The Water of Leith

Before becoming an Edinburgh resident, I didn’t know the city had a river running through it. Through the COVID-19 lockdowns, my route for local daily exercise often followed the walkway that runs along the banks of the river. It ranges from picturesque to post-industrial, running through some of the wealthiest areas of the city, between more deprived communities and industrial sites. It creates a continuous natural corridor for wildlife, running from the edge of the Pentland Hills in the south-west to the Firth of Forth in Leith, north of the city centre. I photographed these scenes on walks by the Water of Leith between 2020 and 2024. A time of change in my life, and an uncertain time for society as a whole. The river changes with the seasons and with the weather, but its flow is constant, reliable, to some extent predictable and dependable. During the early days of the pandemic, I found it comforting to see spring unfolding by the Water of Leith; nature had not stopped. In 2024, with pandemic life in the land of memory, working more, exploring new projects and ideas, and spending less time by the river, it seemed like a natural point to reflect. Not necessarily an end, but a recognition that the conditions of life have changed since I began this series. Life moves on, and the river continues to flow.