Italian garden and a garden for the blind were established. Over the years though the park deteriorated until 2016 when the park was allocated lottery funding. Since then, the park has been transformed back into a place to be enjoyed by visitors and the citizens of Edinburgh.

Heading back to the Water of Leith Walkway, which we will follow into the centre of Edinburgh, we walk past Murrayfield Ice Rink before passing Murrayfield Stadium which has a capacity of over 67,000 people and is the home of Scottish Rugby.

Continuing on the walkway for about another 2 kilometres we reach a footbridge which we cross and then climb the steps to visit the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. This neo-classical building was designed by William Burn in 1825. It was formerly a school, John Watson’s, which was a boarding school but was also open to day pupils and schooled children right through from age 5 to 18. It closed in 1975 before opening as the Gallery of Modern Art in 1984. The former playing fields are now landscaped to a design by Charles Jencks. The building itself has bright, spacious rooms for both temporary exhibitions and permanent collection displays as well as a cafe and a shop.

Retracing our steps back to the Water of Leith we pass a pool called The Cauldron before we pass a weir and lade cottage marking the beginning of the Bell’s Mill complex, one of the oldest milling sites on the river dating from the 11th century. The only part of the mill which is now left is the mill owners house and the granary although it was still a working mill using water for power until 1972 when the mill exploded. It had been grinding wood flour to make linoleum when it happened, destroying the mill and injuring many of the mill workers. We pass under the Belford Bridge before we reach Dean Village.

The name Dean Village comes from Dene meaning ‘deep valley’. It was a village just to the north-west of the centre of Edinburgh and remained as a separate village until the 19th century. It was the centre for grain milling for 800 years with, at one point, 11 mills all using the power of the Water of Leith. When larger and more modern flour mills were developed at Leith the flour trade in Dean Village diminished and the area became run down until in the 1970s it became recognised that it was a tranquil location near to the city centre and so it was redeveloped and is now a popular residential area. Above Dean Village is the Dean Bridge which was designed by Thomas Telford. It was built between 1829 and 1831 and is over 30 metres in height. It was originally designed with only 3 arches but, because of difficulties building the foundations, it was built with 4 spans instead.

After walking under Dean Bridge, we reach St Bernard’s Well. Legend states that the well was discovered by a group of schoolboys who were out fishing sometime around 1760. In 1789 the well was purchased by Lord Gardenstone and the structure, designed by Scottish painter, Alexander Nasmyth, was built. Over the doorway is the inscription ‘Bebendo Valeris’ meaning ‘drink and you will be well.’ The well was named, St Bernard, after a monk from the 12th century who is said to have lived in a cave nearby. For nearly 2 centuries people came to St Bernard’s to ‘take the waters’ as they believed the mineral rich spring water could cure a variety of ailments. It was eventually closed in the 1940s because the water contained arsenic.

Retracing our steps back under the Dean Bridge, we leave the river and walk up Bells Brae to head to the West End of Princes Street past the edge of the New Town. Although it’s called the New Town, it was actually built in stages between 1767 and around 1850 with neo-classical and Georgian architecture along with grand squares and gardens. It is the largest example of town planning from the Georgian period in the world. Together with the Old Town it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. At Randolph Place we turn left and pass Charlotte Square which was designed by Robert Adam in 1791. In Charlotte Square we can visit the Georgian House, run by the National Trust for Scotland, and see what daily life was like from 200 years ago. It was originally built for John Lamont, 18th Chief of the Clan Lamont and he lived with his family in the house until 1815. Next door is Bute House, the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland.

From Charlotte Square we walk down Hope Street and at the corner of Hope Street and Princes Street we reach what used to be a popular meeting place in Edinburgh in the 1960s. It was a clock which was added to what was then Binns Department store. This cantilever clock had painted pipers that marched round on the hour and half hour, but they stopped working a number of years ago. However, recently Diageo bought what was then the House of Fraser store and are transforming it into a Johnny Walker visitor experience. As part of this they are repairing the clock and plan to restore it to how it was when it was originally installed.

