Preamble Before proceeding to the destination, I couldn’t help noting that on the last day of April 2021, I was making my first train journey of the year – an
Category: Scotland
April 2021: East Fife
My second out-of-area jaunt was across the Forth to Fife, and onwards to the most easterly part of what many Scots continue to refer to as “the Kingdom”. (Fife is
April 2021: Eyemouth
As Covid-19 restrictions started to be eased, I was soon spreading my wings to match. First up was a visit to Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders. This attractive east-coast fishing
April 2021: Edinburgh’s Seven Hills (Part 1)
Introduction Open almost any guidebook to Edinburgh and it won’t be long before you encounter these or similar words: Edinburgh, like Rome, is built on seven hills. My reaction tends
April 2021: Edinburgh: Water of Leith Walkway (Part 4)
Belford Bridge to Leith Within 100m of descending the stairs at Belford Bridge, I was being diverted off again, thanks to the latest (and thankfully final) path closure. So instead
April 2021: Edinburgh: Water of Leith Walkway (Part 3)
Slateford to Belford Bridge On proceeding northwest from Slateford, I first covered a short, nondescript section of the walkway, passing the edge of Saughton Cemetery and skirting round a sizeable
April 2021: Edinburgh: Water of Leith Walkway (Halfway Interlude)
Repositioning to Slateford ‘On the Level’ Think of this as the interval in my four-act, Water of Leith adventure. It occurred to me that it might be fun to return
April 2021: Edinburgh: Water of Leith Walkway (Part 2)
Colinton Village While modern Colinton is a substantial suburb of Edinburgh, its original heart on the banks of the Water of Leith is known as Colinton Village. It is an
April 2021: Edinburgh: Water of Leith Walkway (Part 1)
Introduction The Water of Leith is the closest Edinburgh gets to having a river flowing through the city centre. In saying that, I’m thinking specifically of the relatively short section
April 2021: Edinburgh: Three South side Transformations
On the first day of easing of the winter lockdown, when the Scottish Government exhortation to Stay at Home became Stay Local, I rode Lothian’s number 23 bus to its
March 2021: Edinburgh: Walking the Newhaven Tram Extension
Horse-drawn, cable-hauled, and later electric trams operated on the streets of Edinburgh during the period 1871 to 1956. The final vehicles of that era were in the style of their
Jan/Feb 2021: Edinburgh’s Winter Lockdown
With yesterday’s emergence of the UK into ‘meteorological spring’, now seems a good time to give a pictorial review of Edinburgh’s experience of the latest Scottish lockdown. This began on
September 2020: Biggar & Lanark
Biggar The small South Lanarkshire town of Biggar (population 2,300) is less than 30 miles from Edinburgh city centre. That’s just a one-hour bus ride, half of which is spent
September 2020: Two Galleries and a Georgian House
That’s what I managed to clock up over just two days in September, albeit two days that were separated by a weekend. Scottish National Gallery (Friday 11-Sep) The Scottish National
July-October 2020: Edinburgh Lockdown Easing (Phase 3)
As we have already seen, Phase 3 of lockdown easing brought the reopening of indoor hospitality from 15 July, which facilitated various day trips, quickly leading to a North of
August 2020: A Quick Look around Haddington
The small market town of Haddington lies 17 miles east of Edinburgh, just off the A1 and near the geographical centre of the East Lothian council area. It is the
August 2020: An Hour in North Queensferry
I found myself at a loose end one Saturday afternoon and decided to jump on a train to North Queensferry, a mere 15-minute ride from my home station of Haymarket.
July 2020: Day Trip to Peebles
The attractive small town of Peebles (approximate population 8,500) stands on the River Tweed and lies just over 20 miles south of Edinburgh, in the Scottish Borders council area. Until