Kinneil Estate in Bo'ness on the Forth Estuary is a brilliant place to discover history from Romans to the present day. With a Roman fortlet, a grand old tower house, the location of James Watt's original workshop, ruined villages, birdlife on the loch and much more, it's a great place for a day out discovering the area.
I met with Adrian Mahoney of the Bo'net group to find out all about the Estate and about it's tiny museum which is under threat. Join me on a grand day out!
You can find the Estate HERE
The Roman fortlet is HERE
The nature reserve is HERE
Bo'net: https://bonet.org.uk/
Friends of Kinneil: https://kinneil.org.uk/friends/
For the audio trail of the estate visit Izzy Travel and/or download the app: https://izi.travel/en
The Historic Environment Scotland site for Kinneil House: https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/kinneil-house/
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Lauriston Agroecology Farm and community
Lauriston Farm is an inspiring local collective that is transforming a former traditional farm into a biodiverse space that includes community allotments, woodland spaces and a market garden producing food for communities. I had a wander round with Grower, Dav Shand to find out about their food poverty programme, discover what agroecology is and to understand more about their food production, partnerships and vision. We saw the thousands of trees planted on the side of the Forth and the many initiatives introduced by the workers' cooperative. You can visit the community spaces and woodland and also attend workshops and open days at the Farm itself. It's a terrific example of an inspired community of people working together for good.
To visit you can go HERE
The farm and community have a website: https://www.lauristonfarm.scot/
To find out more about open days: https://www.lauristonfarm.scot/events/
They are on Instagram too: https://www.instagram.com/eaclauristonfarm
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A Stockbridge Stroll with Hetty's History Walks
How often when walking round Edinburgh do you look up? Podcast regular, Hetty Lancaster of Hetty's History Walks, took me on a walk around Stockbridge in the north of the city, to look at historic gems hidden in plain sight.
From the original Stockbridge Market and the history of market gardening to the ornate and bizarre gateposts around the original Inverleith Estate, we discovered things you may walk past every day, but never notice.
We started out at Duncansland HERE
We walked down the Water of Leith from HERE
The Falshaw Bridge is HERE
You can find the picture we discuss on the Capital Collections website HERE
The gateposts with the strange lions are HERE
Plant Alley and the boating pond is HERE
The Sundial Garden is HERE
The final gateposts are opposite the John Hope Gateway HERE
Hetty's History Walks organises group and private walks around the city: https://www.hettyshistorywalks.co.uk/
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Park Life on Montgomery Street
Find out about the brilliant Friends of Montgomery Street Park who have brought real joy to volunteering. I went along to see how a Council owned park between Leith Walk and Easter Road has been transformed into a wildlife spot and a haven for local residents. A former bowling green, the site now has fruit trees, a wildflower meadow, spring bulbs and a rejuvenated playpark. The team has also created a groundbreaking community magazine, Parklife, working with local artists, journalists, writers and designers to produce a stunning publication.
My visit began finding out about Parklife and volunteering, then ended with a great conversation about "Ecotherapy", getting married on Calton Hill and as always, some favourite spots across the city.
Montgomery Street Park is HERE
The artist who has transformed the helter skelter into artworks is Paul Meikle: https://paulypocket.com/about/
Follow or find out more about the Friends of Montgomery Street Park HERE
They are also on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/montgomerystreetpark
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Siccar Point and the Deep Time Trail
Siccar Point near Cockburnspath is a stunning viewpoint where Father of Geology James Hutton, found evidence to support his theories which influenced modern day geology. It's a great walk with superb views and is going to be transformed through a project spearheaded by the Edinburgh Geological Society. The project will bring improved access and interpretation for visitors and its launch will coincide with the James Hutton Tercentenary in 2026.
I stepped out along the cliffs with podcast regular, geologist Angus Miller, to find out why Siccar Point is so significant and to learn more about the crowdfunding campaign for this important project.
To find out more about James Hutton, his influence and the Tercentenary, visit: https://james-hutton.org/
To read about the project, the crowdfunder, the Dynamic Earth event and how you can get hold of some of the 'rewards': https://edinburghgeolsoc.org/support-the-deep-time-trail/
The crowdfunder, including a film about the site, is HERE
To learn about the James Hutton Insititute: https://www.hutton.ac.uk/
The Scottish Geology Trust is here: https://www.scottishgeologytrust.org/
Angus and I met HERE
And the viewpoint is HERE
Edinburgh Outdoors is a podcast exploring the city’s green spaces and the people in them. From community gardens to secret spaces, learning about the city’s history or just finding a space to breathe, getting outside brings benefit to everyone, and being outdoors in Edinburgh is the best place to be!
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