Supporting Access To Health Walks At The Royal Infirmary

Thanks to support from NHS Lothian Charity, a new Health Walk has been established around the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Working with NHS Lothian, we have supported the co-ordination and development of the project, as well as bringing key partners together. Funding was also provided funding for improved signage.

This project recognises the mental health benefits that both walking and being in the fresh air can bring. There are so many therapeutic benefits to walking – it is a great way to zone out and rid yourself of negative thoughts as well as being a great opportunity to clear your mind and absorb your surroundings – the sights, the smells, the sounds.

The Health Walk is free and is a circular walk going round the Royal Infirmary (see map below). It can be enjoyed by staff, patients and visitors with options to extend the walk through Little France Park.

Little France Park is located to the east of the Royal Infirmary, and is most easily accessed from the hospital at an entrance which starts at the top of Car Park 2C. You can also access it by walking from the hospital main entrance to Old Dalkeith Road and walking along the road until you see a small bridge on the left. See the map of the site below:

It has a variety of habitats to explore, such as woodland, wetland, grassland and wildflower meadows which supports an array of wildlife such as butterflies, birds and bees.

There are wide hard surfaced paths in the park (paths marked in purple on the map), making it easy to access. In the above Little France Park map there are suggested walking routes. There are also benches, providing places to rest, relax and enjoy the views.

Although the north side of the slope is more easily accessed from the hospital, we would highly recommend visiting the south side if you have time as it offers spectacular views of the sea, Edinburgh Castle, Craigmillar Castle and Arthur’s Seat.

There are interpretation panels which provide a map of the site as well as interesting information on its history and wildlife.

More information

You can find out more about the site and its projects here: www.elgt.org.uk/projects/greenspace-improvements/little-france/

You can find more detailed information on the map here: www.innertubemap.com/little-france/

There are also Little France Park Cycleways Innertube Maps available to pick up at the main reception to the hospital, as well as at the BioQuarter (5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh, EH16 4UU).

Find out more about how we are supporting Greenspace initiatives across NHS Lothian by visiting our dedicated Green Health microsite.