Edinburgh Autumn. An Interesting Walk Round Edinburgh Castle.

                                                  ALL PHOTOS CLICK FULL SCREEN.

On one of my bus trips to Edinburgh in the autumn of 2025 I still had a few hours before my evening bus back to Glasgow so I thought I would do the 1 to 2 hour walk around Edinburgh Castle. This is it....Start at West End of Princes Street Gardens- Walk through gardens to Scott Monument. Either up the Mound or Waverley To Cockburn Street, Royal Mile- Castle Esplanade ( entrance gates) Down Granny's Green Steps ( you can avoid these or reverse the entire route to climb them) Grassmarket-Johnstone Terrace- Kings Stables Road- West End again at the Parish Church of St Cuthbert. Or you can reverse this route.

As I've been in the castle before  (around £20 each roughly in 2026) I did not go in but you can. For myself the walk around the castle is equally impressive as you can add or subtract sections to suit. A lot of history is contained in this short walk and this time I found added information ( thanks to AI.)

Beloved by young children, (and parents) this Andy Scott Sculpture is found along the main path through West Princes Street Gardens. Young kids just love this baby elephant without knowing what its for. It gets plenty of hugs.

Also found in West Princes Street Gardens is the Ross Fountain. An elaborate high confection of water nymphs/ mermaids and other creatures that is well worth a detailed look.

A close up here. Middle level.

The bottom pool.

Fisher's Close on the Royal Mile. Between zooming up and down Calton Hill via Jacob's Ladder and the numerous narrow passageways running off the Royal Mile at right angles you can clock up close to 3000 foot for the adventurous. This keeps you fit and saves you money as well as being great fun. Some of the tenement buildings here go up 14 floors or more as Mary King's Close is found underneath this lot halfway up the Royal Mile. Worth a visit to see this underground buried oddity but between that and the Castle Entry its around £40 each whereas this walk is free and just as exciting.

West Bow/ Cockburn Street. A narrow passageway between levels around the orange building on the left takes you up to the Royal Mile. The Wizard of West Bow used to live here in the 1600s- yet another potential inspiration for Edinburgh writer Robert Louis Stevenson and his famous Jekyll and Hyde book. . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Weir. Worth a read. You couldn't make it up :o)

Granny's Green Steps lead down from the Castle. ( hard to get this empty of people on a sunny afternoon. I would still be waiting to take it if I did.)

The Grassmarket which leads to King's Stables Road then back to the West End.

On a previous visit to Edinburgh and The Parish Church of St Cuthbert, seen here, I found out I only had 20 minutes before it closed so it was a rushed visit inside. It has a long history though. I didn't have time for the surrounding grounds on that occasion.

As you can see here. A long history.

Crime writer Agatha Christie was married here apparently.

Wandering around the church grounds I also spotted these Physalis plants. I've tasted the orange fruit inside at wedding banquets and enjoyed them so I knew they originally came from Peru.

St Cuthbert's Church interior view.

Nearby was an exotic lily I hadn't seen before also from Peru. Intrigued by this I looked it up to find out the connection. Thomas De Quincey. I've still got a couple of his books in my collection since the 1970s as he lived beside the English Lake District poets and wrote about them but I had no idea he also lived in Edinburgh and Glasgow, dying in this place. He also wrote a book about a nun who escaped dressed as a man and had numerous adventures all over Peru and South America. A true tale. Thomas de Qunicey also had a remarkable life but not a very enviable one. A link here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_De_Quincey 

 One of the great pleasures in life is coming across interesting or unusual characters/ history facts and thanks to AI and wiki that is now possible if you have a hunch, like seeing the flowers and wondering why they were planted there. Everybody likes to be an amateur detective now and again.

Also in St Cuthbert's grounds was this guy. Bum. A three legged dog from San Diego, every bit as amazing as Edinburgh's Greyfriars Bobby, yet I'd never  heard of him until now.

Edinburgh is twinned with San Diego and the dogs are as well. Which is apt as this dog had an incredible life and survival story.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bum_(dog)  

No apologies for these three links in one post as each one is remarkable in its own way. A short walk but completely filled with fascinating history. A short post as it is the three links that are important here. Each well worth reading. Each unique and very different.

