The walk to Dean Village along the banks of the river Leith is one of the best walks in Edinburgh. The walk takes you past a beautiful Doric temple and lookout for the statue of a heron in the river. Dean village was once the flour mill that fed Edinburgh and the crossed wooden panels of the Baxter coat of arms can still be seen above one of the old doors.
It’s not a place of excitement, but of quiet beauty and a wonderful break from the clamour of the toun.

Dean Village would be pretty much my first choice for those long, mildly hungover Sundays where what's required is a soothing walk for the jangly nerves!

Simply getting to Dean Village is an experience in itself; it's a lush and leafy river walk with quirky Victorian follies and statues along the way.

Getting there's easy - from Stockbridge near Edinburgh's New Town you follow the river along Saunders Street and arrive at the entrance gateway (always open day or night). You walk for about half a mile enjoying the river views and graceful trees on either side of the river valley. Then you arrive at a stone bridge - and now you're in Dean Village. Cross the river via the stone bridge and if you like, look for the arrow carved into the bridge wall-top on your left, it was carved more than a century ago and marks the spot where kids used to jump into the river. There's a deep pool called Witches Cauldron below.

At the other side of the bridge turn left into the cobbled street and left again into the entrance to Well's Court. These lovely red sandstone buildings were designed by architect Sydney Mitchell, commissioned by philanthropist J R Findlay and were built around 1885. The clock tower and former church hall (now architect's offices) reflect Mitchell's ideal of community housing. He believed that communal housing areas needed places for people to gather together. The church hall hosted a wide variety of meetings and religious services reflecting the diversity of tenents' beliefs.

Wander through the court to the river's edge and enjoy a tranquil moment on the bench overlooking the river and imagine yourself living in one of the flats above with their little lead-cased windows (not as expensive as you might imagine - to rent at least!). Across the river there's a delighful row of yellow painted houses, which look like they're straight out of Hansel and Gretel. They're the real thing and date back to the 17th Century - the buildings further along are contemporary copies, but sensitively designed.

There's so much history in this compact and lovely village nestling on the banks of Dean Valley- too much to go into here. If you're feeling in the mood, the National Gallery of Scotland is a fifteen minute walk continuing along the river.