Edinburgh Autumn. Hermitage of Braid, Blackford Hill, Braid Hills, Braidburn Valley Park.

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To do this particular set of hills takes around 3 to 4 hours at an easy sustained pace with two short rest stops, each time sitting on a summit for the views. No 11 bus from Princes Street or Lothian Road takes you trundling up the A702 Comiston Road past upmarket Morningside then lets you off at the Braid Hills Hotel directly between The Hermitage of Braid,( a wooded deep gorge beside Blackford hill),and Braidburn Valley Park. In many places in Edinburgh it is better to go by bus these days. I've been coming to Edinburgh by car for several decades and have climbed all the Edinburgh hills with various hillwalking members over the years. Back then, like Glasgow still is today, you could just park easily on the city outskirts, to access the various parks/ green spaces. On these recent trips however I have noticed double yellow lines on practically every side street in Edinburgh, even in the outskirt districts, and very few places to park anywhere, including here, where we used to leave our car at the Hermitage of Braid entrance. Double yellow lines and the ULEZ city centre zone means it's far easier for me to take the city to city bus now than drive myself and face the slow lane hell daily commute between cities on the frequently busy M8 motorway.

Hermitage of Braid walk, again. At the far end of this pleasant gorge walk, at a very substantial wooden bridge over the small stream, You can't miss it. it is big.) you have a choice of two paths. Crossing the stream right, via the bridge, takes you up to the Braid Hills so I went left up the path through woods to climb Blackford Hill first.

This is a view from halfway up Blackford Hill, looking across at Wester Craiglockhart Hill and Easter Craiglockhart Hill. that I climbed then posted about a few weeks ago..

Blackford Hill summit view. All seven of Edinburgh's hills provide excellent views and while Arthur's Seat is the most dramatic when you are standing on it this also provides the most obvious and dramatic view from the surrounding hills.

Around 1000 or more folk per day swarm up Arthur's Seat in a continuous line to the summit cliffs, some clinging desperately to the chains provided on the way up. I suspect many folk who climb this hill have never been up a steep hill before and although it is only 823 feet high it has a rocky, steep sided, sofa sized, summit, and vertical cliffs in places falling hundreds of feet to the houses and tower blocks below. In strong winds or in full winter conditions I've been up here with ice axe and crampons and been very glad of them both, with every path turned into sheet ice, polished by minus  -10 below winds and hundreds of eager footsteps. Even in poor conditions like these hundreds of people still charge up here in city shoes or trainers, no cold weather clothing, and nothing to stop them slipping if it occurred. Having all the gear for winter hillwalking anyway I was having an easy time of it compared to them and even helped a line of folk down at one point, cutting steps for them in the icy paths until they were safe. Even then I thought. "Why aren't more people killed on this hill in winter." It is a proper little mountain at any time of year.

 The other seven hills are much quieter and have charms of their own to reveal. Wester Craiglockhart hill here with suburbia lapping around it.

Edinburgh Castle and Quartermile, the modern glass and steel district beside the Meadows.

Wester and Easter Craiglockhart Hills from Blackford Hill. The deep wooded gorge of the Hermitage of Braid is obvious in this photo.

Salisbury Crags on Arthur's Seat from Blackford Hill. Some of the cliffs you can fall hundreds of feet from in this view. I have been up here at night, in winter, in heavy snow and deep drifts. A magical evening adventure with the lights of Edinburgh twinkling far, far below and only my  jewel to share it with.

I retraced my footsteps and memories back down into the wooded gorge again where I found some mushrooms/ toadstools on a fallen log. The shady touch of sweet angels.

Nature recycling logs into new nutrients for the health and well being of the forest. Fungi power.

I took the path over the stream via the large wooden bridge then headed upwards again on a rising path between spiked metal railings which in turn led me out onto the grasslands surrounding the Braid Hills. A view of the cliffs and hidden deep gorge of the Hermitage of Braid. You can see in this photo how much house building land the city of Edinburgh has lost due to its upland regions. Both a blessing and a curse to Edinburgh's future growth as it's already a city cut into large distinct chunks, each chunk separated from the others, like Craigmillar and Niddrie by golf courses and volcanic uplands.

On the Braid Hill grasslands looking back at Blackford hill summit.

Braid Hills summit. The Braid Hills area is fairly extensive but it is also guarded by golf courses so when you come out onto the minor road ( Braid Hills Drive) take a left along it to the other minor road between the golf course HQ and the driving range. Up this then before you reach Meadowhead Farm turn right up a track to the summit. 675 feet in height. 

Berwick Law and Bass Rock from the Braid Hills.

 A closer view of both. Also ancient volcanic plugs... one out to sea, reached only by boat.

Pentland Hills Ski Slope from Braid Hills.

Edinburgh's suburban hills and meadows.

The path down off the Braid Hills is quick and easy. Straight off the summit  down to Braid Road ( path seen here)  then into Braidburn Valley Park.

A view of the former Craighouse Asylum buildings, then Napier University... and now converted into upmarket flats the last time I visited. Easter Craiglockhart Hill here. You could include these twin hills on this same walk if you are keen. 4 to 5 hours total then at an easy relaxed pace.

Braidburn Valley park is a shallow valley carved by glaciers sliding down off the 2000 foot Pentland Hills and you can still see the line of the route taken in this photo. It's a charming small park with connections to Robert Louie Stevenson, (when it was just two farms in this peaceful valley) and Muriel Spark writer of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie who used many local settings in her famous book, including this one.

