Wester Hailes to Kaimes, Edimburgh

(S) Begin the walk at Wester Hailes (A) Plaza by entering Westside Shopping Mall. Take the escalator up to the higher level of shops, turn left, and exit through the double glass doors to pass alongside Lidl’s car park and onwards over a pedestrian walkway bridge.

If the Mall is closed follow along its left hand side, through into Murrayburn Place and up the steep steps.

(1) A few metres on, at the 3-way joining of paths, turn right up the broad path. Pass beneath two bridges (rail then road) to curve gradually leftwards to cross high above Clovenstone Rd. Keep straight, ignore paths to left and right, aim towards the blue “medium-rise” flats.

Pass alongside a primary school to the right. Join Clovenstone Park Rd. Cross and turn right beyond the blue flats into Clovenstone Drive.

(2) Cross to discover a path through trees which leads up to Lanark Rd. Go right along the pavement. Cross with care at a traffic island into leafy Spylaw Park Rd. At the first corner go right. Splylaw Ave. leads to the busy Gillespie Rd. Bear a few paces right, cross with care, and head diagonally down the rough track to the Water of Leith.

(3) Turn left to follow the cycle path75 over the river. At West Mills do not re-cross the river, but take the short road up to the right, and immediately proceed left to climb West Mills Rd. Cross Woodhall Rd into Bonaly Rd. After a few metres turn left into Grant Avenue.

Soon afterwards turn right into Castlelaw Rd. At the top a snicket winds through to the “bungalow-land” of Bonaly Crescent. Go left here, and left again into Laverlockdale Cres. Turn right at the end, through entrance gates into the wood-fringed Dreghorn Loan.

(4) Carry through, over a stone bridge, to the old polo field (in 2014 now a housing estate entrance). Slightly ahead, to the left, a path dives into the woods. Once over the small wooden bridge follow the Bonaly Burn downstream for 800m.

(5) On exiting the woods turn right over an old stone bridge. At the Barracks’ entrance, leave the old road to cross Redford Rd. Here go back, left, a few paces to turn down into the mock-Tudor housing development of Gallollee. Follow through, to encounter a path, and steps, leading left downwards to Bonaly Burn.

Do not cross, but go 150 m right to take another path to the right, which leads up, for 400m, to Redford Rd. Cross at the pedestrian lights, go slightly left and immediately right, up steps, into Dreghorn Gardens. Bear left.

(6) Next turn right, up Dreghorn Dr. At the top, steps and a snicket lead through to a long, straight, level MOD path that heads left to Hunter’s Tryst. Pass in front of the Supermarket (cafe, toilets). Cross New Swanston road; here a path leads down and leftwards, towards the noise of the by-pass.

At the end of the open space a short snicket funnels through into the housing of Tryst Park. The road curves back uphill. Take the 3rd right to reach Swanston Rd. Go right a few yards between houses and alongside a short pleasant hedge.

(7) Cross over into Caiyside. Curve down towards the busy by-pass. Follow Caiyside round, alongside the by-pass, to the bitter end, to exit by a footpath that leads up to Swanston Dr. and the Biggar Rd. Cross with care; a snicket leads into Winton Park.

Carry on straight ahead, still parallel to the by-pass, either on the footpath or pavement. Pass to the right of housing.

(8) Then go immediately left into Winton Gardens. Walk directly away from the by-pass up Winton Drive. Turn right to stroll on, past the secluded, 70’s housing of Winton Loan. Our route bends gracefully right and then left around the A-listed mansion of Morton House.

(9) Carry on past delightful cottages and a nursery; keep a look out for the old Belvedere. Becoming ever more lane-like, the route turns right towards a pair of tall electricity pylons. This quiet, deserted track winds on through farmland, and alongside a short wooded strip, for 1.5 km before exiting onto tarmac at a converted steading.

(10) Walk up Broomhills Rd, passing old farm cottages. Cross Frogstone Rd. Turn left for 60m. Go right into Mortonhall housing estate. Head diagonally right through open trees to cross a small grassy space. Then proceed left down Mortonhall Park Dr., and quickly turn right into Mortonhall Park Bank.

(11) Go half- left across grass, before the mid-rise flats, to discover a short secluded alley behind housing. At its end turn right. Ahead a grassy strip leads to the main A701 (Penicuik) Road.

(12) Turn left along the pavement to finish at the entrance to Morton Hall Crematorium by the Lothian 37,47, 67 bus stop in Kaimes (B). (E)

Start : Wester Hailes Plaza - Westside Shopping Mall.
Public transports :

• Start : The Plaza is well served by Lothian buses.
• End : Morton Hall Crematorium : Lothian 37,47, 67 bus stop

More information at Roy's Edimburg Walks website here.

(A) Wester Hailes
In 1964, 297 acres of agricultural land at Wester Hailes was re-zoned for new housing. The Wester Hailes Amenity Association was formed to fight the proposal. Miss Margaret Kidd QC found against Edinburgh Council but was subsequently overruled by Willie Ross, the Secretary of State for Scotland, who gives his approval. Nothing changes! Work began in 1967 but the area was not substantially developed until the early 1970s, as reflected in the dominant dense housing style, of purpose-built flats and tower blocks. Nevertheless, while dominated by roads an early separation of pedestrian and car routes was established. In 1991 unemployment was 22%, compared to only 8% for Edinburgh as a whole, this helped put Wester Hailes within the bottom 20% of the UK for household earnings. The area suffered from a major image problem being identified with high levels of crime, alcohol, and drug dependency. In the 2000s Wester Hailes was chosen for urban rehabilitation. A newly formed Wester Hailes Partnership organised residents into 25 neighbourhoods to represent the community in the regeneration programme. A new section of canal allowed it to stretch unbroken from Edinburgh Tollcross to Falkirk. A large number of properties were renovated and some others - such as the high rise "slab block" flats at Hailesland Park demolished and replaced with newer "low-rise" housing. The original Wester Hailes farmhouse is long gone. It stood on our route, over the road bridge, at the 5-path junction, beside the SW corner of a prominent medium-rise block. Little if anything remains of the original field boundaries.

(B) Kaimes
East from Mortonhall are the two Kaims, and these are the origin of the name; for Kaims signifies Camps or Fortifications. Prior to the construction of the Council housing estates of Burdiehouse, Southhouse, and Gilmerton Dykes in the 1950s the area that forms the Burdiehouse Burn Valley Park consisted of farms, country estates, and open countryside. Numerous villages, mills, and hamlets were to be found in and around the valley. Those living in Burdiehouse in the 18th and 19th centuries worked mainly for the Burdiehouse quarries and lime works, either directly or as carters. The route visits St Catherine’s Balm Well - an historic spring. The original name of Liberton – may well have been Lepertown. During the Scottish Middle Ages, the unfortunate lepers who suffered that terrible disease were confined to the village and absolutely forbidden to approach the City of Edinburgh. The Well provided an attraction for afflicted lepers or those with other skin diseases, due to its black particles (drops of floating oil). The original well house was built in 1617 by order of James VI. Its ashlar Renaissance front Lintel dates from 1563.

Find more information on this link here.
Also find some thoughts on urban growth. Quo Vadis Edinburgh? Click here.