Tag: Edinburgh

Community Walking Projects

Widdershins

A short film made on the Summer Solstice 2025, a provocation curated by Kel Portman. Sub titled, Walking an Orbit on the Longest and Shortest Day, I walked an anti-clockwise circuit in Granton, Edinburgh at dawn. It included a swim in the cauldron of the Firth of Forth, and an encounter with one of the Covid Memorial Trail sculptures by Skye Loneragan and Stewart Ennis.

Below: 10 walking artists celebrate the summer solstice:

‘Widdershins, A Witch’s Walk’ (short film) was my contribution. Widdershins, a spell for the Summer Solstice. Scots: Anticlockwise. Deosil, Gaelic: turn right, towards the sun, ‘May things go right’. A Witch’s Walk, contrariwise – Fox (tod) shapeshifter – Crow (corbie) familiar – Clootie – Mugwort – Ragwort – Wych Elm – Cauldron – Spoons for stirring. Song: The Witches Reel 1591. Sculpture: Skye Loneragan and Stewart Ennis. Location: ///only.voices.passes 

Contributing artists: Claudia Zeiske, Janette Kerr, Jaqui Stearn, Kara-Louise Slattery, David Tidsall, Jaak Coetzer, Neil Greenhalgh, Martin P Eccles and Kel @kelarrowsmith

Community Walking Projects

Walking Like A Tortoise 

Slow and Steady On October 7th 2025 at 7pm UK time, I’m pleased to be sharing an online event with Marie-Anne Lerjen at the Walk Listen Create Café where we will be talking about the Marsato Award we received for our work. The recording can be found here on the walklistencreate youtube channel.

One of the portraits of members of the local community I met while walking the Granton Boundary
Free postcard for residents, designed by Tamsin Grainger
Detail, Personal Mapping. Textile work re. ‘My Body is My Map’
Hand drawn / painted map of Granton showing other-than-human inhabitants we live with
One of the Walking Like a Tortoise events
Showing members of the local youth club around the History Hub
Walk Map, Granton, Edinburgh

Walking the Granton Boundary on Vimeo

Old and new maps of Granton on the edge of Edinburgh

Walking Like a Tortoise in Living Maps Journal

Community Walking Projects

First Friday Walk

1 November 2024 a Walking the Land artist collective monthly event. This Friday’s brief was by Janette Kerr and me, Tamsin Grainger and part of the Lines of Enquiry, a collective walking art project which will culminate in a group exhibition in 2025.

Look for somewhere to sit, stand or crouch on your own. Pause. Close your eyes and concentrate on listening.

Try to separate out all the sounds you can hear.

Using a piece of paper and pencil, crayon or pen, and with your eyes still closed, make marks on your paper that you think might represent the sounds you are hearing (don’t try to make a picture of, or draw, the thing making the noise!)

Spend as long as you like doing this. You might stop and do it several times during the walk.

If you are walking with others, you might try this together on one piece of paper.

Here are the What3Words locations for the 6 stops we made along part of the Edinburgh Cycle Path network, connecting in spirit with others who were walking along the Honeybourne Line (Gloucestershire) and elsewhere.

  1. ///Causes.Host.Home
  2. ///Perky.Fetch.Useful
  3. ///Notice.Case.Bugs
  4. ///Linked.Tides.Eager
  5. ///Bounty.Belong.Only
  6. ///Maker.Exit.Corn
  7. ///Friday.Notice.Retail
Damp earth causes stains
Tree hosts magpies and sparrows
Home is far away.
Wet bottoms as we drew the sounds around us with our eyes closed
Sometimes using two hands as the sound came from so many places. Photo Janette Kerr
Perky dog's tail wags
'Fetch' calls his human with joy
Useful happinness.
Part of the No Birds Land sound walk installation
Under the Bridge. Edinburgh cycle paths. Photo Janette Kerr
Notice how cold stone
Is, in case of chills and piles 
Bugs me every time.
Where the 5-ways meet on the Edinburgh Cycle Path
Log sitting linked to
Ruth, tides away from here, though
Eager to connect.
Not Log Letters but Log Drawings (of the soundscape) 
Pigeon poo bounty
Belongs here under the bridge 
Who to? Only coo!
Despite the metal mesh, the pigeons roost in the roof of the old railway tunnel where Janette draws
Maker mark on pipes
No exit for the sewage 
Rose and corn coloured.
Strange, but serious pipes on the hillside 
First Friday walking
Notice the noise of the drill 
Retail shop going up.
Final stop: drawing together, opposite each other at the end of the Leith Path near the Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop
Some of the drawings made during the First Friday Walk (November 2024 by Janette and Tamsin)

Notes

On the ‘Log sitting …’ haiku: ‘Ruth’ refers to Ruth Broadbent and our project Conversations from a Log

Community Walking Projects

Community Walk for the Festival of Terminalia

Please join us on a walk around Granton Harbour on Sunday 23rd February 2025 2.30-4pm to celebrate the Festival of Terminalia with history, art, nature, and community stories.

Explore the boundary of Granton Harbour: an urban walk on pavements and waste ground – past the old Gunpowder Store and site of the Ice House which served the fishing industries of Newhaven and Granton in 1950s, along the old railway lines and discover the original Granton Station, look out across the Firth of Forth and imagine the Esparto Grass boats coming in from the south of Spain and North Africa, check out the latest housing developments, and walk ‘The Wall‘.

Above: On the left -The Old Gunpowder Store (now Corinthian Yacht Club), middle – an old photo of the harbour from Lochinvar Drive, right – an old tram and the train which used to run along past Wardie Bay in days gone by.

Meet at 2.30pm at the corner of Lochinvar Drive and Lower Granton Road, outside the Corinthian Quay Apartments (EH5 1GL W3W phones.solo.groups) on Granton Square. Buggies, dogs and wheelchairs welcome. It is hoped that we can offer Polish and Arabic translations if required. It can be cold on the northern side of the harbour, so please wear warm clothes and sensible shoes. Bring water or a hot drink. Chocolate provided! 

Sorry about the poor quality , but here is the meeting point

Please book your place via Eventbrite

Register on Eventbrite
Community Walking Projects

Granton Walking Tour

Granton Walking Tour 14 December 2024

You are welcome to join us for a Granton Heritage Walk on Saturday morning 14th December. We will leave from Granton:hub (Madelvic House, at the end of Granton Park Avenue, EH5 1HS) gathering at 10.15am for a 10.30am start, and returning to the starting point at 12 noon.

Book here via Eventbrite

We will be following part of the Curious Edinburgh Walking Tour and going by Granton Station, Saltire Square, Caroline Park, Granton Castle Walled Garden Doocot and new mural, Forthquarter Park and the Gas Tower.

This walk is on pavements and is suitable for buggies, wheelchairs and people of all ages including those with dogs (on a lead please). Please wear suitable clothing and shoes for the weather and bring some water with you. After the walk, participants will be invited inside Madelvic House for refreshments and to view the community consultation exhibition organised by Edinburgh College of Art as part of their ‘Heritage on the Edge’ research project. More details on this event will be available later.

The tour will have a maximum of 15 people. Headsets will be used to ensure everyone can hear the commentary.

On arrival, all particpants will receive a brochure with full details of the walk.

The Granton Walking Tour is also available in Polish and Arabic. For this and any specific queries about the walk, please contact tamsinlgrainger@gmail.com for more details.

Tamsin Grainger is a Paths for All walk leader.

Granton:hub will charge a small fee which contributes towards operating costs.