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Dave Henniker Edinburgh West page 8
Between Polwarth and Murrayfield
Western Approach Road and Russell Road - Murrayfield & Roseburn Slideshow
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Looking east towards Lothian Road and Edinburgh city centre from the Western Approach slip road junction at Dundee Street. The Fountainpark building on the right is home to various leisure pursuits. | |
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The sign here incorrectly labels the road as West Approach Road and someone has tried to add the missing three letters by hand. I did not investigate the contents of the plastic bag tied to the railings. Donaldson's School's green turrets are in the distance on the left and further along are the chimney near Haymarket and the spires of St Mary's Cathedral. | |
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West-bound traffic is piled up here due partly due to the temporary closure of Ardmillan Terrace. In the distance Grove Street and Gardner's Crescent cross over this former railway line. Behind lies the cylindrical building of the EICC. | |
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A damp day highlights the tarmac, creating a P shape contrasting with the grassy embankments. | |
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The slip road from Dundee Street has copious warning signs. Vehicles driving down this ramp merge with the traffic from the Westfield Road and Roseburn Street junction near Murrayfield Rugby Ground. | |
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Probably a rarely seen view of some of the bowels of Fountainpark. When I saw this I thought Lara Croft would have some fun here (I'm playing Tomb Raider Underworld just now). | |
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The traffic lights ahead control this road, Dundee Street (changes its name to Angle Park Terrace at the Diggers pub ahead) and a Western Approach Road exit opposite Henderson Terrace on the right. To the right of the nearest lamp post is the top of Coffin Lane which leads down to Dalry Road past Dalry Cemetery. | |
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Photographed from the footbridge over the former railway line which separates Dundee Terrace from Dundee Street. Drivers may exit here if not continuing to the end of the Western Approach Road at Murrayfield. | |
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This is the view up Henderson Terrace towards Dundee Street. The Diggers is at the top on the right. The cemetery is behind the high stone wall on the left. See the Dalry page for more of this area. | |
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The Diggers pub - need I say more? | |
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Two strange little tenements sandwiched between the more common 4 storey blocks. This one-way street is compulsory for drivers descending Henderson Terrace and not entering Gorgie Road, but a few make illegal turns across the Green Man pedestrian signals. | |
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As you leave Murieston and Dalry areas, the appearance gets a bit seedy. The bridge ahead carries rail traffic from Haymarket to Slateford and beyond. | |
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This is how it looks coming the other way. A convenient drainpipe and ladders provide access to the rooves for graffiti artists. | |
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The view over the park from Murieston Road to Murieston Crescent. The park is very popular with parents and children. Older guys often play cricket here, too. | |
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Two shots of the former railway bridge which carries the Western Approach Road across Russell Road. In this south facing view, if you pass under the bridge then you can turn left into Murieston Crescent or right into McLeod Street. Iggy Pop seems to have sold out to insurance companies... | |
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A sunnier view facing north. Motorists are well advised not to park here if there's a rugby match at nearby Murrayfield Stadium. | |
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One of this street's 2 right angle bends. The ramp is the end of the Roseburn Cycle Path. One day trams might pass by here. There's been a little bit of occasional preparatory work in February 2010. | |
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The drainage and general upkeep of the area has been somewhat neglected. After a shower the footpath gets flooded. Some water (not a lot) has passed under the bridge. | |
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The road is cracking up. There are lots of potholes at the corner beside the cycle path. | |
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At nearby Roseburn there was a sign directing rugby fans on foot along this flooded road. If the flooding gets worse then some people could be tempted to cross several main line railways or face a 45 minute detour. | |
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The nearest ways across are the Haymarket junction or Westfield Avenue if the road is flooded under the bridge. | |
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There hadn't even been that much rain. Photographed a few weeks after the previous flood. | |
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Not even a drop in the ocean compared to Pakistan or China's floods, but unnecessary considering the public money being spent at this site on the allegedly forthcoming trams. Photographed in August 2010. | |
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A few items juxtaposed here aren't normally seen together. This view from the cyclepath shows an LRT bus on the Western Approach Road. The gantries in front are for electric trains; the bigger ones behind are Tynecastle Stadium. Craiglockhart Campus is backed by Howden Glen and White Hill in the Pentlands. | |
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Roseburn Cycle Path to be closed for 13 months advises this notice. Originally, the new trams were going to run along this former railway line all the way to Granton, but money wasn't forthcoming after various financial fiascos. | |
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Edinburgh Trams September 2011: Russell Road closed for a year (again) almost probably. 'Pedestrian/ cycle access maintained in both directions along Russell Road. PDF here | |
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Many drivers will have waited opposite this red sandstone building at this junction between the busy main road (Roseburn Terrace is part of the old A8 west route) and Roseburn Street. The luxury car showroom is now empty of Porsches and other gas-guzzlers. | |
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Originally carrying rail traffic, this bridge now carries road traffic along the West Approach Road Between Dundee Street and Westfield Road. |
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Just round the corner at the entrance to Murieston Crescent (see Dalry page) is this bridge which carries an electrified rail line going south to Slateford and Kingsknowe. | |
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The picture Russell Rd 15 above warns that the cycle path is to be closed - but it now transpires that this important cross-town route is also to be closed. | |
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Alternative routes are some considerable distance away. A 14 month closure won't be popular. You can download the old official Trams PDF here. See Russell Rd 29 above. | |
