THE western edge of Edinburgh is the most rural part of the city, and in many ways the most charming. Yet it is unknown territory to many lifelong Edinburgh dwellers. People who can reel off the names of every street between Bruntsfield and Stockbridge become hesitant about the terrain between Ratho and Kirkliston. Yet Edinburgh's rural hinterland is very accessible. Indeed, the sudden transition from city to country can be startling. In Sighthill, for example, the motorist one moment is driving westwards past high-rise flats; the next, the urban scene has abruptly vanished and he is among green fields, hedgerows and grazing cows. No conjuror could do it more smoothly.

In this well-cared-for landscape, such village communities as Kirkliston, Ratho and Balerno sit comfortably in their rural environment. Truly, this is where the town meets the country. The Union Canal passes through Ratho, and cruises on the canal aboard the Pride of the Union depart from the Bridge Inn. These cruises operate throughout the year, and there is a restaurant and music on board.

Bridge Inn

There are well-known golf courses at Ratho Park and at Dalmahoy. A short distance to the south the Water of Leith, having risen in the Pentland Hills, is passing through Balerno, Currie, Juniper Green and Colinton on its way to the city and the sea. All these villages once owed their prosperity to this river, which turned the water mills that drove the modest industries established on its banks. Though all these villages have grown greatly in the past half-century, each still retains an older architectural core that offers the discerning passer-by a glimpse of an earlier era.

Colinton, where the river passes through a precipitous dell, is one of Edinburgh's most picturesque villages. Robert Louis Stevenson knew Colinton well, having spent many happy childhood hours at Colinton manse, where his grandfather was parish minister. Nowadays the river is accompanied on its course by the pleasant Water of Leith Walkway, which provides walkers with a leafy, traffic-free route for some 15 miles from high moorland to seashore. Currie and Balerno both provide access to the Pentland Hills, whose footpaths are well signposted.

Royal Highland Show

At Ingliston is the Royal Highland Showground, home of Scotland's premier agricultural show in June each year. Ingliston also has a large exhibition hall and facilities for the holding of conferences. It is also the home of the Scottish Agricultural Museum. Part of the National Museums of Scotland, the museum illustrates the life and work of past generations on the land. There are displays of original farming tools, equipment, archive photographs and models.