THIS route, which is traffic free for much of its length, will take you from the west end of Edinburgh city centre to the coast at Cramond and back. Using mainly old railways for the off-road sections, the ride is surprisingly direct.
It's a route that won't be available forever - a large chunk of the way described here, from Roseburn heading up to Granton, will disappear with the arrival of the tram system in the city.
From Haymarket Station, join Dalry Road, where cyclists c
an use the Greenway bus lanes. Carry on along here for 700m to the junction with Murieston Crescent. Here an on-street cycle route is clearly signposted to where the railway cycle track begins at Russell Road. This route follows the lines of the Granton, Leith and Barnton branch railway.
This originally carried coal and other freight to Granton harbour, but later, passenger services were started with branches to Leith and Barnton. The railway was closed in stages from 1951 to 1986.
After passing Coltbridge railway viaduct, the cycleway passes under Upper Coltbridge Terrace, where the Gallery of Modern Art is located. Almost 2km further on, the cycleway passes the platform of Craigleith Station and goes under Craigleith Road.
Just past this, to the east of the path, is a supermarket. This was built on the site of Craigleith Quarry, which supplied the stone for the Usher Hall, most of the grand houses of the New Town and even Buckingham Palace. This is also the spot where the Barnton branch line leaves the main route and goes off in a westerly direction. It is used on the return journey.
Continue on for another 700m or so to the bridge over Ferry Road, where the cycleway bisects once again. Take the route to the left. Originally constructed by Spokes, this route finishes just north of West Granton Road, where it joins Caroline Park Avenue.
When West Shore Road is reached, turn right and continue along it for 150m, then turn left. Within 100m, a wide tarmac path once more appears heading in the direction of the shore. This is the beginning of the esplanade which will take you the remaining 5km to Cramond. On a clear day, many of the islands in the Firth of Forth can be seen, including Inchmickery, Inchcolm and, of course, the closest of all, Cramond Island.
On now to the ancient village of Cramond. Just before the promenade turns along the riverside, a large tower-house can be seen off to the left. This is Cramond Tower. In 142AD the Roman army chose this spot to build a harbour and fort to service the construction of the Antonine Wall. Excavated by archaeologists in 1954 the fort, made of clay and stone, was very large and a plan of part of the structure can be seen on the site of the fort next to Cramond Kirk.
A village grew up around the fort's east rampart. Although the Roman presence in this area only lasted a few decades, it had a profound effect on the Gododdin. Long after the Romans had left the area, the tribespeople continued to live in the fort, making repairs and even carrying out new building work. They seem to have embraced the Christian religion, for they used the basilica within the Principia of the fort as a place of worship. Cramond Kirk stands on the spot today. Around 600AD, the Gododdin king, Mynyddog, moved his tribe's headquarters to Din Eidyn (Dun Edin), Edinburgh Castle Rock.
With the Romans gone, the Gododdin were being threatened by the Angles of Northumbria who, by the middle of the seventh century, had defeated the Gododdin and taken control of the area around Midlothian.
Cramond village and its little church survived. In Victorian times it became popular as the summer home of Edinburgh's well-to-do residents. In 1860 Queen Victoria visited Cramond, staying at Cramond House. Today it has lost none of its character.
There are two ways to return to Edinburgh. The first is to continue along the path through the deep gorge of the River Almond. From Cramond this path is 1.5km long and ends at Brae Park, a short distance from Old Cramond Brig. Look out for a variety of wildlife on the river, including kingfishers and otters. The only problem with this route is the connection of the middle third of the path via two sets of steps, over 60 in each.
At the end of the path turn left on to Brae Park and continue to the junction with Whitehouse Road. Cross this road and head along Barnton Avenue West.
The second route simply uses a series of streets to get from the end of the esplanade at Cramond to the same point at Barnton Avenue West. This is as follows: at the end of the esplanade turn left into Cramond Glebe Road and ride uphill to the junction with Whitehouse Road. Here turn right along Whitehouse Road for a kilometre to the junction of Barnton Avenue West, where the two alternatives once again merge.
At the end of Barnton Avenue West follow the cycle path between two golf courses to Barnton Avenue and continue to the end of this as it twists and turns, to Cramond Road South. Cross this road and carry on into Silverknowes Terrace, which soon becomes Silverknowes Drive before it ends at Silverknowes Road. Cross this and join Silverknowes Road East, where almost immediately the railway path appears on the right side of the road. Carry on along this path for over a kilometre to the junction at Craigleith, where this path merges with the path taken on the outer leg of the ride.
Distance: 20km (12.5 miles). Circular route.
Start and finish: Haymarket Railway Station.
Maps: OS Landranger 66 and Spokes Edinburgh Cycle Map.
Terrain: Cycle path, suburban roads, riverside walkway and foreshore promenade. Flat route generally but two steep sets of stairs to be negotiated on the riverside walkway at Cramond. An alternative route has been described.
Refreshments: A variety of facilities in the west end of the city near the start; pub grub and bistro at Cramond.
