Trinity Path

I love walking and cycling but I’m not a fan of cars. I can’t believe it took over a year for me to discover this amazing network of car-​free paths the criss-​cross Edinburgh. Most of these paths were converted from disused railway lines and still have the tunnels that allowed the trains to run below road level.
One path that I use frequently is Trinity Path in the North of the city. The surface is smooth and well maintained. The path and tunnel is lit, making it feel safe at night and in the dark winter months. It also helps that the path is well used so you never feel too alone. There are always cyclists, runners and dog walkers about.
These paths are great but they do take a bit of research to use them to their full advantage. Most appear as faint grey lines on google maps, there is an ‘Innertube’ Map that gives a stylised impression of all the paths and how they connect. This looks great but I don’t find it very useful as it doesn’t show the true layout like a proper map. To really utilise these paths its best to go online and order a map from Spokes, Edinburgh.
The tricky thing about Trinity Path and the others, is that these lie below road level and only have a few access points. So you really need to know where to get on and more importantly, where you can get off. If you look on a 2D map, you may think the path intersects the road you want BUT it may actually go below the road and you won’t be able to get up to street level! That’s the one downfall and source of the missing star. If you don’t do your research, the Path can be a bit tricky to navigate. The only other let down is that the Path just ends. The car-​free, smooth surfaces disappear and you are dumped back to reality. Eventually you can work your way back to another path but it would be amazing if the route was more joined up — especially across the town centre.
One other point — these paths are mostly maintained by charitable trusts and volunteers. So if you love them, use them and get involved. I’ve been weeding with the Edinburgh and Lothian Green Spaces Trust and collecting rubbish with Sustrans.