Exploring the Union Canal in Edinburgh by bicycle

A few years ago I moved into a flat in Bruntsfield and was rather surprised to discover a canal right by me. Despite being from Edinburgh I never managed to become aware of its existence. The canal starts in Fountainbridge and the Edinburgh bit goes through Slateford, Meggetland and Westerhailes to Ratho which is about 8 miles.

Harrison Park bit of the canal

It's not somewhere to go if you want to cycle fast; there are too many joggers, dogs, dog walkers, other pedestrians and other cyclists for that, especially on a sunny weekend. There are also a number of blind bridges. where you should ring your bell (or yell if you don't have a bell) and slow down. A cyclist once had to brake so hard to avoid crashing into me that he fell off his bike and got his bottom wheel in the canal. I was meandering slowly and he was cycling too fast to stop properly, so I think it was his fault. I am always super religious about bell ringing now (I think I probably did that time too, but couldn't swear on my life)

Places along the canal

Fountainbridge Quay

Apparently the canal once went all the way to Princes Street, but these days it begins in Fountainbridge. There have been efforts to regenerate this area - with new flats built and there are a few restaurants at this end, although some of the units appear empty so it doesn't seem like it is quite the thriving area that the developers envisioned.

Swans at Fountainbridge Quay

There is an annual canal festival at this bit of the canal with stalls, free boat trips and a homemade raft race.

Annual canal raft race - part of canal festival

Continue further west along the Canal and you get to Harrison Park in my opinion -this is the prettiest bit. There is a little boat shed here where in the summer you can rent out a rowing boat.

Zazou cafe sign

View from a row boat hired from boat shed

Continuing along the canal, at certain times of day, you are likely to come across school children learning to row. Often there is someone cycling alongside them yelling instructions.

View of canal from near Ashley Terrace

The next landmark is the Slateford Aquaduct. There are steps just before it which lead to the Water of Leith visitor centre. You can also transfer here to cycle along the Water of Leith northwards. If you are going south you are better continuing over the Aquaduct and transferring to the Water of Leith at the bridge a bit along from this (it's well sign posted as route 75). Signs tell you to dismount and walk over the aquaduct and you definitely should if there is anyone coming the opposite direction. It's quite a squeeze.

Pedaling along the canal

As you get towards the edge of Edinburgh you pass Hailes Quarry Park, noteworthy for a bright green and black outside gym. The path continues through Wester Hailes. As Wester Hailes is a housing estate some people think it is a bit dodgy. I personally have never had any problems though (although one year there were some particularly aggressive swans blocking the whole path).

Piece of outdoor gym equipment

You then get to a bridge over the city bypass. Psychologically I think of this as the end of Edinburgh, but in a mile or so you reach Ratho which is still within the city boundaries, but feels like a separate village, and is a nice rest stop with benches and everything.

Ratho

It's a lovely place to cycle...just as long as you aren't in a rush.

Where did you go summer? Woe is me.

It's cold. I'm thinking of putting the heating on soon. The radio said someone had predicted it would snow in early October. I have had a constant sore throat/cough thing for a couple of weeks. I gets dark earlier. I have failed to go on any adventures. Unless going to Ikea counts. I explored Swedish meatballs, furniture, kitchen utensils I never knew I needed, and the inadequate 47 bus (they need to make it a double decker, at least just after university terms have started).

I need summer, motivation and a proper working throat back.

Brambles

After work headed along the Union Canal and then a bit along the Water of Leith looking for brambles. It was quite a slow trip because I stopped every time I spotted a promising looking bush. Most of them aren't ready, which means that there are still weeks of eating brambles ahead.

Whenever I pick brambles I recollect a poem that I read in Higher English about them. I didn't remember the whole poem, but it obviously struck some sort of chord with me and I found it on google.

Blackberry Picking by Seamus Heaney 

 Late August, given heavy rain and sun
 for a full week, the blackberries would ripen.
At first, just one, a glossy purple clot
among others, red, green, hard as a knot.
You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet
like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it
leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for
picking. Then red ones inked up and that hunger
sent us out with milk-cans, pea-tins, jam-pots
where briars scratched and wet grass bleached our boots.
Round hayfields, cornfields and potato-drills
we trekked and picked until the cans were full,
until the tinkling bottom had been covered
with green ones, and on top big dark blobs burned
like a plate of eyes. Our hands were peppered
with thorn pricks, our palms sticky as Bluebeard's.
We hoarded the fresh berries in the byre.
But when the bath was filled we found a fur,
A rat-grey fungus, glutting on our cache.
The juice was stinking too. Once off the bush
the fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour.
I always felt like crying. It wasn't fair
that all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot.
Each year I hoped they'd keep, knew they would not.

