Union Canal, Edinburgh

6 miles / 9 km

This is the final part of the walk on the Union Canal from Falkirk to Edinburgh. This walk is mostly through the suburbs of Edinburgh and it has its charms. It is a fitting end to the Union Canal walk.

Easy

This walk is flat all the way... with the exception of the first half a mile/ one km, which is a long but not particularly steep climb from the railway station up to the canal. The rest is flat. Bring plenty of water here and some good shoes.




Train from Edinburgh Queen Street lower level to Edinburgh Park 2 - 3 times an hour.

Step of the train at Edinburgh Park railway station and cross the railway line on the footbridge. Cross the tramline too and the road next to the tramline at the signposted Hermiston Gait Retail Park. Head to the left here to this road going up the hill...




At the top of this road, Cultins Road, follow the signposts to the Union Canal. At the canal, take the towpath to the left in the direction of Edinburgh.



The two next pictures are from this part of the canal, the more rural parts of the canal.







There is some wildlife along the canal. That includes swans. I took this picture of the swan, gave it a wide berth not to disturb it and then walked on...only to be attacked by the same swan. It hit my now ex-rucksack pretty hard with both wings and beak. No damage done to me but the rucksack was not that lucky. That was the end of the life of my green rucksack; I discovered later that day. Which is another reason to treat all swans with respect and care. Swans are a bit of a hazard here in Scotland and along the canals.
I want a word with you, Mr/Mrs Swan....



The canal continues with a blend of suburbia and more rural parts, as in the couple of pictures below.






The Slateford Aqueduct crosses the Water Of Leith and reminds me that I still have this part of the Water Of Leith to do. It is on my to-do list for 2027. The surface here is reasonably good, although I am not a fan of cobblestones on aqueducts. A kind of surface only Union Canal got, and thankfully not the other canal. These two pictures are from this aqueduct.







The final mile / two kilometres is winding through a park and then some high rises block of flats before ending pretty close to the Haymarket railway station. These three pictures is from the end of this canal.









At the end of the canal, and do remember taking selfies here or ask someone else to take a picture of yourself and your achievement (yes, I got the obligatory selfies here), head for the Haymarket railway station (or the rest of Edinburgh if desired as Edinburgh Castle is just half a mile / one kilometre away) through Grove Street and then Morrissons Street to the Haymarket train station where this walk ends.

CityLink Bus 900 Edinburgh (the bus stops outside the railway station) - Glasgow 2 - 4 times an hour.
Train from Haymarket station to Glasgow 4 - 6 times an hour.