When it rains hard on Calton Hill, the water cascades down the paths making impressive waterfalls, washing soil and gravel downhill, but while it looks dramatic, it also makes it more difficult to maintain the hill in good order.
The hill has extensive, beautifully-constructed, open stone channels made of double lines of hard ‘whinstones’, arranged in a V-shape, that werelaid out in the 19th century to manage the flow of rainwater — though most of them are now unfortunately buried under earth and grass.
The Trust Volunteers ‘major project’ is to work with other volunteer groups to uncover the channels and restore the drainage system. We don’t know how long it will take to open them up. Perhaps two or three years.
On 10 March, exploratory work was done with Beltane Fire Festival volunteers clearing the cross gutters on Rock Path.
On 6 May, we joined with volunteers from Edinburgh University Library organised by the Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust to begin work on the Hume Walk channel beginning on the north side of the City Observatory and leading down to the Regent Road Steps. The first section down to the junction with Greenside Path was cleared, including the cross gutters that filter rainwater down the grassy slopes.
On 31 May we will be continuing the work and invite all to join us that day from 13.00.