The little bridge through Dean Village
Everytime I visit my Aunt Vi and stay at her place in Edinburgh I am able to walk into the city centre in about 20 minutes. The route I always like to take is through this small little oasis tucked away called Dean Village. I discovered it once by accident when I took a wrong turn and went down the road that leads to the village instead of across the main Dean Bridge. And I was so taken aback by how cute and unassuming this little enclave is. And you don’t even know it is there until you stumble upon it.
One of the cute little houses in the village
It is a former village, which lies beneath Thomas Telford’s famous Dean Bridge immediately northwest of the city centre. It was known as the “Water of Leith Village” and was a successful grain milling hamlet for more than 800 years. At one time there were no fewer than eleven working mills there, driven by the strong currents of the Water of Leith. There is something so quaint and storybook to its feel with quirky old buildings overlooking the river and its bridges and winding pathways.
The waterfalls of the river just down from the stony bridge
There were mills here from at least 1128 supplying flour and other milled grain to Edinburgh. As you walk around you can see some pretty neat things. Everytime I walk through here I dream of what it would be like to have a little flat in this little oasis so close to the city centre. Cobblestone streets, old quaint stone buildings and a rushing river which would lure you to sleep. I really must check on that. It is set in this little river valley so you have climb a good steep street to come out at Queensferry just past Dean Bridge and then you just walk straight down and hit Princess Street – how perfect is that.
Looking up the street towards the city from near the bottom of Dean Village
Needless to say, I will continue to consider this an option if this is the area where I might move when I come overseas. Wouldn’t it be great to rent or own an old historical building. I would love that. That has always been one of my dreams. Restoring one to historical look would be a fun project. Enough of the building from scratch but I am happy to restore.
Standing on Queensferry Road - right is the Dean Bridge to my Aunt Vi's, left past that funky building would be the Dean Path to the Village