Edinburgh Autumn. Granton Harbour. Eastern Breakwater.

                                                   ALL PHOTOS CLICK FULL SCREEN.

Another post from my Edinburgh trips in the autumn of 2025. Calton Hill from Princes Street, seen above.

I jumped on a no 19 bus from Princes Street to Granton which went over Dean Bridge, seen here, where the Water of Leith has carved out a deep wooded gorge at this point. Also a good walk along it from Murrayfield Stadium or Dean Village down to Leith and the seaside following the Water of Leith all the way. The no 19 bus runs past Granton Square next to the Eastern Breakwater, which is where I was heading but on a whim I jumped off it early at Boswall Parkway in the heart of Pilton. I've wandered through Pilton many times in the past, going right back to the 1970s and early 1980s when a large circle of flat roofed 3 level high tenements existed there. It was football stadium sized. ( West Pilton Circus it was called. A unique architectural oddity as apart from the shape, a perfect large circle of dilapidated tenements with short grass in the middle, just like the Coliseum in Rome, but also similar to the flat roofed tenements that once adorned Priesthill and Penilee in Glasgow. All three constructed 1940s early 1950s. Edinburgh has a long history of circular buildings. 

 Westfield Court. An early Edinburgh Hi Rise. Curved of course.

Local shops in another district. Coliseum or castle influence yet again. So no wonder the W hotel is shaped like a walnut whip or a bronze spiral. Par for the course in Edinburgh. Usher Hall below. Twin circles.

And of course Trainspotting ( the book) was set in Muirhouse, Pilton, and Leith. The first Trainspotting film mainly took place in Glasgow's edgy housing estates though as Edinburgh's city fathers didn't want that city tarnished for tourists in any way. They didn't mind if Glasgow's reputation was tarnished though :o) They did the same with Rebus, an Edinburgh detective series in the books but filmed partly in Glasgow as well. Trainspotting 2 was filmed mostly in Edinburgh but by that time the original film was a cult classic so it was now OK for trendy Edinburgh city fathers to steal it back again and promote it. Many films are made in Glasgow though including parts of World War Z, Cloud Atlas, and Under The Skin... a recent big budget Spiderman film...and the latest Batman film, currently being made under the Kingston Bridge near Anderston Train Station. And loads of others to numerous to name. Many folk have said the city centre of Glasgow could easily double for a dark Gotham or a zombie apocalypse movie, no make up needed at all..... and in 2026 I have to agree with that. 'An American Werewolf/Lost Tourist in Argyle Street'....Four Corners by Nightfall...... A horror coming to screens soon.

Anyway, no photos in Pilton this time sadly as loads of locals happened to be watching me getting off the bus so I had to blend in like a local myself and getting out a camera or a map... (or my frilly pink umbrella!) might tip them off. Pilton and no doubt some of the other less upmarket estates were the only places in Edinburgh I could see without double yellow lines in every street although I would not be temped to leave my car here. So I just wandered through Pilton quietly and discreetly this time, using my eyes as a camera. Not changed much. You can see West Pilton Circus if you type that in plus 1970s then Edinburgh. images. I only took my camera out when I was nearer Granton. Part of an industrial Estate here mixed with housing. 

I also came across this oddity, almost a dozen streets from the coastline. I was perplexed until I looked it up later. Built in 1874 as a lighthouse training station for new lighthouse keepers to get the hang of it, using different types of lighthouse methods and illumination found all across Scotland's period era lights. Easier to get proficient here than during a storm on a remote lump of rock with ships counting on you to guide them to safety. That plus land reclamation since the 1800s meant it didn't have to be directly on the coast but now it's well inland, tucked away down a back street, far from the seaside.