From here, we walk up Lothian Road and then turn left to walk through St Cuthbert’s Churchyard. St Cuthbert’s Parish Church is believed to be built on the oldest Christian site in Edinburgh with the first church founded here about 670 AD. The present church was built in 1894 and was designed by Hippolyte Blanc. In the churchyard there is a 19th century watchtower which was built to deter body snatchers who exhumed newly buried corpses to sell to surgeons for dissection lessons.

From the churchyard we enter West Princes Street Gardens which lies below Edinburgh Castle. Princes Street Gardens is split in 2 by The Mound and they were created in 2 phases in the 1770s and 1820s following the draining of the Nor Loch. In front of us is the Ross Fountain which is made of cast iron and was produced at Antoine Durenne’s iron foundry in France. It was an exhibit at the Great Exhibition in 1862 and bought by a local gunmaker, Daniel Ross for £2000. It was gifted to Edinburgh and transported to Leith in 122 pieces. It was installed in Princes Street Gardens in 1872 and was recently removed and fully restored before it was reinstalled in its original position in 2018.

Along the length of the gardens there are lots of statues and memorials. There is a memorial to Wojtek, the Soldier Bear as well as the Scottish American Memorial and the Royal Scots Grey Memorial. In the centre of West Princes Street Gardens is the Ross Bandstand. The first bandstand was built in 1877 but the one which currently stands in the gardens was built in 1935 and is called the Ross Bandstand because most of the money for building it was donated by William Henry Ross. The first regular performances at this new bandstand were given by the band of the First Battalion Gordon Highlanders who played twice daily in June 1935. More recently it has fallen out of regular use and there was a competition run to choose a new design.

Climbing the steps out of West Princes Street Gardens we pass the floral clock which was the idea of John McHattie, Superintendent of Parks in Edinburgh and the clockmaker James Ritchie and is the oldest in the world. It was first planted in the spring of 1903 and only had an hour hand. The minute hand was added the following year and, in 1952, a cuckoo which popped out every hour was added. Until 1972 the clock was operated mechanically and had to be wound up daily. Since 1946 it has been designed each year in honour of various organisations and individuals, such as the Queen for her Golden Jubilee.

At the top of the steps, we cross the Mound, which is an artificial mound created to connect the New and the Old Town with some notable buildings around it including the Scottish National Gallery, The Royal Scottish Academy, New College, the old Headquarters of the Bank of Scotland (which is now the Museum on the Mound) and the General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland. We then pass in front of the Scottish National Gallery which is the National Art Gallery of Scotland in a building designed in a neoclassical design by William Henry Playfair and was first opened to the public in 1859.

From here we walk into East Princes Street Gardens and walk along to the Scott Monument which is one of the iconic buildings of Edinburgh and is dedicated to Sir Walter Scott. After Sir Walter Scott died in 1832 it was decided that there should be a fitting monument to him and, in 1836, an architectural competition was launched to find a design for a memorial. Two years later the design submitted by George Meikle Kemp was approved and construction began in 1840. There are 4 levels to climb with 287 steps to reach the top where there are great views over the city. At the base of the tower is a statue of Sir Walter Scott and his dog, Maida, by Sir John Steel, carved out of a single piece of marble weighing 27 tonnes.

We retrace our steps to The Mound which we walk up before turning right along Mound Place which leads to Ramsay Lane. Ramsay Lane is apparently the second steepest street in Scotland and in the 18th and 19th century it was an important link between the Old and the New Town. At the top of Ramsay Lane, we find the Camera Obscura. It was founded by Maria Theresa Short in 1835. It is now home to many exhibits including illusions, the camera obscura itself and a rooftop terrace with views over Edinburgh.

From the Camera Obscura all we have to do is walk up Castlehill to finish our walk at Edinburgh Castle where we started, over 8000 kms ago.