Water of Leith Walkway
Water of Leith Walkway
4.5
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Water of Leith Walkway and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
1,446 within 3 miles
Attractions
505 within 6 miles
See what travellers are saying
- Cora BScherpenzeel, The Netherlands1,369 contributionsAmazing experienceThis walkway stretches over 18 km. I did the stretch starting at Dean Village. Amazing scenery and wildlife, dipper, dunnock, robin, wren, blue heron, chance of otter. Used by local joggers, dog walkers and tourists. Peaceful and serene. The visitor centre offers a nice exhibition, educational room, small shop and drinks and snacks.Visited May 2023Travelled soloWritten 23 May 2023
- Jenni K5 contributionsRelaxing walk along the riverThe Stockbridge Sunday market is a good way to start on the left side of the leith river. I´ts a wonderful green walkway and you don´t see the houses anymore until you come out at Dean Village. Especially cool on a hot day. We walked to the Modern Museums and we really enjoyed it.Visited June 2023Travelled with familyWritten 9 June 2023
- inhortoEdinburgh, United Kingdom43 contributionsWildlife and people watchingA five mile walk we often do - park at Balerno, walk to the Canal centre at Slateford for coffee, then catch the 44 bus back to Balerno. Picnic in Spylaw park. A woodland walk, cool on a hot day. Full of wild flowers and birds, with interesting houses and gardens to inspect. And it's all down hill! Feels like you're not in a city.Visited July 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 31 July 2023
- carol h1 contributionWalking part of the Waters of Leith.We have done part of this walk before..last time the sun shone brightly, the sky was blue. It made for a very beautiful few hours walk. This time it was overcast, and drizzly. So take a raincoat. The statues in the water are a novel way of marking the depth of the water. Lots of stunning photo opportunities. Highly recommended.Visited September 2023Travelled with familyWritten 30 September 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
694 reviews
Excellent
426
Very good
213
Average
41
Poor
8
Terrible
6
matthew p
Edinburgh, UK102 contributions
Mar 2024 • Solo
this is a nice place to walk to there is a visitor centre here at Lanark road if you walk to ingles green viaduct you can walk up the stairs and get very good views of the city and afar. if you walk down the stairs you can walk the walkway takes you into the woods.
Written 2 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
carol h
1 contribution
Sept 2023 • Family
We have done part of this walk before..last time the sun shone brightly, the sky was blue. It made for a very beautiful few hours walk. This time it was overcast, and drizzly. So take a raincoat. The statues in the water are a novel way of marking the depth of the water. Lots of stunning photo opportunities. Highly recommended.
Written 30 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
inhorto
Edinburgh, UK43 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
A five mile walk we often do - park at Balerno, walk to the Canal centre at Slateford for coffee, then catch the 44 bus back to Balerno. Picnic in Spylaw park. A woodland walk, cool on a hot day. Full of wild flowers and birds, with interesting houses and gardens to inspect. And it's all down hill! Feels like you're not in a city.
Written 31 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jenni K
5 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
The Stockbridge Sunday market is a good way to start on the left side of the leith river. I´ts a wonderful green walkway and you don´t see the houses anymore until you come out at Dean Village. Especially cool on a hot day. We walked to the Modern Museums and we really enjoyed it.
Written 9 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cora B
Scherpenzeel, The Netherlands1,369 contributions
May 2023 • Solo
This walkway stretches over 18 km. I did the stretch starting at Dean Village. Amazing scenery and wildlife, dipper, dunnock, robin, wren, blue heron, chance of otter. Used by local joggers, dog walkers and tourists. Peaceful and serene. The visitor centre offers a nice exhibition, educational room, small shop and drinks and snacks.
Written 23 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
schnitzel8
Bristol, UK31 contributions
Sept 2022 • Couples
Lovely walk along the river but quite often puzzling to find the route as the signposts sometimes just stopped. Especially tricky where it came up onto a road.
Written 9 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alfonso C
Paris, France333 contributions
Aug 2022
Just a few steps from the busy & crowded Old Town, we discovered the calm & refreshing walkway of "Water of Leith".
No restaurants, no bars, no noise... Just the sound of this small river flowing into the sea, the shadow of so many trees, and the view of some nice & old buildings.
highly recommended if you want 40 minutes of relax in this great & live city !
No restaurants, no bars, no noise... Just the sound of this small river flowing into the sea, the shadow of so many trees, and the view of some nice & old buildings.
highly recommended if you want 40 minutes of relax in this great & live city !