Although a lovely park in it's own right I also noticed a new addition. The shelter had been painted since my last visit.

 Yes, Yer man Chris Rutterford at it again. This time with Firhill High School pupils class of 2022. Advanced art no less.  Same guy who painted the Colinton tunnel and village murals helped paint this one as well. 

Another side of it.

Autumn colours in Braidburn Valley Park.

 Yet another side.

The back door. Could this be the artist... or a teacher...perhaps?

The last shot of the park. I caught an 11 bus back into the city... then home. A 4 hour walk. 6 hours on various buses. Another good day.

Not only a talented violinist but a fine singer as well from a musical family. Amazing...Worth a watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7wAcymmhbI&list=RDh7wAcymmhbI&start_radio=1

Edinburgh in Autumn. Wonderland. Colinton Village and Railway Tunnel Murals. 2025

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Village window box with Halloween theme. This made me smile.  Another bus visit to Edinburgh from Glasgow but as I'm flexible in my plans, having intended to do another one of Edinburgh's seven hills and a sunny day predicted I changed them on arrival as I found both cities still misty and it looked like it would linger. Typical autumn weather in Scotland.

Edinburgh Castle. As I might not see much of the city up a hill I instead jumped a number 10 bus to Bonaly on Princes Street. I would go to nearby Colinton instead as I knew a series of impressive murals had been painted there in Colinton Tunnel and in Cuddies Lane in the village.

Lothian buses have been named National bus operator of the year and I can see why. Most of the stops have an automated bus list which tells you when they are due, where they all go, and how long to the next one. It's the same inside each bus with each stop mentioned out loud and visually on a screen. With an over 60s or under 22, national entitlement card etc it's free. You just need to stand at the correct bus stop on the right street. Full 'Edinburgh Bus Routes' are available to look up online and the attached route map shows you where they go through the city, including bus stops. Easy. ( Lothian buses. Bustimes.org is the best one for me.) I'd already used the 10 bus to get to Wester Craiglockhart and Easter Craiglockhart Hills so I was feeling almost like a local by now. I got off at Rustic Cottages bus stop in Colinton.

From there it was only a short 10 minute walk down to Spylaw Park and the Water of Leith. Full autumn colours on show. A Collins Edinburgh Street Map is handy to have as well.

Several murals exist in Spylaw Park...

 These are two of them.

But the real prize is a short distance away and is signposted, situated up stairs at the east side of Spylaw Park and above the Water of Leith on the north bank. Colinton Railway Tunnel is part of the Water of Leith walkway/cycletrack and I've cycled through it in the 1970s/1980s period when I was exploring Edinburgh back then for the first time, mainly on my own. 

It is quite a long curving tunnel and inside is a wonderland of different murals set to the Robert Louis Stevenson poem, which I must admit I had never heard before now but it is a good one.

Full mural info here. Mural painted by a local Edinburgh artist and friends as it entailed a huge amount of work just to prime it, scraping and filling in gaps to create a smooth surface for the mural to go on. Because it is inside a tunnel and covers every surface it has a huge visual impact and I came out the other end thinking I had viewed one of the true modern wonders of Scotland.  

Artist on the bridge. It's a matter of personal taste of course but give me something like this every time rather than a pile of bricks, an unmade bed, or a paint dribbler. It must have took ages... but a real achievement. Up until now Glasgow has been the mural city, with many full sized gable end commissioned iconic works but arguably it needed a mural trail, not having a hilltop castle, a skyline of volcanoes, or a well preserved ancient street layout at it's heart. Murals have arrived late in Edinburgh and indeed I've still not seen many in the city centre district but this has certainly put Colinton Village on the mural map.  A small car park is near the murals off Gillespie Road, B701 and about a dozen cars were already parked up when I arrived plus a dozen local families with their young children were already inside.  

Not surprised it's popular. It is magnificent art on show. And it's free for now. No car park charge... yet. 

I would recommend anyone to see this... and you have the Water of Leith walkway/ cycletrack running in both directions, a scenic village to explore, and wooded dells/ valleys to walk through.

The stonework/ bridge over The Water of Leith at Colinton.

Words to the RLS poem, a prolific Edinburgh author who also produced classic books like  Kidnapped, Treasure Island, and The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Troubled by ill health all his days he only made it to 44 years of age yet made a huge mark on popular culture, worldwide.

This giant mural is a massive tribute to his talent and also the modern artists, funders, and helpers who created it. 

All the young children in the tunnel loved it as well, shouting out together to see if it had an echo and jumping up and down in excitement.

Crowd at the train station.

Going through the tunnel on foot.

The magic realm.

Mushrooms and Toadstools.

Witch and Dragon.

Scottish Piper.

Not content with that the same local artist, friends, funders, and helpers have also created a village mural in Cuddies Lane in Colinton a short walk away. So I went there as well.

Village info board.

This was also a delight in even finer detail, some of it painted on wood or plastic panels by the looks of it.

A cracking mural trail.

Colinton Village Life. This is just a few of the images.

Colinton Village in past days.

So I made the very best of a misty day in Edinburgh and also got a walk along the Water of Leith walkway down to Slateford, filling in yet another jigsaw piece of modern Edinburgh.

I discovered this talented young violinist around five years ago when this video came out and had never heard this catchy song or band before so I was delighted and impressed all round. A young adult now she is an internet sensation with loads of videos and cover songs. But this still remains my favourite. Boldly marches up to the camera and stuns with a confident delivery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEPVwM9ruIo&list=RDoEPVwM9ruIo&start_radio=1