Take a wander from Morningside up towards Buckstone and you’ll find yourself in a mini-haven called Braidburn Valley Park.
Braidburn Valley Park is a real hidden gem of Edinburgh and a prized secret of the people in South Edinburgh. It’s a protected green space, cared for by The Friends of Braidburn Valley Park.
As most of the land in South Edinburgh was built on over the centuries, the valley was saved because of its landscape. It was deemed too hilly to build on and decreed by the Edinburgh Corporation in 1933 that it should always serve as a park. The valley literally saved the valley!
Running through the valley is a burn, which used to serve water to the South of the city. You can still see the ‘Comiston Spring’ exit point within the park. It’s utterly delightful to walk through the park on a quiet day and hear the stream bubbling away. There are three small bridges allowign you to access the wider green space, and my children used to love throwing small sticks in to the stream when they were younger.
The Braidburn Valley Park
Nowadays, I walk my dog at Braidburn, it’s never changed. Despite being a lavishly, rolling green space, it’s well maintained. It’s predominantly a community park and in previous years it has served its community well.
It was an allotment space during WW2 and a community theatre space at the silver jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary. The theatre space is still visible and you can see the ‘seats’ carved into the greenery, and the ‘stage’ shaded by trees. When it was first designed, local drama groups would put on plays and dance performances. As you wander around you pick up lines of “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”. ( Or that could just be my imagination!)
Cherry trees and orchard
The cherry trees to the south were planted by 5000 girl guides, brownies and rangers to commemorate the Silver Jubilee too.
More recently an orchard has been planted to remember a local greengrocer who served the community for over 60 years. It’s always an enjoyable walk through the park, some people hurrying on to Morningside, or cycling through. There’s also those like me – strolling with dogs, enjoying the fresh air and space.
The park has an information board located at the Morningside end, which gives you more information.
Karlie Simmonds Karlie has worked in Digital Media for over 10 years, she is passionate about health and wellbeing and lives in Edinburgh with her partner, children, and Pug, Poppy.
