Enjoy a laid-back walk along the Water of Leith with like-minded people.

Enjoy a laid-back walk along the Water of Leith with like-minded people.

Reconnect with Edinburgh’s nature, local community and (most importantly) yourself, through reflective discussions and shared insights on positive change.

We'll start on Hamilton Place in Stockbridge and walk to near the Modern Two art gallery and back, enjoying lush greenery and the historic Dean Village. Make sure to bring a resuable cup and well-behaved dogs are not only welcome but encouraged!

What to expect

Meet us outside Pho & Roll at 2pm and there will then be the opportunity to go to either Poppy cafe or Fortitude Coffee for a hot drink at the start.

We appreciate it can sometimes be nerve racking at the beginning, especially if you arrive solo, so we’ll do our best to make sure everyone feels welcome.

Organised and guided by Eloise, after gabbing an optional drink, we’ll set off along the Water of Leith. So it’s easier to meet a range of people, we’ll split you off into twos or threes and give you a prompt for reflective discussion (and to skip the small talk). Taking part in this is not obligatory, but it can be a great way to structure the walk.

We’ll ask you to switch partners quite a few times throughout the event giving you different prompts and a chance to chat to someone new. There will also be regular stops giving you the opportunity to share anything from your discussions with the group (if you wish to do so).

Accessibility

Unfortunately, the path of this walk is uneven with cobbles and cracks in the pavement, and there are some steps so it may not be accessible to people with reduced mobility (for example people who use a wheelchair) or pushchairs.

We’ll aim to have some of the future walks on pathways more accessible, but due to the nature of these walks being in nature it’s not always possible. We’ll also aim to host other types of events that require less walking and are more accessible. If you have any other accessibility requirements or questions, please get in touch via our social media.

Photo and video permissions

For marketing purposes, there will be photography and filming on the way. Please speak to the organiser if you don’t want to be included in this.

What to bring

Make sure to bring shoes with good grip and a rain jacket if the forecast turns to drizzle. We also advise you to bring waterbottles and snacks for the walk. Please also make sure to bring a re-usable cup if you are getting a takeaway drink.

The Shared Neighbourhood Community Guidelines

Inclusivity

We welcome people of all backgrounds and explicitly recognise that experiences of climate change are shaped by race, disability, gender, sexuality, class and other intersecting identities.

Respect

We aim to create balanced conversations where everyone has space. Most events won’t be therapy groups; we're here to support one another through shared experiences rather than individual counselling. Likewise, we are not a networking group, and while we welcome discussions that may sway to mutually beneficial business opportunities, we ask people to reframe from unsolicited pitching.

Learning and Openness

Everyone is on their own learning journey, and while we aim to attract people of shared values we also hope that the community provides a space for judgement free learning and growth.

Hope over Doom

The community is not about pretending everything is fine. Instead, it acknowledges shared grief and concern about global topics while deliberately creating space for joy, connection, creativity, community, action and hope.

Intersectionality

We encourage our community to acknowledge that climate issues and inequality are not mutually exclusive and welcome discussions on a number of related topics.

Safety

People’s safety and comfort is our number one priority and we have no tolerance for anything that compromises this. Please feel encouraged to contact the organiser regarding any concerns. We are also trialing releasing specific locations and routes for our walks solely on our WhatsApp group for safety reasons (rough locations will be made public) and will aim to host walks in daylight hours.

Description supplied by the event organiser.