Undiscovered Scotland

 

Edinburgh isn't a huge city by most standards, so it comes as something of a surprise to find that it has a very significant legacy of disused railway lines, many resulting from the large-scale railway closures that swept across the UK in the 1960s.

"Walking Edinburgh’s Lost Railways: City and Suburban Explorations" by Robin Howie & John McGregor is a lovely book that helps bring many of these disused railways back to life. Not as railways, obviously, but as routes to be followed by walkers. The book is beautifully produced and highly illustrated with modern colour and period B&W photographs. Plus maps. A book like this cries out for high quality maps, and those on view here certainly don't disappoint, being based on outtakes of old railway network maps. You probably need a mapping app on your phone to actually trace some of the footpaths on old railway track beds on the ground, but the colourful maps in the book allow you to plan your walk.

The book also offers practical instructions in the illustrated text. These are very much intended to guide your footsteps on the ground, with clear descriptions and directions that highlight issues like paths that diverge from the line of the railway it is meant to be following. The result is a book that is attractive enough and readable enough to inspire: while also being down-to-earth enough to act as a practical guide.

The publisher's description gives a good overview of the book's content: "Hidden within Edinburgh’s modern landscape lies the ghost of a railway network that once fuelled the growth of Scotland’s capital. Walking Edinburgh’s Lost Railways uncovers this forgotten world, tracing the routes of long-abandoned railway lines that have been transformed into some of the city’s most attractive walking and cycling paths. Featuring 14 interconnected walks beginning at Waverley Station in the heart of Edinburgh, the book offers a fascinating journey through two centuries of railway development, urban growth and community transformation. Richly researched and engagingly written, Walking Edinburgh’s Lost Railways reveals how the legacy of the railway age continues to shape the capital today. Perfect for anyone interested in local history, industrial archaeology and uncovering secret corners of the city."