On the north bank of the Union Canal, stretching seval hundred metres from Shandon to Polwarth, Harrison Park is a gem. It has an aspirational quality for me as I'd love to move nearer, into a classic Edinburgh flat overlooking its green expanse up to the canal. All in good time, so for now I'll walk past on my way to work, or through on the diagonal on my way home from town after reaching it along the canal path. Dog walkers at all times of the year, student picnics and barbecues when the weather's right and a mix of runners, families and others as the mood takes them.
It may not have the carrying capacity of The Meadows, but nor does it have to support the swarms who descend on that stretch of over-used lawn. Princes Street Gardens may enjoy the patronage of thousands of tourists, but Harrison Park need not concern itself with such demands on its time. Harrison is a local park, for local folk, linked to the rest of the city by the canal on one flank and plenty of bus routes all around. It's in two halves, one fringed by spring flowers and replete with a full on kids' playground, the other a home to new benches and paths, and sports teams over the weekend. read more