This last week it was not only Shakespeare's 400th birth/death anniversary (hence the quote - The Tempest if you're wondering), but I have also made a new-to-me discovery very close to my own home! Truth be told my husband has advised that I would enjoy it and I never really got round to it, but NOW I have discovered the joys of Colinton and Craiglockhart Dells!
The weather is just starting to give a few glimpses of summer (interspersed with grey and rain - it IS only April...). This week the sun decided to show itself and, despite the still-cold wind, I ventured out with my camera for a walk along the Water of Leith, from Currie back eastwards towards Edinburgh. I expected the section through Currie and Juniper Green to be the loveliest, however it turns out that there are miles of new houses being built there, and it was dusty, messy and noisy. What I discovered instead, was that WITHIN the ringroad and right up to within a mile from my home, is a wooded stretch with kept paths and masses of wildlife. Not only did I spend several hours there that day, but I returned the next day, AND two days after that. Google Maps does NOT say much about the area (even searching for Colinton or Craiglockhart Dell doesn't produce the right result).
People with cameras - DO NOT TRUST only the internet! Speak to locals, explore with your own feet, and you might just discover a small paradise within a stone's throw - I did!
Here are some of the reasons I kept (and will keep on) returning:
And the jewel in the crown - kingfishers! MY favourite British bird! Tiny, elusive, and incredibly beautiful.
