The classic walk option, for us, when you want some access to the sea, is to head down to Granton Harbour. You can walk along the beach, when the tide is down.
However, there is also a sea wall which goes out about half a mile, in an L-shape, and it’s great to get out closer to the sea. The best situation is when the wind is in the right direction, and you get a whiff of seaweed too…perfect for pretending you are on holiday.
Although we used to live just up the road from the Botanic Gardens and Inverleith Park, we can still get to either easily now. The park is a great place from which to watch fireworks, as you get clear views of the Edinburgh skyline. We tend to see more of the park, as it’s open for longer hours than the gardens, but both are good to visit.
There are also lots of cycle paths in the north of Edinburgh. At the start of September this year, we picked a bumper crop of brambles (blackberries to those down south), within half a mile of our flat. It’s possible to walk through much of Edinburgh along these paths.
When Dan and I were still at the ‘just good friends’ stage, we used to walk between our flats through the Grange area of south Edinburgh. North Edinburgh offers Trinity instead, with some of the beautiful houses also having sea views.
Walking around the area of Boswall, also not far away, we can pass under an avenue of trees at the right times of year. We also see urban foxes from time to time. Some months back, returning home quite late, Dan even saw a badger crossing one of the main roads. Not exactly out in the countryside here, but good not to feel it’s too far away.