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The end of September 2011 saw the road finally being closed. The large S on the bridge denotes the south side. Pedestrians and pedal cyclists are able to pass under the bridge - but see 35 below. | |
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Under the north end looking south towards Dalry and Gorgie. | |
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The footpath (cyclepath) is indeed closed although I saw a few stubborn types forcing their way past only to encounter more less easily moved fences further up blocking their path. | |
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I also saw countless motorists failing to notice or react to the ROAD AHEAD CLOSED sign. | |
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Looking along the east-west section of the road towards the closed Roseburn cyclepath. | |
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More fences have been erected prior to the construction of a new bridge for trams. | |
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The first thing they did after closing the road was to make this big pile of rubble on the road. The same material is being used to widen the railway embankment. | |
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Intriguingly they're collecting the water run-off from the existing railway bridge in this large polythene container. Its prime component, should they wish to analyse it, will probably be pigeon crap. | |
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Cyclists who have lost the use of this valuable access may be interested in the metal stairway pictured here. I don't know if this is of any significance for cyclists. | |
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The east end of the bridge has had the adjacent ground excavated and reinforced under the train tracks. Rail traffic might have to proceed with care past here meantime. | |
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Heavy rain on this day (17th October 2011) but the workmen continue their task of reinforcing the existing railway embankment. | |
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A cyclist wends his way through the puddles as I shelter under the bridge. | |
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First look at the reinforced railway embankment at the west end of the bridge, north side. | |
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The rubble has been cleared away now it's no longer needed to support the drilling machinery. The trams will pass overhead at this point on a new bridge. | |
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This new concrete wall isn't parallel to the railway but veers away at an angle. | |
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At the east end of the railway bridge some of the original stonework lies demolished on the ground. | |
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The demolished stonework as seen from just under the north side of the bridge. |
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A plateau of red rubble has been created again, presumably to provide a platform for some heavy bridge building equipment. Tramworks pictures continued on page 11. | |
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Low sun in the west creates long shadows across the grass. | |
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A popular east-west cycle route for those trying to avoid busy Corstorphine Road which lies on the north bank of the Water of Leith behind the railings. This area including the park and rugby ground is the river's floodplain and may indeed be flooded after long periods of heavy rain. | |
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Used by cricketers, this pavilion got a new paint job in 2010. I decided to photograph it because it's bound to be vandalised by adolescent males who can't make their mark on the world except by clumsy scrawls. Rarely do I see any good grafitti. | |
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Looking over the flood barrier towards Murrayfield Rugby Stadium on a sunny September day. | |
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A bit further west (on a gloomier day). The ice rink is framed by bare winter trees. | |
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A couple of pictures of Murrayfield Rugby Ground which has played host to The Eagles and Oasis. Some local residents have been less than enamoured with the behaviour of some fans. | |
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Countless thousands of sports fans and music fans have passed through these turnstiles in Roseburn Street. Official Murrayfield Website | |
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Under the pedestrian bridge from Riversdale Road some seeds have lodged in cracks in the stonework. These have germinated and decorated the wall. | |
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Infrared view up-river from the footbridge. Riversdale Road is on the right and Murrayfield Ice Rink is behind the trees on the left. June 2010. | |
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While waiting for the ice rink to open this fungus caught my eye. I was intrigued by the way the mould had moulded itself round the metal. | |
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In Riversdale Road outside the medical centre (on the left). Across the footbridge, part of Murrayfield Stadium can be seen. The ice rink is to its right. (The icy appearance of foliage is just the infrared reflection.) | |
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At the corner of Murrayfield Road a car's shiny bits make patterns in this ΒΌ second exposure. The bus is a blur. Infrared R72 filter. | |
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At the centre of Roseburn Park looking towards the east end. This is part of the flood plain that is home to Murrayfield Stadium and Murrayfield Ice Rink. There are flood barriers at Roseburn Crescent. | |
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The natural flood plain extends as far as Gorgie. The part visible here can be sacrificed under flood waters to save houses further down the Water of Leith. The hump on the path is the height of the flood barrier. The river runs behind the trees on the right. | |
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To the right of the flood barrier picture above is this new home just across the river. People passing by have watched this being built on the end of an existing stone-built terrace. The riverbank has also been reinforced. When the trees are in leaf it won't be so easy to see across. | |
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The Water of Leith Walkway passes through Roseburn Park which is safe for kids on bikes or skates. An occasional car may go to the cricket pavilion after the driver unlocks the gate. If rugby fans or concert goers have come to the wrong entrance e.g. the one beside the ice rink then it's a long walk round the arena. I'd say go clockwise - left in this view. | |
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The only part of Russell Road I could find that isn't disgusting. | |
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The video below was taken just after this still. This poor woman waded through the filthy water but I took the long detour to Haymarket for my walk home. | |
Russell Road Flooding on Friday 8th July 2011
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At the end of August 2011 it now seems that the trams will pass this way from the airport, though not any further than Haymarket. Meantime someone has brought a stencil and an aerosol along to decorate the wall at the corner with white paint. |
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or Water of Leith from Source to Shore also Murrayfield & Roseburn Slideshow