Edinburgh Outdoors

Join me on a walk around the Water of Leith Basins to discover how the Friends group (aka FOWLB) manages the area with volunteer, swan expert, wildlife enthusiast and belly dancer, Hilary Thacker.  

Hilary taught me so much about swans and their conservation and I went along with her to spot swans on the water, help feed them and to hear about the history of the area. 

We met at Basin 3 HERE

We crossed bridges: Great Junction Street, Sandport and Victoria Swing Bridge

You can view the barrages that collect waste HERE

The beautiful wee garden is HERE

FOWLB has a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfTheWaterOfLeithBasin/

Hilary's Wildlife page is here: https://www.facebook.com/people/Hilarys-wildlife/61580799722901/

You can also volunteer on some other projects via the Water of Leith Conservation Trust: https://www.waterofleith.org.uk/

You can find my previous episode with the Water of Leith Conservation Trust: https://edinburghoutdoors.podbean.com/e/hugging-trees-on-the-water-of-leith/

Pictures can be viewed on my Substack page https://edinburghoutdoors.substack.com/p/edinburgh-outdoors-podcast

There is also Instagram: @edinburghoutdoors_

And a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/edinburghoutdoors/

Horticulturalist, Emily Hairstans, was the recent winner of Scotland's Home of the Year TV programme.  Her garden featured heavily in the judges' praise for the 'Homegrown Hoose'.  I met with Emily in her garden and with chickens clucking around us, we talked about her horticultural career and of course, some behind the scenes insights from being part of the programme. 

So if you are a SHOTY fan, this is the episode for you!  If you aren't, you may still enjoy the gardening, chicken and Edinburgh chat ...

Emily gardens at the Collective on Calton Hill and you can see the garden HERE

For photographs check out my Substack: https://edinburghoutdoors.substack.com/p/edinburgh-outdoors-podcast

Edinburgh Outdoors is also on Instagram: @edinburghoutdoors_

and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edinburghoutdoors/

And even sometimes on TikTok! @edinburgh.outdoor

Hawthorn Bank Walled Garden in South Queensferry is home to a huge mosaic created by local people, set within a tranquil and beautiful garden.

I met up with GreenFerry, the team behind local gardening and floral displays who also maintain the garden and then met Gary and Mike, the locals behind the creation of a stunning and fascinating mosaic depicting life in South Queensferry. 

You can visit the garden and see the mosaic: HERE

Follow GreenFerry on Facebook and find about volunteering too: https://www.facebook.com/GreenFerrySQ/

Learn more about Scotland's Garden Scheme: https://scotlandsgardens.org/

View pictures of the site and work behind its restoration on the Edinburgh Outdoors Substack page: https://edinburghoutdoors.substack.com/p/edinburgh-outdoors-podcast

You can also follow Edinburgh Outdoors on Instagram: @edinburghoutdoors_

Warning: this podcast contains adult themes and language some people might find offensive.

Set in Edinburgh and Leith Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh was a book set in the 80s drug scene and was later made into a popular film.   I met up with Tim Bell, author of Choose Life, Choose Leith: Trainspotting on Location to follow a chapter of the original Irvine Welsh novel which starts at the back of Waverley Station and heads down Leith Walk to Leith Central Station.  On our way Tim read extracts from Trainspotting and gave insights into how the locations have changed since the 80s and we talked drug dealing, why the book has its name, interviewing dealers in prison and a range of hair-raising anecdotes. 

If you want to follow in our footsteps:

Calton Road entrance to the station is HERE

The Playhouse is HERE

Albert Street is HERE

The Boundary Bar is HERE

The former Tommy Younger's pub is now the Harp & Castle: HERE

Leith Central Station facade is HERE

Leith Dockers' Club is HERE

You can find photographs of Leith Central Station on Capital Collections or on former guest, Kenneth Williamson's site: https://www.trainbuff.net/

To read Tim Bell's book: https://www.toppingbooks.co.uk/books/?prod_bibliographic_data%5Bquery%5D=choose+life+choose+leith

His website is here: https://www.leithwalks.co.uk/

As always, my substack has reviews and pictures from some of my episodes: https://edinburghoutdoors.substack.com/p/edinburgh-outdoors-podcast

Join me as I head out with historian Hetty Lancaster of Hetty's History Walks to discover the history of Abbeyhill and its Colonies.  We toured old industrial sites, spotted ghost signs and repurposed buildings and Hetty told me all about Edinburgh's unique housing developments: the Colonies.

To follow our tour yourself:

We started at Meadowbank Shopping Centre and walked to the former Dunbar water factory ghost sign HERE

We viewed the former Redpath Brown factory on Albion Road HERE

The former shop at Sunnyside is viewed from Bothwell St HERE

The printwork and houses on Edina Place HERE

The Abbeyhill Colonies are HERE

You can view a copy of the railway map on Edinphoto 

To read Hetty's article on the Colonies and see old photographs: https://www.colonyofartists.co.uk/history

You can find Hetty's History Walks on her website: https://www.hettyshistorywalks.co.uk/