Manchester/Scotland 2025 - Edinburgh Water of Leith Walkway from Dean Village to Stockbridge (2/2)

Continuing our walk on the Water of Leith Waterway, we soon arrived at what looked like a park? I want to say urban park cause things started to look a lot more organised and erm, arranged? Man made! Yes, that's the word. 

This is St Bernard's Well. You can read the history of the well here. You would think it would be a very lovely history, but it was actually not! I mean, it looked so pretty and roman-looking, but it was a tragic tale of water contamination and poisoning. If you're a fan of Frankenstein, you might want to visit this site as it was mentioned in the book. I've never related Frankenstein with Edinburgh before. Funny how my world is now collapsing in the more I travel, especially in Europe where my books and stories are mainly focus on.

A peaceful looking sight. 

 

Fun wordings: "The Liberal Deviseth Liberal Things". Of course I have to Google it now, and there is a part two to that wordings! "And by Liberal Things Shall He Stand".  I think I took this of the wordings, and I identified more towards liberalism.  

More park like structure as we continued on our walk. 

Duck! I always love seeing ducks. Wish I could feed them, but I don't have any food on me. And after watching Good Omens, apparently you're not suppose to feed them bread. The correct things to feed them with was frozen peas. Ha! I would have never guess that!

Finally, coming to the end of our walk! Looks like we're hitting a town with all that concrete!

Husband walking though a concrete tunnel and into a proper road. Welcome to Stockbridge!

Love this colourful sign that welcomed us. I think this was a side street we came out from. I think we went back again and sat at one of the residential garden to eat our lunch that day.

One of my favourite find at Stockbridge was this art piece on the river. I wonder how many people actually spotted it. I love it! I know that there is also one of a metal man looking out in one of the Loch/River in Scotland, and I wasn't going to get to see that on my trip, so this naked guy here was a very nice consolation prize for me :)

Manchester/Scotland 2025 - Edinburgh Water of Leith Walkway from Dean Village to Stockbridge (1/2)

 

Very confusing signs..... Have faith! Just following the river!!!

From Dean Village, we started following the river via the Water of Leith Waterway. I've read that it would lead us to Stockbridge in maybe less than one hour? I have no expectation for this walk, or know what I will encounter here. So it's just a, let's go for a walk and see what we will find! So far, it started out great, with lovely waters and waterfall. 

Lovely, probably manmade, waterfall along the way. We met a lot of nice doggies along the path. Most were just running on their own, but they were so well behave! None came to disturb us. Most obey their master via command or whistle. It was amazing to watch them, so different from the dogs in Asia who are so naughty and pampered. Here, the dogs seems to be happier too, cause since they are so well behave, they are allowed everywhere without leash. They were free to jump into the water and play around too, but with a whistle from their master, they immediate went back by the master's side. So lovely so see.

Most of the area was residential area. I bet these places were high value residence? Cause the surrounding was just so green and natural. 

Our way would lead us pass St Bernard's Well, as well as Mirrer Row, so those were the landmark that we knew we have to hit on our way there. 

Coming towards the Miller Row area, buildings that used to be miller? I love that all the buildings here are yellow. It's just so French! I was recently also in Hoi An Vietnam, and that small town also has buildings mainly in yellow colour. 

Miller Row. Magnificent looking buildings. 

There were also viaducts? Or were they bridges along the way. I love their architecture. They were very high up and huge, so very Lord Of The Ring vibe, especially when you see them from the forest area, or when one leads directly to a church-like building, it almost felt like I was walking IRL in my fantasy books! Everything was just so magical!

There were some more organised park area, and here you could find some information signs telling you more about Dean Village and it's history. 

From Dean Village to Miller Row, the path was mainly jungle-track-like, but from Miller Row onwards, the path was straight and well maintained and felt more like a garden. I would say I like the path before Miller Row better as it was a lot wilder. We found some weird 'arrangement' on some parts too, kinda looked more like mystical arrangement or something. I did took a photo, but I decided not to show it here out of respect for 'whatever-that-was'.  I knew that people do leave signs on the ground for blessing, for fairy folk, but those I saw was none of those.... 

Lovely looking view of bridge and water, blue skies and old building. I would say proper English country side, except this was in Scotland. Is it still the same thing? Would the Scotts get offended?

Ah, I got a photo of the wilder path of our walk. Almost all our trips involved one of these path, lol. Some people commented that our trips were like jungle tracking. But I really love walking through places like this. And I guess almost every trip, even when I travel solo, I include a day or two of hiking if I could help it. So that I could just feel free, away from the crowd and in nature. Nothing makes you see how beautiful the world is in nature, as compared to a city. 

How could you not love pictures like this? 

Or this? 

My Lord of the Ring moment, the viaduct leading to a church. I could almost imagine a carriage with horses running across it, or elves on white horses riding in. And I'm just a troll under the bridge admiring them from afar.... lol

Gotta take some wefie with this lovely view.

