Edinburgh outskirts – Hailes Quarry Park and The Union Canal
Kings Knowe is a small suburb just less than 15 minutes journey from Edinburgh Waverley. To the south-east is the Water of Leith but Rudy’s visit took him into Hailes Quarry Park and then west along the Union Canal.
The best thing ever for Rudy is to step off a train and find a good big open green space to really run around and stretch his legs. Less than five minutes walk along the canal from Kingsknowe station is Hailes Quarry Park which was absolutely ideal for him.
There are good paths around the park as well as a children’s playground, an outdoor gym, and a small wetland area with lovely boardwalk in the centre. The park is dotted with good information signs detailing a history from it’s beginnings as Hailes Quarry with the sandstone used in Edinburgh tenements throughout the 18th Century. The 27 metre deep hole left after the quarry closed was used for landfill in the 1970s and then the 1980s saw local community pressure to create a good park for Wester Hailes. Ground conditions meant it was a bit rough round the edges until 2006 when new funding established the park as it is today – a great place for little dog walks!
Hailes Quarry Park
The Union Canal runs along the southern edge of Hailes Quarry Park on it’s 30 mile route between Edinburgh and Falkirk. For this slightly overcast afternoon Rudy walked a short two mile section between Kingsknowe and Edinburgh Park train stations. The canal here was long unused by the 1950s-60s and seen as unpleasant & dangerous by families in the new Wester Hailes flats so it was covered to build roads instead. Reopened as a leisure canal in 2001 it’s history shows in the many low bridges which carry traffic over the water & tow path. A highlight of this section is the Calders Community Garden and the wonderfully painted Bridge 8 Hub shipping containers!
