Water of Leith

The Water of Leith is an historic and fascinating river running through the centre of Edinburgh. The Water of Leith Walkway was completed in 2002. We will focus on the central section starting from Stockbridge and finishing at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern One). En route, we will see two Antony Gormley statues, a Greek inspired temple, a village in the heart of the city, and several bridges all alongside a lovely river flowing through the city. The walk is around 1.5 miles and we will stop at several locations. The path is generally flat but narrow in places. The path can be quite busy with other walkers and cyclists so please bear this in mind if you bring a tripod.

We plan to have lunch at the Modern One cafe. There are tables to eat outside if the weather is good enough. After lunch, if you wish to stay on, you can stroll around the grounds of Modern One and see other artworks including the striking land feature in front of the gallery designed by landscape architect Charles Jencks. You can also see a third Antony Gormley statue at the entrance to the gallery. Dean Cemetery is also nearby with access via the Modern Two gallery. Dean Cemetery became Edinburgh’s most fashionable garden cemetery in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Beneath its carefully-tended lawns lie many of the city’s finest of their day, and their stories encapsulate much of Edinburgh’s history - not just lawyers, doctors, merchants, politicians and university professors, but also engineers, scientists, explorers, artists, sculptors, writers and army officers amongst others.

Antony Gormley - 6 TIMES is a series of six sculptures created by Turner Prize-winning artist Antony Gormley. Commissioned by the National Galleries of Scotland, the six life-sized figures are positioned between the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and the Port of Leith. Four of the figures are sited in the Water of Leith itself, acting as gauges for the height of the river as it swells and recedes. We will pass two of these sculptures. A third is at the entrance to Modern One.

St Bernard's Well - A natural spring was discovered by three school boys whilst out fishing in the river in 1760. Lord Gardenstone, the Senator of the College of Justice, believed he had benefited from the health giving properties of the waters so commissioned Alexander Naysmith in 1788 to build this well. A circular temple created above the well features a statue of Hygeia, the Greek goddess of health and cleanliness. In 1888 the well was lavishly refurbished by the publisher William Nelson to include a mosaiced interior. Later the well was gifted to the city and finally closed in the 1960s, ironically due to the unhygienic nature of the water which was foul and sulphurous.

Dean Village - Today, Dean Village is a very attractive and desirable part of the city. The village is situated in a deep valley below the imposing Dean Bridge, offering a unique and scenic setting. It is hard to imagine that this was once Edinburgh’s industrial slum, home to 8 grain mills, a brewery, distillery, chemical works and skin factory. The area was known as the Village of the Water of Leith and it became the centre for flour milling under the Baxters, who owned all the mills and granaries. They supplied Edinburgh with all its flour until steam milling came to Leith in the 19th Century.