And a selfie too!

Manchester/Scotland 2025 - Edinburgh Dean Village

 

It was hard to tell when we reached Dean Village. There wasn't a very clear sign pointing you to the place. Probably because this is a residential area more than a tourist attraction, and it was considered one of the hidden gem of Edinburgh. I wanted to come here mainly for the river view. The place we ended up with was Belford Road. There was a church nearly, and some sakura trees too, so we briefly got distracted there. We knew we were nearby, but some places just takes faith to find them!

And by faith I meant that you have to have faith and bravely walked into small alley that seems to lead to someone else's apartment area! Lol. I don't know if this is the official way people usually ended up in Dean Village, but it was definitely ours! We had to walk in via some residential area, and we found these yellow looking Tudor buildings. It kinda looked like a village housing, yet they were concrete, and well, looked like a modern themed apartment.

Walking by them, and finding some stone stairs that seems to lead downwards, we eventually found the river! I believe it was called the Water of Leith, and the was a Waterway that you could follow that lead you all teh way to Leith! That's another place I wish I have more time and money to explore! 

The apartment view, with the bridge and the water below. This alone was already beautiful!

Here is the view from the other side of the review, more apartments. But I've saved the best for last. The view wasn't from either side of the river, it was from the middle of the river looking up!

And here is the morning sunrise view of Dean Village. Yes, I know it's a bit bright to see the beauty, but I will have more photos below. I just wanted to show you the sun ray shinning on the river. And yes, you could make your way all the way to the river to take your photo, or just stay on the bridge or side of it I recommend you just go down the river bank cause the angle is so much better there, and you get better wider view of the river and the buildings. 

Here you go, a nice sleepier photo of Dean Village. It's very old village feel to it. Calm and peaceful. Almost french :P Like perhaps Belle could have lived here, and maybe do her laundry by the river?

The clouds and sky was fabulous that day. 

It almost looked like a painting, doesn't it?

I am not sure if above is still at the same site, but it's definitely the same river! You could see my husband walking up the slope. We were looking to see how to start out walk into the Water of Leith Waterway. I can't say the signs were that helpful. But with the help of Google Map, we eventually found ourselves on the right path.

You little sneaky sign! 

Us at the bank of the river at Dean Village.

Just me with my sun ray <3  

Manchester/Scotland 2025 - Edinburgh Sunday Morning Walk to Dean Village

The walk to Dean's Village from Waverley was a lovely walk and took maybe 40minutes? The only issue we had was identifying the entrance to Dean Village, but after that, the rest of the walk, even to Stockbridge was just as lovely if not so! 

Here are photos of some of the spot we walked pass as we make ourselves there, first going through the Princes Street Garden.

The path from the garden also lead us towards the National Gallery, which we didn't visit on our previous trip, but will surely be visiting in the next upcoming trip! It was such a lovely building right in the middle of the garden too! There are actually 4 National Galleries in Edinburgh alone! I am just aiming for 2 next trip. Actually, I have a feeling I will keep going back to Scotland.... 

The parallel road Princes Street and Princess Street Garden. Given a choice, do walk inside the garden!

View of the castle on your walk. The castle is never far from view in Edinburgh.

Here is the view from Princes Street looking towards the National Gallery and towards the old town. The Royal Mile is just beyond those tall buildings behind! It's almost a joke that you have to walk downhill towards the garden, and then climb all the way up again to the Royal Mile. 

My fairy tale imagine of Edinburgh Castle with Sakura flowers. Isn't it strange, that my motivation to visit Scotland is mixed with my love for Japanese culture? My mind was so stuck that I never imagined that sakura viewing could be done anywhere except Japan! And especially not in Western country, those western people surely can't appreciate the beauty of these lovely pink flowers. Thank goodness for Facebook and what it has shown me is possible! No matter what people say about social media, it does opened up my world a lot!

More views of Edinburgh Castle and pink flowers on trees. This is such a dramatic looking castle. I just love it! Next on my goal is to view these from a cafe in a bookshop. I hope I have time for that!

The Royal Scottish Academy building door. Couldn't go inside. I wonder if this was just a school?

Soon we were walking more and more away from the New Town that I know off, and came across Johnnie Walker experience shop. Ah, I have yet to have a whiskey tasting in Scotland! How dare me! I must get that situation rectified on my next adventure there!

Walked pass a lot of big buildings. The road seems to get wider and wider after St Cuthbert Kirkyard. 

From this crossroad onwards, I think we were out of the new town? Cause it looked more like residential neighbourhood after this. There were buses running up and down the road, and people grocery shopping and just about going about their normal Sunday morning. 

We also walked by this cool building which at first we thought it was a church, but turns out its just a restaurant. No wonder dining out is so expensive here, every meal seems like a theatre experience!