George IV Bridge is an elevated street in Edinburgh that spans the Cowgate ravine. Stretching three hundred meters, this multi-arched stone thoroughfare was designed by architect Thomas Hamilton to provide a level route between the Old…
Waverley Valley and Bridges
This self-guided walk traverses the dramatic bridges and historic steps connecting Edinburgh's medieval Old Town and neoclassical New Town, highlighting the engineering feats that joined a divided city.
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1. George IV Bridge
2. South Bridge
South Bridge is a road bridge spanning nineteen stone arches, yet it is almost entirely hidden from view by the buildings lining its sides. Only the largest arch remains visible where the street crosses over the Cowgate, leaving the rest…
3. North Bridge
The North Bridge is defined by its arched iron girders and the cast-iron arcading that lines its facade. It functions as a road link between the Royal Mile in the Old Town and Princes Street in the New Town, extending over the tracks of…
4. The Scotsman Steps
The Scotsman Steps are a hundred and four individual marble stairs contained within an octagonal stone tower that links the North Bridge to Market Street. Built between eighteen ninety-nine and nineteen oh two by architects James Dunn and…
5. Edinburgh Waverley
Edinburgh Waverley sits in a deep, narrow valley that separates the medieval Old Town from the eighteenth-century New Town. Its most distinctive feature is a sprawling, expansive glass roof that covers thirteen acres, sheltering the…
6. Waverley Bridge
Waverley Bridge is a massive structural lid that spans the deep valley holding Edinburgh’s primary railway station. Built between eighteen ninety-four and eighteen ninety-six by the engineering firm Blyth and Westland, the structure links…