Edinburgh Outdoors

I joined Hetty Lancaster of Hetty's History Walks to visit Calton Hill after it featured in the recent BBC programme, a House Through Time.   We viewed the house from the programme, dropped by the tiny cut off piece of Old Calton Hill Burial Ground and then walked round the top of the hill to see the views. 
Hetty, as always, brought the history of Calton Hill to life with an insight into how the hill and its architecture has shaped Edinburgh and the world.  Find out about the Observatory, transit telescopes and the first ever panorama. 
The TV featured house is HERE
The tiny part of the burial ground is HERE
The entrance to Rock House is HERE
We viewed the buildings within the Collective including the Transit House, Old Observatory House and the Observatory: HERE
Discover more about the Short's Observatories:
https://members.astronomyedinburgh.org/wp-content/members/gavine/219-231.html
 
Discover more about marine chronometers and the importance of time in navigation at sea:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_chronometer
 
View the W & A K Johnstone's Time Gun Map of 1879:
https://maps.nls.uk/view/75205243
 
Wonderful image of washer women on Calton Hill in 1887 by Thomas Begbie. Note Old Observatory House in the background showing how plain it was before it got its Victorian Scots-Baronial makeover that we see today:
https://www.capitalcollections.org.uk/view-item?i=11677
 
To view pictures of our visit visit my Substack: https://edinburghoutdoors.substack.com/
Or Instagram: @edinburghoutdoors_
and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edinburghoutdoors
 

West Port Garden is a true hidden gem that that I went to discover with local resident, Jennie Renton.  Set at the west end of the Grassmarket behind railings then climbing up the hill from the busy street, it's a remarkable place. Originally created as one of Edinburgh's late victorian 'slum gardens' aimed at bringing nature experiences to local kids, the garden is now an oasis for visitors and locals alike.
Join me as I discover the history of this amazing garden, the idea of philanthropist, sociologist and town planner, Patrick Geddes, then designed and created by his talented daughter landscape architect, Norah Geddes. 
You can visit the garden on Sundays between 2pm and 4pm and on other days when the volunteers are there.
The garden is HERE: 
And on What3Words: https://w3w.co/month.wiping.skin
The Grassmarket Residents Association, known as Grass, manages the space: https://grassmarketresidents.org/west-port-garden/
You can find them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grassmarketresidentsassoc/
You can view pictures of my visit on the Edinburgh Outdoors Substack: https://edinburghoutdoors.substack.com/
And also on Instagram: @edinburghoutdoors_ 
And on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edinburghoutdoors
 

Lauriston Allotments, part of Lauriston Agroecology Farm, host multi-cultural gardening and the most vibrant community of gardeners.   I met with Lisa Houston to discover how this location has become a hub and home for a diverse range of people.  We explored the many wildlife spots and she explained how they'd built a mud kitchen and pizza oven.
Join my exploration of this unique space and its multi-cultural gardening, with many surprises along the way.  Lauriston partners with the Granton Community Gardeners who I interviewed in the previous podcast. 
The allotments are located here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/bTcZ1wXK3jUHDsaK9
The community growing is online: https://www.lauristonfarm.scot/what-we-do/community-growing/
They have a Facebook pagehttps: https://www.facebook.com/EdinburghAgCoop/
And you can view my photographs and video on
Instagram: @edinburghoutdoors_
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edinburghoutdoors/
Substack: https://edinburghoutdoors.substack.com/
 

Granton Community Growers is a wonderful example of a neighbourhood initiative that started small and then grew beautifully in ambition. From a one-off meet-up, when a group got together to dig up a street corner, to a sourdough bakery producing pay-what-you-can bread, many street corners now in production, and a garden where people come together to cook and eat, this is real community in action.
To the backdrop of the most delicious food smells, I met with Tom Kirby who told me how he started the project and how it's grown and developed over the years. 
Work is also funded through an initiative called Sowing our Horizons which was created by Marie Amelie Viatte, so she also came along to sit with us in the garden to talk about how community growing is more than just an initiative, but is a way to create new communities and address overreliance on food systems. 
Granton Community Garden is HERE
You can view the corner plots created by locals all over this area, including THIS ONE
You can find out more here: https://www.grantoncommunitygardeners.org/
This is where you can buy bread on a Saturday at 73 Boswell Parkway: https://maps.app.goo.gl/XzarEpGDTAJiJmCx8
Sowing our Horizons is here, where you can find out more: https://www.sowingourhorizons.org/
You can see pictures from my visit on 
Instagram - @edinburghoutdoors_
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edinburghoutdoors/
and on my Substack: https://edinburghoutdoors.substack.com/
 
 

Greyfriars Kirkyard is a tourist hotspot with millions visiting each year to seek out Harry Potter graves, poltergeists and the much-loved Greyfriar's Bobby.  I met with the brilliant Mark Hatton of the Friends of the Kirkyard to find out much more about the space, its history and heritage.   
Dating back to an original group of farming friars, for centuries the Kirkyard was Edinburgh's only green space and it's packed full of interesting history which is well worth discovering.  
The Kirkyard is HERE
Find Friends of Greyfriars here: https://fogk.org/
And they are on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/188879245722935
For old images, Capital Collections is a good place to start: https://www.capitalcollections.org.uk/
You can see my photographs and images on Instagram: @edinburghoutdoors_
and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edinburghoutdoors/
Check out my Substack where I write up some visits and post photographs: https://edinburghoutdoors.substack.com/p/edinburgh-outdoors-podcast
 
