Colinton Tunnel - Edinburgh Hidden Gem

Dear Diary,

Last week I could finally tick a place off my Edinburgh bucket list.

I went for a nice walk along the Water of Leith (highly recommend!) to see the Colinton Tunnel.

Yes, a tunnel. But not your average kinda grey-looking tunnel. 

The tunnel was completed in 1874 as part of the Balerno Branch Line, connecting the countryside with the buzzing inner city. People could get to Princess Street in just 15 minutes and city folk on the other hand, out into the countryside. Which is why it was also called the “picnic line”. The last train ran on the line in 1967 when it was closed for good. 

So why is it worth a visit? 

Because the inside of the tunnel is a heritage mural! 

And there’s even more to that. It’s not just random artwork as you might find in other places, the art also tells a unique story.

On the walls, you’ll find stunning imagery, but also Robert Louis Stevenson’s poem “From a Railway Carriage”. Stevenson had a special connection to Colinton hence his poem. A very nice link to local history. 

The poem is on one wall, whilst corresponding images are on the other side and on the roof. There are lots of Scottish-themed images but also witches, horses and other mystical animals. 

The 140-meter mural was designed by Chris Rutterford alongside many professionals and volunteer artists in 2019. Overall over 600 people took part in the project. 

Here’s the poem by Stevenson from 1885:

Faster than fairies, faster than witches,
Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches;
And charging along like troops in a battle,
All through the meadows the horses and cattle:
All of the sights of the hill and the plain
Fly as thick as driving rain;
And ever again, in the wink of an eye,
Painted stations whistle by.

Here is a child who clambers and scrambles,
All by himself and gathering brambles;
Here is a tramp who stands and gazes;
And there is the green for stringing the daisies!
Here is a cart run away in the road
Lumping along with man and load;
And here is a mill and there is a river:
Each a glimpse and gone for ever!

So, next time you’re in Edinburgh, you know where to go!