I think this poem is supposed to be about growing up and realising that things don't last. I'm not sure I have really grown up. I want to be one of the excited ones picking blackberries like thickened wine, with pink stained fingers. I will be disappointed in a few weeks too, when the last of them are gone.

Innocent Railway

Brambles

The Innocent Railway is one of my favourite cycle paths. It's beginning is a bit hidden in the Parkside block of modern flats. You need to turn left just before the entrance to Holyrood Park, and then loop round to the beginning of the tunnel. The tunnel is long, dark and damp, but fun because it slopes downhill. You can pretty easily freewheel along most of the first stretch of the path.

It leads to the East Coast. On Saturday I used it to get to Portobello Beach which was a bit cold and windy. 

But it is very exciting the brambles are almost in season. In fact on my way back I discovered some which were ready, lovely and juicy and yum.

Portobello

Getting lost and cycling near the city bypass

This week I tried to cycle home from Little France and accidentally ended up in Straiton. I got to a road which I thought was one I recognised, but it turns out it was a different road going south rather than west...

I ended up confused near the city bypass. This is not a great place to be with a bicycle.  Luckily the entrances to the bypass were clearly labelled with big keep out unless you are in a massive metal vehicle signs, so I didn't accidentally end up on one, and there were shared use paths for pedestrians and cyclists. I made it to the retail park without too much bother, and had a nice coffee and rest, but to get back into the city it seemed the only way was to cross over lots of roads with fast traffic to get back to somewhere you were allowed to cycle on. The crossings were marked for pedestrians, and I mostly became one at this point, but it didn't seem very safe crossing over roads with cars going very very fast to the motorway.

Then I had to cycle back all the way on roads which I found various degrees of terrifying. (apart from the bits I walked because they were a bit uphill and I was tired).

I generally avoid cycling on roads, unless I get lost, or know them well. I tend to stick to cycle paths wherever I can. I don't like cycling near cars and I am afraid of buses and lorries.

Over the time I have cycled my attitude to cycling on roads has gone from:

• terrified to cycle on roads and sticking completely to paths, usually walking between them

to

• not so terrified of cycling on roads and doing a bit more of it

to

• terrified of roads again having started to understand more about what cars and buses aren't supposed to do, and don't always.

I eventually got home, about 3 hours later than I should have. Exhausted and desperate for a shower. I don't recommend cycling to Straiton, especially accidentally. I should make more uses of maps rather than vaguely heading in the direction I think I should (or at the very least have my phone charged to more than 2% battery so I can look them up properly)

Cycling achievements

I started this blog with the intention of writing reviews of cycling routes (and other fun exploration things), but I'm not sure I am that good at review writing, or if I can be bothered. I might make it more of a personal blog which will track my own progress cycling and describe where I have been in self obsessed manner, and as a person quite obsessed with my bicycle.

My most recent cycling achievement was making it all the way up Leamington Terrace without stopping. I hadn't done that before and have always been a bit rubbish at anything uphill. I felt exhausted afterwards though - it was lucky the next part of my route is the nice downhill bit of the Meadows meaning I could have a rest. My next goal is cycling all the way up without breaking a sweat. Once I have done that I will try the path up from Bonaly from the Water of Leith (which is steeper and longer). 

I had a few days recently where I didn't ride my bike. The chain came off and I didn't know how to put it back on again (now I do know, it is really really easy). I have subsequently decided cycling is essential to my mental well-being, because I was incredibly moody all the time I couldn't cycle. Once I put the chain back on I went straight out to the Union Canal and cycled along to Wester Hailes and back, and it makes me 100 times happier. I imagine there is a scientific explanation for this, endorphins or something?

Cycling in the Pentlands again

Went to the Pentlands again. Ate lots and lots of raspberries. At one point it started to pour with rain. We "sheltered" under some trees until it stopped and the sun came out again. Got as far as the Harlaw Reservoir.

I still need to get properly into the hills, buy a rain jacket, and learn to cycle up as well as down slopes. I am getting better at them though, and it always feels worth it when going downwards.

Trees where we sheltered

This path was a bit too rocky to cycle along

Taken minutes after it had been bucketing with rain

There was always a bit of ominous cloud to be seen

Raspberries - yum yum yum

Cycle route rating 

Ease of cycling: very steep from Water of Leith to Bonaly, some hilly bits here and there, a few gates, had to lift bikes over one wall

Injury rating: Black oil marks on legs (and nettle stings, but that was caused by trying to reach raspberries)

Best points: Raspberries, feels far removed from Edinburgh festival madness