I'm trying to figure out the best way to get from the Innocent Tunnel to Dublin St/George V Park/Victoria Park.
I'm going to have nervous SO in tow (see bad driving thread), so mixing it up with buses on North Bridge may be difficult. Google telling me to use North Bridge, left on Princes St & around St Andrew's Sq.
Anyone got a better way round?
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Questions/Support/Help
Route help - Innocent to Dublin St
(22 posts)- Started 8 years ago by twq
- Latest reply from chdot
- This topic is
not a support question
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Posted 8 years ago #
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Hmm.
St Leonard's - Pleasance - St. Mary's - Jeffrey - Market - Waverley Bridge - St. David's - Dublin seems contrived and cobble-hassley rather than a nice quiet alternative.
Posted 8 years ago # -
St Mary's Street is actually quite horrible as it is busy and stuffed with parked cars. Waverley Bridge, just nasty. I think overall that way is much worse than North Bridge which I don't think is as bad as it looks. I would be interested to hear alternatives but I just can't think what they might be.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Do you need to go via Dublin Street / KGV park to get to Victoria Park? Might be better swinging more easterly and approaching it from St. Marks Park-or-therabouts direction?
Posted 8 years ago # -
Are you starting from Innocent Tunnel? Or further out? If for example you are actually starting from Brunstane or Newcraighall, then you could work your way up the coast along the prom, and along more quiet paths along the north to the 5 ways and then down to Victoria park.
Give us your whole route instead of the shorter difficult stretch you are having diffculty with.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Let's be honest. There is no way to get from Innocent to Dublin St comfortably.
I think in similar circumstances, I would use the Innocent to Meadows route as far as Clerk St and then gingerly cycle along the main drag to the Bridges, riding just behind and slightly further out than your SO. At Waterloo Place I would dismount (pains me to say ) and walk through past the Café Royal and east St Andrew Sq to join the laughable shared path down to the Dublin St toucan.
Just shows how difficult it is to cross town.
Posted 8 years ago # -
My normal way is
Innocent
St Leonard's Hill
Shared use path to Dumbiedykes
Dumbiedykes Rdthen a choice - either
a)left turn up Holyrood Rd then right into St John St to get to Royal Mile & then right down New St
or b) right turn down Holyrood Rd, past Holyrood & then up Calton Rd
Either way converges at Calton Rd; cycle up to Leith St
Dismount, walk down & rejoin road at lights at Greenside Row
Right down Leith St & left at Picardy Place then right down Broughton St (or walk/cycle across in front of the RC cathedral if you don't want to do the roundabout)
Take first proper left in Albany St which leads to Dublin St
Convoluted but little traffic...
Posted 8 years ago # -
I'd agree that North Bridge is better than Waverley Bridge. Bus lanes, just great. But yeah, even just trying to think of a quiet-ish route that isn't convoluted shows how far cycling has to go in Edinburgh.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I'd probably George IV, Hanover and Dundas it in real life, mostly due to not particularly liking Dublin/Scotland Streets' cobbles, particularly downhill when you have to grip your brakes tightly. At least Eyre Place's cobbles are on the flat, then it's Cannonmills and WoL path all the way to Victoria Park.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Thanks folks. Meeting at Innocent Tunnel, and a bit pushed for time, so heading out via Porty isn't ideal (but nicest route).
I'm going to attempt North Bridge with possible dismount to cross Princes St and get onto St Andrews Sq.Posted 8 years ago # -
Actually - even in unfinished state - Innocent to Meadows route probably 'best'.
Then MMW (mind Fest peds) Forrest Road - G IV Bridge not too bad. The Mound has cycle lanes.
Tram lines at the bottom of course, then Hanover, right into George then savour the official Sustrans route through StASq.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Can I play Devil's advocate and suggest cycling through the Holyrood park (footpath for nervous SO), then in front of the palace, Abbey Hill, Easter Road, Brunswick Road, Macdonald Road?
From Macdonald Road you can nip along Hopetoun Street etc. to get to George V park, or carry on to Warriston to get to Victoria park.
Posted 8 years ago # -
More replies here -
Posted 8 years ago # -
Abbey Hill.
I thought of that but the thought of hill, blind corner.... hmmmm
Posted 8 years ago # -
I live in Newington and I'm nervous! I'd cycle to Victoria Park by going south along the Innocent, across the rail bridge to Portobello, then along the Prom and the offroad path to Leith Links; then from there I'd meander my way carefully towards The Shore and Sandport Place, where I'd join the Water of Leith Walkway to Victoria Path to Victoria Park. More or less as DaveC suggested.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Abbey Hill.
I thought of that but the thought of hill, blind corner.... hmmmm
I'm with you, Dave. That's one of my least favourite bits of cycling in Edinburgh, even (especially) when I'm on my road bike. You can't see what phase the lights are in until you're nearly on them, and eight times out of ten they're red and you're left with an comfortably steep hill start.
Posted 8 years ago # -
So we made it in one piece, using @chdot's recommended route. Getting along MMW was fine - peds generally keeping to one side. George IV Bridge was also ok, despite several numpty drivers blocking the bike lane. Mound fine, and getting across Princes St was manageable, although line across the tram tracks suggested by bike path paint didn't look particularly safe.
Turning right onto George St was weird - there is a mini-path on the nearside of the statue - we debated whether we were meant to use that, or go around and cut back. Ended up using it - despite fears that we'd be hidden from traffic coming the other way.
George St was great - all 200m of it! We got to St Andrews Sq, and were immediately confused. Where were we meant to go? Ended up crossing pedestrian crossing on left, then spotted bikes painted on pavement. Tourists did not see said bicycles, and took some persuading to let us past. Lights to cross onto Dublin St took an absolute age. We skirted round to the right of the island, as there isn't space for bikes & peds between barriers. Dublin St started ok, but the setts on Drummond Pl/Scotland St were an abomination.
Overall trip from top of MMW to Dublin St took 12 minutes to go 1.7km.Wife summed George St up - "It's all well and good building a bike path, but what's the point if you can't get to it?"
I've written shorter reports on 200km rides - IT SHOULD NOT BE THIS DIFFICULT!
Posted 8 years ago # -
Nightmare isn't it? Glad you made it okay though.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I've tried to compare going along South St. David Street to cutting across to South St. Andrew Street (to get to York Place rather than Dublin St.) and they seem pretty similar. The lights at David have a regular sequence, without tram-variation, but the island in the middle at Dublin Streetat least allows more dismount-trundling for the hurried.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I agree with the wife - all these bits and pieces of showcase cycling infra are all well and good, but could we PLEASE make a start on a proper network? It's an embarrassment.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"using @chdot's recommended route"
Wow, must have been this bit that convinced you -
"then savour the official Sustrans route through StASq"
Sounds like you did...
Posted 8 years ago # -
"It's all well and good building a bike path, but what's the point if you can't get to it?"
Pretty much what 'we' have been saying on here for some time!
Building things in stages is inevitable, but with G St. There's still next to no coherent coherent plan.
Sorting the so-called QBiC from MMW to G St. Would be a good start.
Posted 8 years ago #
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