Walks you can reach from Holytown by train

Recommended: A very green, quiet and largely traffic-free route, gently downhill towards Edinburgh for most of the way, with a good surface throughout. It follows the Water of Leith Walkway and then the Union Canal towpath and ending through the city's parks and streets. A few steepish slopes but no stairs; the river path can be muddy in places. Follows National Cycle Route 75 for most of its length and is part of the John Muir Way; the Colinton Tunnel is a highlight. Princes Street Gardens open at 7am and close at dusk.

Waterway: three quarters beside rivers and canals.

Woodland: a third under tree cover.

Time: 3h–6h

Lunch: Cafes near the route at Juniper Green, though most open around 10am.

Warnings: The Slateford Aqueduct has only a narrow, cobbled towpath with a drop, so take care and be patient when passing others.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A combination of paths and roads and off-road tracks with few climbs.

Time: 2h–4h30

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Tarmac and compacted-earth riverside footpaths (sometimes narrow) with good views over the river and plus longer stretches of pavement through Bothwell and a retail park. A varied route with an uphill finish. Follows the Clyde Walkway / National Cycle Route 75 along the riverside. Bothwell Castle was undergoing extensive restoration and closed to visitors (Sept 2022).

Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.

Time: 2h30–5h

Warnings: Follows a busy road for a sixth of the walk. The riverside sections can feel isolated and may become muddy after rain.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Woodland: a third under tree cover.

Time: 2h30–5h

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Time: 3h–5h30

Warnings: Follows a busy road for a fifth of the walk.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A mix of quiet roads and good field paths past Kaimes Hill and finishing along the Water of Leith. Paths can be indistinct in places.

Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.

Time: 2h30–5h

Warnings: The Glenbrook road has no pavement and tight bends, and a short section on the A70 (Lang Whang) has fast traffic on a long straight; take care. The path is indistinct near Kaimes Wood.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Time: 2h–3h30

Warnings: A fifth urban.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Some beautiful stretches. Some beautiful stretches through Greenhall Park and along the Clyde and with a path parallel to Stoneymeadow Road. A river crossing and the descent to the Clyde can be problematic.

Woodland: a third under tree cover.

Time: 3h–6h

Warnings: Follows a busy road for a sixth of the walk. The Rotten Calder crossing in Greenhall Park is only passable when the river is low (otherwise continue to the road via a slight scramble); the path down to the Clyde is unclear and can be very overgrown with nettles and brambles.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

An urban route mixing busier roads (the B765) with the off-road Clyde Walkway into Uddingston and avoiding a rural 60mph road with no verges. Follows the Clyde Walkway. Detours possible into Cambuslang or Newton to break the journey. Sustrans plan to reopen the Carmyle–Westburn viaduct as a walking and cycling route.

Time: 3h–6h

Lunch: The only facilities on the route are a small shop and a pair of pubs in Carmyle, about a third of the way along.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A route following the Clyde Walkway between the two stations. Follows the Clyde Walkway.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Time: 2h–4h

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Time: 4h–8h

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.

Time: 3h–6h

Walk details: Slow Ways.