Hotels near Water of Leith Walkway

The Water of Leith Walkway follows the river roughly 12 miles from Balerno to the docks at Leith, and two stretches earn your October: Colinton Dell and the run through Dean Village. Colinton Dell is the wilder of the two, with beech and sycamore arching right over the path, light coming through amber, and the restored Colinton Tunnel adding a painted 140-metre detour. Herons, kingfishers and grey squirrels are all common along the water.

You do not need to walk all 12 miles. The Water of Leith Visitor Centre at Slateford is the standard starting point and explains the river's mills and wildlife. From there it is about 90 minutes downstream to Dean Village, or 40 minutes upstream into Colinton Dell and back. The surface is compacted gravel that turns properly muddy after rain, which in Edinburgh in October means most days.

Pro Tip: Walk the Dean Village to Stockbridge section in the afternoon and finish at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, which sits 10 minutes from the river at Inverleith. That links two entries on this list into one flat two-hour walk with a cafe at the end.