Walking Edinburgh’s Lost Railways

Walking Edinburgh’s Lost Railways by Robin Howie and John McGregor is a richly detailed walking guide and Edinburgh railway history book that uncovers the city’s forgotten and dismantled railway lines. Blending industrial archaeology with urban exploration, it reveals how former rail routes have been transformed into scenic walking paths, cycleways, and green corridors across Scotland’s capital.

This unique Edinburgh heritage walking guide leads readers along more than 40 miles of disused railway trackbeds, once vital to the city’s transport network. Many of these abandoned railways—now converted into smooth, gently graded paths—feature hidden bridges, tunnels, cuttings, embankments and disused stations that continue to shape Edinburgh’s urban landscape.

The book explores how Lothian Regional Council’s redevelopment programme in the 1980s preserved and repurposed these historic routes, creating accessible walking and cycling routes for all ages. It also reflects on the loss of some railway corridors due to post-1960s redevelopment, particularly in areas such as Leith, while highlighting how much of this industrial heritage still survives.

Featuring 14 interconnected walks beginning in Edinburgh’s city centre at Waverley Station, Walking Edinburgh’s Lost Railways offers a fascinating journey through two centuries of urban expansion, railway history, and community transformation.

Perfect for railway enthusiasts, walkers, cyclists and readers interested in Edinburgh history, hidden transport heritage and industrial archaeology. This book brings Scotland’s lost railways vividly back to life.