Bruntsfield & Beyond

Slateford and Union Canal part 1

Includes Watson Crescent and Yeaman Place
Union Canal at Dorset Place (between Viewforth and Yeaman Place / Polwarth Crescent

Slateford 0
800 x 600
175K
Beside the Water of Leith, near the Tickled Trout pub at Slateford, stands this quaint little building.
Slateford 3
1024 x 768
269K
Another picture showing the arched entrance.
Slateford 5
576 x 768
155K
A wide-angle shot of the wee building showing the wooden bridge over the wee burn that feeds into the Water of Leith.
Canal
613 x 515
110K

A study of reflections in the Union Canal near Polwarth and Meggetland.

Aqueduct
800 x 600
89K
This is the footpath / cycle-path over the Slateford Aqueduct - which carries the Union Canal over the Water of Leith and Inglis Green Road. Photographed on a rainy day as we walked back towards town.
Slateford 12
1152 x 864
260K
Now that the Union Canal is navigable again from Tollcross to the Falkirk Wheel it's possible for families to travel by motorboat. Careful navigation can be needed to avoid ducks, swans, coots etc, as well as other boats and people fishing. In this picture the voyagers are approaching the Slateford Aqueduct.
Nola's Ark
1280 x 854
227K
The Union Canal had a thin skin of ice on Christmas Day 2007. Photograph of Nola's Ark taken beside Harrison Park.
Union Canal
frosty grass

1280 x 854
307K
Further west at Craiglockhart I took this shot of the frosty grass on the canal bank.
Meggetland
Bridge

1280 x 854
346K
This is where you'd leave the canal if you were heading for Happy Valley. The low winter sun makes the frosty tarmac glisten.
Polwarth Canal Bridge
1152 x 864
237K
Polwarth Crescent crosses the Union Canal and changes into Yeaman Place at this recently repainted bridge.
The same bridge as seen from the canal towpath. To get to the canalside from this bridge it's necessary to go Viewforth 360m to the east, or heading out of town, about double the distance to Harrison Road.
A wider view of the same subject.
Watson Crescent
Canal

1152 x 864
330K
Looking back towards Yeaman Place with the rear of Watson Crescent visible on the left bank. Temple Park Crescent is out of sight on the right (south) bank behind the tree.
Watson Crescent Canal 03
1152 x 864
312K
Facing the opposite direction (west) from the Yeaman Place / Polwarth Crescent bridge. The Union Canal is contiguous these days; consequently there's some traffic once again, specifically this colourful craft.
Yeaman Place
1280 x 849
284K
The Union Canal passes under the bridge just past the red shop front. Watson Crescent is on the right between the Golden Rule pub and Edinburgh Diving Centre. Yeaman Place changes its name to Polwarth Crescent once it crosses the canal bridge.
Winter of 2009/2010 and there are youngsters walking on the frozen canal. Under the bridge at Yeaman Place there is still a tiny unfrozen patch with a few ducks. Ice is supposed to be 20cm thick to support people safely.
Canal 8
1280 x 944
307K
The sun was setting as I walked home from the ice rink so I grabbed a couple of snaps with my compact camera. The ice and snow had disappeared for a day or two but there's new patches of ice forming now.
Canal 7
1280 x 851
315K
Zoomed in on the footprints made by coots and moorhens walking on a coating of snow on the thin ice.
Yeaman Place
to Viewforth

1234 x 1024
435K
At the other side of the bridge which connects Yeaman Place to Polwarth Crescent, facing east. More of the canal is frozen here and the footprints of birds are everywhere. The next bridge is at Viewforth and there's access to the canal towpath there, or at Harrison Road further south west.
Yeaman Place
Dalton's

1280 x 956
254K
Long established beside the Union Canal is Dalton's scrapyard where I once sold some copper back in the '60s. Some wag has come specially prepared with blue paint to make his facetious alterations to the lettering.

more Slateford, Union Canal + Western Approach Road
Union Canal at Dorset Place (between Viewforth and Yeaman Place / Polwarth Crescent
back to Bruntsfield and Beyond A-Z