An artists view of the new Granton Harbour housing project. ( which is why I was here and why I got off the bus early)

The reality never quite matches up to the artistic impression. No parking here either unless a local living in or visiting these flats. You can park easily for free in Glasgow outside many of it's outlying parks and safer suburbs for a few hours wander round without any problems on its outskirts but Edinburgh is definitely a no go area for visiting cars, even the places I used to park in 20 years ago are off limits now. Double yellow line land it should be called. And no Dorothy or Toto in sight.

Edinburgh has its own modern version of tenement life but unlike its historic city centre which could be called a fine example of 'mathematical beauty' as featured in the Mandelbrot Set link a couple of posts ago and in many open world games Edinburgh's more modern housing estates...imho....are not included in that category.

But they still fascinated me anyway.

I was also fascinated by these rusting pipe caps everywhere. I initially thought they might be remnants of an old factory but then I found out they were foundation piles for new housing apparently, just held back for some reason, so old and rusting ( street markers, base for houses etc.)

There was a wide range of different styles of housing here.

And some nice paths running between them.

Still in Granton here...

But what I was really here to see was the famous Eastern Breakwater of Granton Harbour. Constructed in the mid 1800s Granton Harbour and its km long breakwaters originally held a fishing fleet of local boats, coal barges, and numerous pleasure craft, including paddle steamers.  

Unlike many old mega structures though, which have been fenced off you can still walk on this one. The Eastern Breakwater. Platinum Point here and a wind turbine ship.

Almost forgotten local legends say this breakwater and harbour was not built by human hands and heavy horse at all but by the last of the Central Belt Lowland giants... Colin MacCasker. Who had magical power and could morph at will from normal man sized to over one hundred feet tall... and that it was he who built it ... as easily as a child connects lego bricks together. And when you look at these ton blocks, slotted in without any mortar you understand why. I was here to prove that legend true. First I needed to find the magical key stone.

The portal... ages old lichen growing on the cold stone....

Which would reveal the footprint of Colin MacCasker... man sized. As the oracle P.J. Harvey once foretold. I took off my shoe and sock. Ah! A perfect fit.

Next I found the holy hole in a different block. Just like Arthur, the legend states if you can fit your entire appendage down this holy hole and claim Colin MacCasker's gold ring 3 foot down on the slimy bottom you can claim it as your own. I stripped off and flattened myself on the freezing platform. I experienced some reluctance with this one. Dipping my precious appendage into an unknown orifice where anything could lurk... be it hidden metal spike, unsanitary liquid, sump oil or dirt took courage. But I had it in sufficient quantity to prevail.  So I tasted success! 

I put my jacket and shirt back on after wiping dry my right arm, soaked all the way up to the socket bone. Long arms come in handy sometimes.

Next I found the triptych. Where Colin MacCasker, man sized again, rested his holy knuckles before having lunch, halfway through the project. Any one hundred foot giant, even a friendly one, would have required too much feeding, a whole flock of cattle or a herd of geese and a brewery sized drink so this way he made do with some normal sized sandwiches and a bucket of beer. Remarkable to see the marks after so long... but then you look at the nearby Arthur's Seat - What a big lad he must have been!

The last test was to find the holy face where Colin MacCasker rested at the end. If you look like this first thing in the morning and can stick your forked tongue down the separate holes to tickle the squirming sea wall creatures living deep within, spawned from Colin's drool as he slept overnight you too can claim kinship rights with this master builder.

Housing at Granton Harbour.

Painted Stones at Granton.

Close up of wind turbine ship.

Colourful cottages at Granton.

Ship passing Inchkeith. An island in the Firth of Forth.

Getting a different bus back to Princes Street and the city to city bus station. A no 16 to Torphin. I bet even some Edinburgh folk might struggle to locate Torphin on a map.  I love jumping around Edinburgh by local bus, so much to see that's new and different.

Granton Square, right next to Granton Harbour and the Eastern Breakwater where you can get off the no 19 bus if you don't fancy a Pilton traverse. But where's the fun in that?

 

Castle Semple Loch. RSPB Reserve. Lochwinnoch. A New Waterworld.

                                                 ALL PHOTOS CLICK FULL SCREEN.

