Looping through Leith

A few weeks ago I decided to take my day off and go on an adventure to Leith, on of Edinburgh's oldest neighbourhoods and very much attached to marine life, as it is on the water.  So I took my Frommer's Edinburgh & Glasgow, a city map, canteen, letter writing essentials and was on my way.  I was in for a bit more of an adventure than I had planned because it takes a half hour to walk to the City Centre from our flat and from the City Centre I had to walk all down Leith Walk (a very pleasant walk) to the statue of Queen Victoria to begin my tour.  I took it as a good sign that my tour started with Queen Vic, since she and I are such pals.  At this point I was also a little worried about how long my legs would hold out since I had already walked an hour, the tour was supposed to last for an hour and then I would have to get home again...

Queen Victoria

But I was being an adventurer, so I put all negativity out of my mind and set out to enjoy not only the beautiful sunshine, but also a part of the city I'd never seen before.  Although not a golfer (does grade 11 gym count?) it was fun to see what remains of Edinburgh's first golf course (now a public park) where the rules of golf were agreed upon in 1744.  It was also neat to actually pass by Valvona & Crolla deli - a famous Italian/ Scottish deli that I have heard so much about.  But the best was yet to come.
Buried in amongst more modern buildings and along a twisted alley, you come upon the Lamb's House.  Described by Frommer's it is, "a handsome, harled red-roofed building with an odd window built into the corner of the facade," and is apparently, "a masterpiece of the type and era, with crow-stepped gables and corbels." It is an old merchant's house from the 17th century (!) and has these neat windows that are wood on the bottom and glass on the upper half.  (Gladstone's Land on the Royal Mile is similar because it, too is a merchant's house of the same era).  I still cannot get over how much history there is here and how old things can be.

The Lamb's House

And of course everyone likes coming to Leith to visit the waterfront.  It really is charming with colourful buildings lining it's curve.  And it is not just tourists who flock here, local businesses also compete for space and a lot of really good restaurants (we're talking Michelin Star, here) can be found on the water's edge, many of them specialising in sea food (go figure!).

Leith's shore

Boats docked in Leith

By this point in my journey my legs felt as if they were the consistency of Jell-O, so I went into The Shore, ordered a pepsi and plopped myself down to write some letters home.  I think I made that pepsi last about an hour!

After my break I was able to continue on my way.  On the loop back I passed by The Vaults, dating to 1862 and so named because they were used to store wine.  Now a trendy restaurant they are still beautiful.

It was hard to get a good picture of the whole thing...

Detail on the side of the wall of naval life.

Also remarkable is Trinity House and South Leith Parish Church.  The church dates from 1848, but a church has been standing on that site since the 1480's, so like Lamb's House or the Vaults, it too, is kind of just plopped in the middle of things since the city grew up around it. During my walk I got to see it  from all angles (that is, when the stone wall surrounding it afforded views of it).

South Leith Parish Church - I took this picture through the iron grating that replaced the stone wall for a bit.

South Leith Parish Church from another angle.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Leith but wished I had thought to take the bus home as three hours of walking is a bit much for me! :)