AULD CORSTORPHIN

About twelve thousand years ago the ice that covered Scotland melted and made lochs. From the rock where Edinburgh Castle is now you would have seen Corstorphine Loch stretching from the Water of Leith at Roseburn over Carrick Knowe Golf Course and south of Dovecot Road to Forrester High School.

There was another loch further west - Gogar Loch that covered the area now occupied by the Gyle Playing Field and Gyle Shopping Centre. Between these two lochs, and to the east of Gogar Loch, was hard, dry ground and there in time men built simple huts. That is how Corstorphine became a place where people chose to live and where now, thousands of years later, people still choose to live.

Corstorphine was a village where people grew food crops and kept cattle. It was not part of the town of Edinburgh. In fact it did not become part of Edinburgh till 1920. Even in 1920, not very long ago, Corstorphine was still a farming place supplying Edinburgh with milk, butter, eggs, potatoes, and rhubarb.

This walk takes you through the old village, from The Corstorphine Heritage Centre (The Dower House) and along the High Street past the school to the site of the Physic Well; then via the old Dovecot and remains of the Sycamore Tree to The Old Parish Church.  To start either click on a number in the map below or click on the "Start Walk" at the bottom of the map.

The walk starts at (1) The Corstorphine Heritage Centre (Dower House), going west along Corstorphine High Street past (2) the School to (3) the Physic Well; then returns to (4) The Corstorphine Cross, turning right, and through the park to Dovecot Road, then left to (5) the Dovecot and (6) the remains of the Sycamore Tree; then left up North Saughton Road to (7) the Old Parish Church. If desired, the walk can be extended to include St. Ninian’s Church (8) and St. Anne’s Church (9).                                   Length approx. 1¼ miles (2km)              Time approx. 1 Hour

Go to Start of Walk

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