This walk follows the trackbed of the branch line to Penicuik which split from the Edinburgh to Peebles railway. The final freight train called at Penicuik in 1967 and further information about the line and the industrial history of the area can be found in this PDF. The trail can be accessed at Valleyfield Road, Penicuik. Ample parking is available here and the blue signs will direct you to the cycle path. An information board relays the story of the town's papermaking past and the railway served a number of mills. The first section of the route sticks closely to the River Esk valley and is shaded by trees.
We pass through a couple of tunnels before encountering the impressive Firth Viaduct at Auchendinny. Running on a curve, the bridge has ten arches and crosses the terrain at a height of 66 feet. It is well worth coming off the path to walk up the farm road and view the structure from a distance. We then begin to stray from the river and enter a more open landscape. Look out for Rossyln Chapel across the fields. Now something of a fortress following the worldwide attention gained on the back of best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code, much more of the building can be seen here for free than at the actual entrance.
The setting of the old Rossyln Castle Station is impressive with platforms intact and a railway feel about the place. A nice place to stop for lunch! Trails into the adjacent Roslin Glen are available. We skirt the village of Rosewell before approaching the more heavily populated areas of Bonnyrigg and Lasswade. Our quest ends at at a Tesco Supermarket in the commuter settlement of Eskbank which is served by the busy Borders Railway. Regular buses can be caught back to Penicuik on the main road.