 

Steve Garrett, musician, artist, writer and geo scientist is performing in this year's Fringe: The Song of the Ice at St Mark's Church on 13-15; 18-20; and 26-28 August.  We met at the Scotland's Stones monument in Regent Road Garden to talk about Deep Time, creating music from carbon data, how creativity can communicate science and his time in the Antarctic.
In a first for Edinburgh Outdoors, Steve brought his guitar and so we listened to his haunting and beautiful music while contemplating Arthur's Seat and the city's extraordinary geology beside the monument.   Listen to the music, find out more about how it was created and learn about the monument too, which features stones from each district of the country and was created to mark the opening of our Parliament.
Regent Road Park and the monument are HERE
To find out more about Steve's Fringe show: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-song-of-the-ice
Steve Garrett's website: https://www.stevegarrettguitar.com/
Our Living Rivers and Glens here: https://deedonceilidhcollective.com/our-living-rivers-and-glens
You can read more about the Stones of Scotland here: https://edinburghgeolsoc.org/geological-site/stones-of-scotland/
Steve's book "A Suitable Stone": https://stevegarrettguitar.com/a-suitable-stone-book
And we referenced the excellent Hamish Napier (I'm his biggest fan!) and his new album: https://hamishnapier.bandcamp.com/album/the-hill
 
 
 
 

Growing Matters is a community charity transforming the walled garden at Gilmerton House in East Lothian.  Ten years into a 25 year plan, they are bringing biodiversity, wildlife and lots of flowers and produce to a previously unloved four acre space. 
With volunteers including a beekeeper, a hydrologist, a willow specialist and skilled gardeners, the garden is a wonderful community project that's transforming lives through the outdoors and creating an oasis within swathes of largescale farmland. 
The garden has an open day 12-4pm on Sunday 23 August 2026 when you can go along and visit, enjoy tea by the pond and then buy some produce to take home. 
You can find more details about Growing Matters here: https://www.growingmatters.org.uk/
And on their Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/growingatgilmerton/
The location is here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/XVo7XcmxBbZcCgHa9
You can see pictures on my Substack:  https://edinburghoutdoors.substack.com/p/edinburgh-outdoors-podcast
And on Instagram: @edinburgh.outdoors_
And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edinburghoutdoors/
 

Drakkar's Drift is a new garden set in Victoria Park on Newhaven Road and was designed by Royal Horticultural Society Young Designer of the Year, Luke Coleman.  The garden is ideal for enjoying the outdoors, running around, sitting in, or just admiring its design.  It was originally in an RHS garden show last year and with the support of its sponsor, Edinburgh Council, it has been moved, stored and then relocated to Victoria Park in early 2026.
I met Luke to find out how you design a garden and then move it across the country to create something completely new.  We also talked about gardening for climate change, the benefits of community and his love of the outdoors.  
Drakkar's Drift is HERE
Luke Coleman Gardens are here: https://www.lukecoleman.co.uk/
You can see pictures of the garden on my Substack: https://edinburghoutdoors.substack.com/
and also on Instagram: @edinburghoutdoors_
 

Join me on a walk around the Water of Leith Basins to discover how the Friends group (aka FOWLB) manages the area with volunteer, swan expert, wildlife enthusiast and belly dancer, Hilary Thacker.  
Hilary taught me so much about swans and their conservation and I went along with her to spot swans on the water, help feed them and to hear about the history of the area. 
We met at Basin 3 HERE
We crossed bridges: Great Junction Street, Sandport and Victoria Swing Bridge
You can view the barrages that collect waste HERE
The beautiful wee garden is HERE
FOWLB has a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfTheWaterOfLeithBasin/
Hilary's Wildlife page is here: https://www.facebook.com/people/Hilarys-wildlife/61580799722901/
You can also volunteer on some other projects via the Water of Leith Conservation Trust: https://www.waterofleith.org.uk/
You can find my previous episode with the Water of Leith Conservation Trust: https://edinburghoutdoors.podbean.com/e/hugging-trees-on-the-water-of-leith/
Pictures can be viewed on my Substack page https://edinburghoutdoors.substack.com/p/edinburgh-outdoors-podcast
There is also Instagram: @edinburghoutdoors_
And a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/edinburghoutdoors/

Horticulturalist, Emily Hairstans, was the recent winner of Scotland's Home of the Year TV programme.  Her garden featured heavily in the judges' praise for the 'Homegrown Hoose'.  I met with Emily in her garden and with chickens clucking around us, we talked about her horticultural career and of course, some behind the scenes insights from being part of the programme. 
So if you are a SHOTY fan, this is the episode for you!  If you aren't, you may still enjoy the gardening, chicken and Edinburgh chat ...
Emily gardens at the Collective on Calton Hill and you can see the garden HERE
For photographs check out my Substack: https://edinburghoutdoors.substack.com/p/edinburgh-outdoors-podcast
Edinburgh Outdoors is also on Instagram: @edinburghoutdoors_
and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edinburghoutdoors/
And even sometimes on TikTok! @edinburgh.outdoor