This is a combination of two trips to the Castle Semple Water Park near Lochwinnoch. Renfrewshire has an abundance of hollows within its rolling folds of landscape and three separate lochs can be found here. Also around a dozen other lochs, reservoirs and ponds can be discovered in this area. It used to be fairly quiet and unknown but like everyplace else these days it was busy, especially as it was a summer Saturday on our first visit here recently. We being hillwalking friend Alan and I. ( I did notice on one visit to this blog AI had Alex and I down as a popular couple, due to the title. Obviously I'm not gay, never have been, and it was only because we started the blog together as hillwalking club members back then, fed up with rain every weekend, that we thought of the title. AI is not infallible... yet... but more on that later.  

Although we've both been to Castle Semple Water park over many decades, separately and together ( Damn! that sentence could be misconstrued as well!) neither of us had wandered around Lochwinnoch itself much preferring the countryside walks beyond the village. Local sports centre here.

I also used to come here for solo cycling on the network of quiet minor roads crisscrossing this area. Renfrewshire, Ayrshire, and Inverclyde form a large district of rolling green hills, usually under 1000 feet, but very scenic. Even these minor roads are busier than they used to be 10 to 20 years ago but luckily car parks are few and far between here so that limits the numbers.

Lochwinnoch sports grounds. Fortunately, we got one of the few remaining places in the car park, on that Saturday morning. As we'd done all the countryside walks here loads of times Alan suggested exploring the village, just out of curiosity.

Local church at Lochwinnoch.

Main shopping street.

Honey bee on musk mallow.

Painted Lady butterfly.

As it was the height of summer window boxes, street baskets, and the community garden had a range of different flowers... so seen at its best. Petunia here.

Courgette or winter squash flower. AI speculation as it was too early to see the growing veg yet.

White lacecap hydrangea.

Summer marigolds.

Ornate carved bench. It was while we were walking back to the car I noticed people out on Castle Semple Loch but not on paddle boards and boats. This should not happen normally in this familiar view so it didn't take us long to realise that a new boardwalk had been constructed across the thin ribbon of land, a crescent shape. So a brand new walk....

The next week had us parking in the correct location. A Friday morning this time. The RSPB nature reserve at Lochwinnoch, beside the train station. This car park was full so we parked nearby. We were soon at a hide in the bird reserve. Although I like taking photos of anything I'm not a dedicated birdwatcher. If birds are encountered on a walk I'll try to photograph them... and anything else interesting but I don't go out of my way to visit special reserves like this one.

AI informed me this was northern lapwings. Granted they are a good distance away but I suspected they were moorhens going by the white wing markings

 This is an adult caddisfly. AI got it right. It is a great tool but not always correct... at the moment. It will get better... surpassing humanity very quickly in the near future.

 A bunch of ducks. AI said Northern Lapwings again but I know they are ducks, just not which species. I did see lapwings later.( the middle one with the white stomach might be a lapwing.)

What we were here to see however was the new boardwalk... and we were not disappointed. This is the start and it runs for a considerable distance across Castle Semple Loch on a thin ribbon of dry land to the old castle and beyond. It may eventually complete a full circular walk across the loch on this ribbon of dry land but at the moment you have to return the same way to the bird reserve car park. If parking a car here and not a member there is a small fee paid as usual via a machine with credit card or smart phone presumably. For walkers arriving without a car it's free access. You can walk it on good scenic paths from Lochwinnoch Castle Semple Water Park but we'd done enough already on that previous village trip.

It is the best boardwalk I've been on in Scotland with water and swamps on both sides.

And great scenic views.

Not a lot of bird life on this occasion but that didn't matter to us on such a lovely day.

The ruined small castle. This was built by the landowner with canon installed to control the loch and who used it with rival landowners back then jealously guarding their property and all the resources within it. Access to thousands of fish and wildfowl each year as well as ice blocks in winter to preserve them so worth protecting.

This photo gives you a real feel of it. Dogs are allowed here as long as well behaved and under control at all times.

Looking across at Castle Semple and the Lochwinnoch Water Park car park from the boardwalk.

A true water world... without getting wet.

We were both very impressed by it. Separately.