Hi all,
I,m wondering if it is possible to cycle to work sticking to cycle paths between the above two destinations ? . I would be joining the innocent railway path at Bingham tunnel and if possible would hopefully come off it at the back of Warriston as I know there is a cycle path there which would leave me only a couple of minutes from work.
Forgive my ignorance but I am a 47 year old novice new to cycling in Edinburgh so any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting
Niddrie to powder hall
(19 posts)-
Posted 10 years ago #
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Welcome.
Definitely possible to do most of this on cyclepath. Head up the innocent and through the main tunnel at Arthurs seat/Holyrood. Sadly you now encounter one of the great gaping holes in the Edinburgh infrastructure - you want to be heading for the canal via the meadows but there's no easy traffic free way of doing it. There are several routes available, personally I'd opt to come off the innocent path at Hermits Croft and then onto Bernard Terrace. That gets you to the east end of the meadows and from there you can go up Leamington walk, cross at Bruntsfield and then coast down Leamington Terrace to the canal.
Once at the canal, you'll be heading for the Roseburn path at Russell road here (is now open, must have been under construction when google went past). Once again there's not really an easy or graceful way of doing this. Direct route would be to go along the canal to Harrison park, then go down Harrison road and Ardmillan Terrace to Murieston Road. You can avoid the roads completely if you keep going along the canal to the Slateford Aquaduct, then take the Water of Leith path to Saughton park, keep going through Saughton park and then onto Russell Road through Murrayfield/Roseburn park. All cyclepath but it's a fairly big detour.
Thankfully once you're at the Roseburn path it's plain sailing. Head down it for several miles until you reach here at which point one of those paths should take you close to where you need to be.
That's Edinburgh in a nutshell - you get some really nice bits of cyclepath which suddenly end and spit you onto roads with no alternative. Or you have to go well out of your way to avoid bad bits of road. No doubt the route I've outlined can be improved or modified to your needs though. There's a pretty encyclopedic knowledge of short cuts around here, likely someone else might have a suggestion to make it a bit easier.
Edit: For example, you can cut out the meadows/canal completely if you follow the quiet route suggestion provided by cyclestreets. All depends on exactly where you're starting and finishing and just how much road you think you can handle.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Welcome.
"wondering if it is possible to cycle to work sticking to cycle paths"
Well sort of, maybe -
http://www.cyclestreets.net/journey/39191324
This route has a lot of decent cycle paths and a few quiet roads and is only a bit longer than direct - and relatively flat!
Advice is always 'try it out and see how long it takes before actually cycling to work'.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Thanks for that information , I will go onto cycle streets now to see if I can follow the routes that you have both advised.
If anybody else has any more info they feel may help fire away.
CheersPosted 10 years ago # -
Is cycling to work a 'new year resolution'?
Posted 10 years ago # -
In a word YES, I feel I need to up my fitness and as I am not one for the gym then cycling it is.
allebong: once I get to Russell road would you be able to show me on google maps where the entrance to the cycle path is ? I lived in Roseburn Terace many years ago and must have walked along there a thousand times but I used to climb up and over a wall at the back of the terrace (was a lot younger and more agile then ) but I can,t remember seeing an entry for bikes.Posted 10 years ago # -
"Direct route would be to go along the canal to Harrison park, then go down Harrison road and Ardmillan Terrace to Murieston Road"
This is also a straightforward route - no turns etc. just straight through all the lights - maybe 3 mins cycling?
Just after you go under the rail bridge and tram bridge on russell road, the cyclepath access is on the right, before the road swings left to the depots (and then right again up towards the airport road etc).
Posted 10 years ago # -
Would be good to go through park then take the tunnel,from Waverley down to Scotland Yard then rodneynstreet tunnel,onto Warriston path then powder hall.
Shamethentunnel,at Waverley is shut.
Posted 10 years ago # -
would you be able to show me on google maps where the entrance to the cycle path is ?
Here's street view. That no entry sign is gone and it's now a series of switchbacks up to the path:
Anything that isn't clear, ask.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Great Gibbo, thanks for all the advice
Posted 10 years ago # -
My mainly cycle pathy route from Niddrie to powder hall would probably be something like (apologies for lack of map, I am away from computer) Innocent path up towards the centre, down through Holyrood Park, round the far side of the palace and across London road near Meadowbank. Then through Lochend park! down onto the old Lochend railway line! towards Easter Road, down Gordon St, across Leith Walk and cut through the back street to Bonnington Road, whence one can get onto the old railway line, or just head up the road. Alas it's less nice on the way home with the big uphill through the Park...
Posted 10 years ago # -
Alternative to take the Innocent in the opposite direction then use the newly joined up coastal connections via Leith Links and WoL path?
Maybe they're not as joined up as they should be yet. Also trying to picture the best way to avoid going too far east towards Musselburgh but surely there must be a way even if it's just quieter side roads?
Certainly longer than LivD's suggestion but perhaps preferable to the very busy and narrow canal path others have suggested. Depending on how confident and/or patient a cyclist you are...
Posted 10 years ago # -
"Alternative to take the Innocent in the opposite direction then use the newly joined up coastal connections via Leith Links and WoL path?"
That's what chdot's CycleStreets link shows: from the Innocent (a few metres into the Jewel section after the A6106 toucan) one could take the exit to Magdalene Gardens, thence to Magdalene Medway then Magdalene Place, thence cross to Hope Lane, go over the railway and Harry Lauder on the elevated pedestrian/cycle overbridgepass, then trundle down to St Mark's Place, cross over Porty High Street and get onto Porty Prom, thence west to the Seafield Path/Leith Links/Queen Charlotte St/Water St/WoL.
Posted 10 years ago # -
That sounds quite straight forward wing pig, if I get myself to where the ghurka restaurant ( I think that's its name ) is , is there a cycle path I can join there that would take me alongside ferry road which would bring me out either near the powder hall recycling works or Warriston cemetery.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Erm. If you mean Gurkha Brigade on Antigua St/Leith Walk then the quietest way to the NEPN is Gayfield Square, through the cut-through in the corner then along various cobbley side-roads (and unfortunately across Broughton St at some point) to Broughton Place/Barony Street/etc. onto Dublin St/Scotland St, down the slope to the Eyre Place swingpark-park (King George V park, apparently) then through the Rodney St tunnel and onto the WoL path past Warrison.
If you mean Kubla Khan on Assembly St. then the blocked-off access at the Bernard/Salamander end means you either have to double back through all the Mitchell St-like back ways to Elbe Street, then to Queen Charlotte, then through the one-way down Maritime/Water to the Shore or walk across Constitution St at the new ped crossing, turn left down whichever of the wee lanes into the square behind Bernard St is the right sort of one-way street, then onto the Shore, then onto the WoL past the Raj.
Posted 10 years ago # -
"If you mean Gurkha Brigade"
Can avoid roundabout by pushing across pedestrian crossings -
Posted 10 years ago # -
Sorry it was the Raj restaurant I meant
Posted 10 years ago # -
Raj - across the Sandport bridge - immediate left onto the Water of Leith walkway - world* is now your oyster - proceed west for exactly one mile - there's an exit on the left: go past a shoutball pavilion's car park and past a swingpark to another path takes you south to Bonnington Road, reaching it right beside the waste processing centre. Alternatively carry on on the WoL path underneath Warriston Road to get a bit closer to the cemetery.
*at least, any bits of it accessible from the WoL or NEPN.
Posted 10 years ago # -
That's the one I was looking for Wingpig ! When I carry on the WOL path it will bring me out right next to where I work.
Thanks to all who have helped.
GreengrassPosted 10 years ago #
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