An outlying spur on the capital city network of old railway paths runs westwards to the suburb of Davidson's Mains. At just under three miles from Haymarket Station, it's a walk I could easily complete by heading over to Edinburgh after work. I took the bus across and got off at the West End. When planning the route, I noticed the path terminated close to Lauriston Castle and a visit to the grounds seemed a good idea on a fine sunny evening. As I began my excursion, I encountered a stunning building just beyond Haymarket - the former Donaldson's school for deaf children.
Opened by Queen Victoria in 1850, the palatial mansion and surrounding land was bequeathed by newspaper publisher Sir James Donaldson on condition it be used for the education of youngsters afflicted by poverty. Applications from deaf children were welcomed and by 1938 the school was concentrating solely on working with the hard of hearing. As the 21st century rolled round, the building was sold for £22 million and the pupils transferred to a modern facility in Linlithgow. The old school is now in the process of being converted to luxury flats. I was able to poke my camera through the railings and take this nice shot. My immediate reaction was to wonder why the school management had decided to desert such a jaw-dropping location. Indeed Queen Vic herself remarked it was grander than some of the official royal residences! Spectacular, however, doesn't necessarily equal fit for purpose and it's probably extremely difficult to alter a vast A-listed property to comply with modern special-needs legislation and the associated technological requirements. No doubt the capital raised from the sale will fund a state-of-the-art facility with lower running costs to the benefit of the children. Moving on, I picked up the start of the railway path.
The first section of the trail was familiar ground and dozens of homeward bound commuters passed me on their bikes. It was the first time I'd walked one of these railway routes during rush hour and it's good to see the paths being so eagerly used. Choosing to ride Shanks's pony certainly put me in the minority. I branched on to Blackhall Path which ran for just over a mile to Davidson's Mains. It ended at a Tesco supermarket and I picked up a snack to keep me going. There was also a Starbucks nearby but I wanted to press on as the light was great for photographs but wouldn't last forever. Within ten minutes, I found the entrance gate to Lauriston Castle. It sits on high ground overlooking the Firth of Forth and there is a wonderful view of the tidal Cramond Island. The castle itself is a 16th-century tower house with added extensions. It is now in the care of Edinburgh City Council and afternoon tours are available. The grounds are free to enter and open until 8pm, another reason why I wanted to keep moving.
The tide was fully in and I was able to photograph Cramond Island surrounded by water. There is a causeway to the mainland and I've read that around 50 people per year find themselves trapped by the incoming water. The castle was nicely illuminated by the setting sun and I had a pleasant wander around the grounds although I didn't manage to find the Japanese garden. There was no need to trek back along the railway path as I was able to connect with the Fife bus routes following a 10-minute walk downhill. Back to Dunfermline in good time for a couple of pints in the Commercial.
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