Edinburgh Part 2: Water of Leith

The Water of Leith Walkway runs through Edinburgh from Balerno to Leith, a total of 13 miles. I joined the path at Roseburn, the closest point to my hotel, which turned out to be about the halfway point. The Water of Leith is nicknamed Edinburgh's Secret River, and it's truly amazing to wander along this glorious path knowing that literally two blocks away are bustling main streets, buses, shops, pubs and train stations.



So equipped with camera, iPod, water and a bag of delicious Cadbury chocolate eclairs (99p!) I set off. At first it was all a bit Fellowship of the Ring:



I wandered along plotting various means by which I could somehow live in one of these apartments:



Then I encountered St Bernard's mineral water well, imbibed by the 18th century gentry for medicinal purposes, replete with a statue of Hygieia, the Greek goddess of health:



Further along, I stopped off to visit the Royal Botanic Gardens of Edinburgh, the highlight of which was the Victorian Temperate Palm House, built in 1858:



After about 4 hours and 7 or so miles of delightful walking, I ended up in the port town of Leith:



I found a pub serving delicious seafood, ate some haddock and chips and read The Scotsman. After exploring the Leith Docks some more, I hopped on a bus and headed back into town for some Edinburgh Fringe Festival mayhem.