I am taking the kids climbing at Ratho next week, for various complicated reasons and in the spirit of adventure we have decided to get the train into town and then cycle out along the canal to Ratho. It will be a lovely trip but I need to get from Waverley to the start of the canal at Lochrin basin.

My kids are great at cycling on the road but have never ridden anywhere nearly as busy as Edinburgh. I’m not precious but I am absolutely not going to ride them down Princess Street.

Is there a safe route between the two? Ideally with separate bike paths?

Not really.

But you could get a train or a tram up to edinburgh park. The canal is a short skoot uphill from there.

And you missout on all the crap part.

You could get a coffee and cake etc in bridge 8 hub which is about 200m in the wrong direction.

Haymarket?

Along Dalry Road, up Dalry Place, Morrison Crescent, across the WAR, up Gilmore Park to the Lift Bridge

Edit, Tram rules state only two bikes per tram. Are they quite strict about this?

You should go to Haymarket as there is a safe route up to the Canal from that point through the Dalry colonies. It will take 5/10 mins on bikes to reach canal with minimal time on roads. I can give you more details if you message me

Scotroutes nailed it

Yes you can.

Three would be fine i imagine.

You can definitely do it in the train.

Haymarket isn’t a bad shout but the first bit of the canal is rubbish, its narrow its urban its busy.

From edinburgh park you’re immediately into countryside pretty much.

Your other option would be to sack edinburgh and come in from linlithgow.

I wouldn’t cycle along Princes street myself, let along with kids, apart from the bus, tram and taxi interfaces, it is hoaching with tourists at the moment, even worse than usual (that will be the weak pound) who dart out randonly all over the road.

The trams do have a bit that says you can put a bike beside the doors, but I have never seen anybody do it, the area is quite small.

If you come in at Waverly you can board another train to Haymarket, they are considered the same destination.  Get out there, and use the cycle path, which does eventually get you on the canal path, although further along from the basin.  I am sure there will be a Spokes map online if you search.

Cheers guys.  I need to drop kid three off at Waverley but I reckon dropping her off then jumping on a train to Edinburgh Park is a good shout.

I did look at binning the bikes and getting a bus out to Ratho but getting there by bus is a mission

And you’d miss a nice cycle!

Its a nice canal the whole way i’m not suggesting it isn’t just that the first bit isnt really worth the effort to get to if the purpose is to get to ratho.

I would respectfully disagree with skipping the first part, I’d almost say it’s more interesting for being urban, the various aquaducts, the mix of reedy canal bank and the brick built backs of tenements and old industrial buildings etc.

Also I’m reliably informed the best place to spot a kingfisher is passing through one of the housing estates before you leave the city proper.

Much as I would recommend the whole route, the more rural bits are, well, just fields.

Haymarket to start of canal is a 15 minute walk if you’re not comfortable cycling on city streets, although once you get to Garnder’s Crescent it’s relatively quiet and safe.

https://goo.gl/maps/g8WFh63ZY3q

I’ve heard there are pretty frequent trains out there and I am planning to take one myself.

Could someone help me out here and confirm please?

Edinburgh Gateway then cycle?

Not as nice as the canal though.

I’ve heard there are pretty frequent trains out there and I am planning to take one myself.

Could someone help me out here and confirm please?

It’ll be a bloody long train from Mumbai.

shows you how poor our public transport is that you have to put so much thought into a simple ride!

From Waverley I’d just ride through princes st gardens to King Stables Road, walk a few minutes up to Lochrin Basin and it’s canal all the way to Ratho.

one note, depending on the time of the day it can get a bit ‘exciting’ in places, one Friday evening last summer I was surrounded by a group of youths while riding along the canal through Wester Hailes… however they ran along with me, cheered me on and offered me vodka and imitation red bull! The only real danger once on the canal is other cyclists, especially the ‘geared up commuter’, many of them ride like total idiots along it unfortunately.

It gets really lovely once you’re over the bypass though – like stepping into a different world.

Agree with that, whip through the gardens, walk across Lothian rd then shortcut through back of EICC and through to Lochrin Basin. Watch for the aqueduct , it’s a bit narrow, once you pass the badlands and bypass it’s nice apart from the bridges being a bit low

note there is a shortcut through the Widows building which is accessed by the bike shop as you cross Morrison St but it’s currently close but follow your nose round the Widows building and it gets you to the same place.

Haymarket to the canal can be done almost off-road if you ride out towards Edinburgh Park. Go towards Murrayfield, then around the stadium and out to Balgreen. Join the old railway path and go past Carrick Knowe and out to Edinburgh Park, under the bypass at Hermiston Gait (past Krispy Kreme), and join the canal just before Hermiston village. It’ll probably be quieter and more enjoyable than the canal through town.

Waverley to the canal might be easiest by pushing up Cockburn St, then bumbling and walking up the Royal Mile and descending Castle Terrace as it’s pretty quiet. Go past the Lyceum and over Festival Square, then past the EICC and Gardner’s Crescent to Lochrin.

Everyone missed the obvious of train out of Waverly to Kingsknowe station which is on the Canal.

zora, that is a really good shout. Thanks