Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
hewn from a 30-ton block of marble by John Steell. From here you have good
views up to Calton Hill's monuments.
Adjacent is:
18
East Princes Street Gardens
It took many years to completely drain the old Nor' Loch, and the park that now
fills the valley was begun in 1830. The designs had to be altered in the wake of
the construction of the railway lines into Waverley Station. The panoramic view
of Old Town rising to Ramsay Garden and the Castle are memorable. West on
the other side of the Mound, where this stroll began, is West Princes Street
Gardens, with a band shell, fountain, carousel ride, and paths that scale Castle
Rock.
WALKING TOUR 4:
LEITH
START:
9
Foot of Leith Walk.
FINISH:
Newkirk Shopping Mall.
TIME:
About 1 hour.
BEST TIME:
Daytime.
WORST TIME:
Late at night.
Edinburgh's port was established at a natural harbor, formed where the Water of
Leith feeds into the sea at the broad Firth of Forth. Briefly, Leith was Scotland's de
facto capital during the interim rule of Mary of Guise. Her daughter, Mary, Queen
of Scots landed famously at the town in 1561. Almost a century later, Oliver Crom-
well built a fort at the port, later used by Highlanders trying in vain to reinstate the
Stuart line of kings. Leith was long an independent burgh, only incorporated into
Edinburgh in the 20th century. Today it is a diverse area and something of a foodie
paradise, with three restaurants considered among the best in Britain.
From the statue of Queen Victoria, walk north on Constitution Street, turning right
(east) at Links Lane, which leads to:
1
Leith Links
Older than Bruntsfield Links in Edinburgh's Southside, Leith Links is, by some
accounts, the birthplace of golf. A version of the sport was possibly first played
here in the 1400s. King Charles I apparently got in a round or two in the early
1640s. In 1744, the first rules of the game were laid down at Leith Links by
the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. It was then a 5-hole course.
Today it's just a public park, but running adjacent to John's Place you might just
make out the first hole's fairway.
Go north down the west side of the park, turning left (west) on Queen Charlotte
Street, and return to:
2
Constitution Street
At the intersection of Queen Charlotte and Constitution streets is Leith Town
Hall. Originally constructed as the Leith Sheriff Court in 1828, adjoining