Written 1 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peter D
Edinburgh, UK2 contributions
Jan 2022
I am so glad that this review omits a great deal of the interesting facts about the Dean Village and the Water of Leith Walkway
These are secrets for you to discover
These are secrets for you to discover
Written 26 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DinaV
Zwaag, The Netherlands34 contributions
Jun 2022
just a lovely little town withing the town along the river. A lovely walk to the center of town. easy to walk to from Princes street or take the bus.
Written 22 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Neil McBeath
Muscat, Oman33 contributions
Jun 2022
I visited Dean Village by the Water of Leith, having seen a video about it on Youtube. It was one of the highlights of my recent visit to Edinburgh. The upper end of the Royal Mile has become a tourist trap, and Princes Street offers no shopping that cannot be found in any other city, but Dean Village has a unique, and highly un-Scottish flavour. It was almost like being in one of the owns of Alsace or the Rhineland.
Written 11 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Does any know if the visitors centre at Slateford is open at the moment on weekdays?
bsandrs
Portsmouth, UK23,078 contributions
If you look up the water of leith website and then “centre” this should help you, sadly I am unable to give the full link on this response. However there does seem to be limited opening although any exhibition is closed. Hours are limited.
Alhanouf
Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia48 contributions
I am so excited about this walk but I have no idea what the best route to make THE MOST OF IT. I will be staying in Edinburgh, Cityroomz and I appreciate if you can guide me through this. And how much time do I need if I am willing to take the whole walk? Thanks.
LadyCrawford3
Edinburgh, UK99 contributions
Hi, from where you are going to stay, the best route is from Modern Gallery on Belford Road, if you join here you can walk along to Stockbridge which is a lovely little village within the town. This isn't a particularly long walk, but it would give you a feel for it. You will pass St Bernard's Well with the amazing statue of Hygeia. From Stockbridge, where I suggest you have a look around, you can then join the path again to Canonmills, again another small part of Edinburgh with nice cafes and a few shops. I hope you enjoy your stay.
Erika D
64 contributions
Im travelling there at the end of August with a teenager and my husband wh's not a keen walker. I heard the entire walk takes about 2 1/2 to do, and that it's possible to choose any section. What would be the best recommended stretch in terms of history and scenery?
Jacqui T
East Anglia, UK46 contributions
The stretch from the Modern Art gallery to Dean village is not too long and very pretty and then you can go back into the city quite easily!
Laura C
Huddersfield, UK48 contributions
Is there access to both Edinburgh centre and Leith using this walkway? If I were to stay in one could I use this to get to the other?
niallgrant
Edinburgh, UK24 contributions
Yes there is. The walkway ends in Leith (next to a multitude of bars and restaurants) and you can access the city centre at Haymarket or Stockbridge. Both are a short walk into the city and signposted
Linda J
Montreal, Canada11 contributions
is the walkway safe for solo female?
Ugurd
Stockholm, Sweden7,678 contributions
We were there on a cold morning and did not see many other people. Only a local could tell if it's ok at all times. I would not go there after dark, but rather in the middle of the day. It is a popular walkway as I understand.
632Catherine
Edinburgh, UK4 contributions
Is the guided walk from Colinton to Slateford still on today?
David M
Adelaide, Australia1 contribution
Can I arrange Halong Bay tour through hotel or am I best to book online before travelling ?
Jaya1964
Kathmandu, Nepal
Can I walk alone all the way along?
mikeymanoatmeal
Edinburgh, UK27 contributions
You can indeed, however if you are worried about being lonely then I wouldn’t as if you went by yourself you’d be alone
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listingWATER OF LEITH WALKWAY: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Water of Leith Walkway
- According to Tripadvisor travellers, these are the best ways to experience Water of Leith Walkway:
- Award-winning circular cycle tour of Edinburgh! (From £85.57)
- Private Walk: Country in the City (From £234.29)
- Tour of the Water of Leith and Dean village (From £50.93)
- Private Dean Village Photography & History Tour, Edinburgh (From £216.47)
- Undiscovered Edinburgh on Foot (Dean Village) (From £18.33)
- Hotels near Water of Leith Walkway:
- (0.14 mi) Crosskeys Studios
- (0.18 mi) Slateford House 1770 by House of Danu
- (1.50 mi) The Lane Hotel
- (1.65 mi) Albyn Townhouse
- (1.85 mi) Castle Park Guest House
- Restaurants near Water of Leith Walkway:
- (0.13 mi) McDonald's
- (0.07 mi) Domino's Pizza - Edinburgh - Colinton
- (0.24 mi) Sainsbury's
- (0.30 mi) Imperial Palace
- (1.18 mi) Skyline Restaurant At Tynecastle Park