In this episode we head out to find lost stones from a church built in the 1400s which are now scattered across the city. When the church was demolished to make way for Waverley Station, the Council left stones piled on Calton Hill for 30 years. During this time many disappeared and a project funded by the Old Edinburgh Club is now finding where they went.

Join me with historians, Hetty Lancaster and Jill Harrison as I learn more about the church, the stones and we head out to see what we can find.

The podcast starts at the church built with only a third of the original stones, The Trinity Apse (NB you cannot currently go inside): HERE.

We also view stones in the courtyard of the Museum of Edinburgh: HERE

And others in Greyfriars Kirkyard: HERE

You can also see more at the National Museum of Scotland: HERE

The Trinity Stones website: https://www.revivingthetrinitystones.co.uk/

The link to the crowdfunding: https://www.gofundme.com/f/revive-the-trinity-stones-a-precious-part-of-old-edinburgh

The Old Edinburgh Club website: https://oldedinburghclub.org.uk/

Hetty's History Walks website: https://www.hettyshistorywalks.co.uk/

The Trinity Project: https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/trinitynetwork/the-trinity-network-who-are-we/

Read more on my Substack: https://edinburghoutdoors.substack.com/p/edinburgh-outdoors-podcast

Lifelong railway enthusiast and author, Kenneth Williamson, grew up in Granton. We walked around Barnton to view old railway lines and historic buildings while talking about his life and memories.

Kenneth's website: https://www.trainbuff.net/

We met in Silverknowes

The old Goods Yard (now Tesco) HERE

The former Station Master's house HERE

The entrance to Royal High School and the view of the railway line/driveway is HERE

Davidson's Mains Park is HERE

The old well is HERE

The Maitland Bowling Club is HERE

The skew bridge is HERE

Midhope Castle on the Hopetoun Estate is an old tower house packed full of history. To many people it is better known as Lallybroch, the beautiful and atmospheric ancestral home of Jamie Fraser in the Outlander TV series.

Once a bin store and farmyard, the Midhope has become incredibly popular with Outlander fans and people keen to seek out filming locations. The team at Hopetoun has been working to enhance the visitor experience and welcome the many thousands who make the pilgrimage to Jamie's home.

I went behind the scenes of Lallybroch to hear some filming secrets, get a special peek inside the building and to discover many of the filming locations around the site. I met the team responsible for creating a visitor experience and I enjoyed the romance and mystery of this really special and historic building.

You can visit Midhope / Lallybroch HERE

There is a website with more information: https://www.midhopecastle.com/

Hopetoun Estate has a section about Outlander filming locations and a map to help you find them HERE

The woodland walk with Jamie's cave and other locations is HERE

Abercorn Church can be found HERE

You can enjoy a beautiful walk from Blackness Castle (another Outlander location) to Abercorn and Midhope along the John Muir Way, starting HERE

The Astley Ainsley hospital site is a large area of green space in the south of the city. With wild areas, protected buildings and teeming with wildlife, it's a surprisingly special space. The Astley Ainsley Community Trust is working to protect the area as the NHS is moving out of some of it and parts of the site will be sold. There are plans for retaining its wildness, creating community greenspace and ensuring it remains available for recuperation and recreation, in line with its original purpose.

Join me on a wander around the site, discovering its long history, its unique spaces and listening to some incredible bird sounds.

You can access the site from Morningside or Grange HERE

The Astley Ainsley Community Trust website is here: https://www.aact.scot/

Binning Wood is in East Lothian beyond North Berwick and is a historic wood. Once used to build warplanes and then replanted after the war, it's packed full of different trees and was an ideal location for my walk with Jean Nairn. Binning is home to wide walkways through native trees, a beautiful green burial site and little hidden spaces.

Jean worked in forestry and while she still works with trees, it's now in a very different - and fascinating - way. We headed out into Binning to enjoy nature sights and sounds and to find out more about Jean and her love of trees.

You can find Binning Wood HERE

Jean's Woodlands Breathing site can be found here: https://www.woodlandsbreathing.co.uk/

Find out more about green burials at Binning: https://www.binningwood.co.uk/

Gorgie City Farm is remembered fondly by everyone. Now remerged as Gorgie Community Farm, the location is being revitalised by a new team. As trustees, gardeners and volunteers breathe life into the space, focusing initially on the community garden, it's packed full of potential to bring back an essential green space for the area.

I went along to meet the people transforming it, to find out what they've been doing and to talk about the future. As volunteers return and we head towards Spring, it was a great time to find out what's planned.

The site is HERE

To find out more: https://gorgiecommunityfarm.co.uk/

The team has a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GorgieCommunityFarm/

And an Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gorgiecommunityfarm/

And if you are interested in gardener Johanna's journey through the garden, she has an Instagram too: https://www.instagram.com/gorgiefarmgarden

Easter and Wester Craiglockhart Hills are part of Edinburgh's Seven Hills. In the south of the city, Easter Craiglockhart is a nature reserve and is teeming with wildlife, great views and a strong volunteer group.

Join me as I find out how the excellent volunteering team on Easter Craiglockhart Hill has been transforming the site with new trees, spring flowers and an island for the pond. Listen to this first episode of Season 5 to hear about the work that's ongoing and to learn about the new island and the newly designated Iron Age hillfort.

Recorded last year, this episode brings you Spring just when you need it! With birdsong, primoroses and ducklings the Hill was literally springing into life.

The Hill can be accessed beside the pond on Lockarton Crescent HERE

You can find out more, see what wildlife has been spotted and learn about upcoming events, or join in with the team of volunteers here: https://www.eastercraiglockharthill.org/

The Friends have an active Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EasterCraiglockhartHill/

Princes Street Gardens right in the centre of Edinburgh beneath the Castle is a public park with a long history. It was formerly a loch and was drained to remove the stench of the city's sewage and to create a park for residents. It's now a popular spot, so I headed into the Gardens with Hetty Lancaster of Hetty's History Walks to find out more about the park's history.

A regular guest expert on the podcast, Hetty turned the tables in the second half of the recording and asked me about why I set up Edinburgh Outdoors - something a bit different!

We met in Princes Street Gardens by the Ross Fountain

We discussed the Robert Louise Stevenson monument

and the Floral Clock

You can find old pictures of Edinburgh and Princes Street Gardens on Capital Collections

There's one of the Nor Loch

Find out about Hetty's History Walks: https://www.hettyshistorywalks.co.uk/

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