Visit Bonaly Places

Welcome to Visit Bonaly Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Bonaly

  

Bonaly Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Bonaly

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Bonaly history

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Early history

Bonaly was originally a small settlement on the banks of the Bonaly Burn, close to the present-day site of Bonaly Tower, until its destruction after 1811. The area has a long history of human occupation and the remains of an Iron Age hillfort may be seen at Clubbiedean, 2 km to the south-west. Norman barons began to arrive in Scotland and establish feudal estates in the 12th century.

Bonaly Village

By the 17th century, Bonaly appears to have been thriving and is mentioned frequently in the Kirk Session records. The community never had its own kirk, and parishioners travelled to the kirk in Colinton to attend services. The 17th and 18th centuries were a time of radical change in the Scottish agricultural landscape.

Destruction of the village

In the 18th century, the northern portion of Bonaly was acquired by James Gillespie, a Colinton merchant, mill-owner and philanthropist. Gillespie left a legacy to fund the establishment of a charitable school, known as Gillespie’s Hospital. A southern portion, including the village, was leased by Lord Cockburn. He developed the 17th century farmhouse into a country house and demolished the village.

20th century

Several large villas were individually constructed on Bonaly Road in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1959, house-builders Mactaggart and Mickel commenced large-scale housing development on the land adjacent to Bonaly Farm – formerly known as the East Field. Over the following 40 years over 500 houses were constructed.

You can visit Bonaly places with Walkfo Bonaly to hear history at Bonaly’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Bonaly has 53 places to visit in our interactive Bonaly map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Bonaly, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Bonaly places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Bonaly & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 53 audio facts unique to Bonaly places in an interactive Bonaly map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Bonaly Places Map
53 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Bonaly historic spots	Bonaly tourist destinations	Bonaly plaques	Bonaly geographic features
Walkfo Bonaly tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Bonaly

  

Best Bonaly places to visit

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Bonaly has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Bonaly’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Bonaly’s information audio spots:

Torphin Torphin is an almost entirely non-residential area in the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. It lies just south of Juniper Green, on the opposite side of the Water of Leith, and sits both east and west of the Edinburgh City Bypass. The west side is largely rural, sporting a small number of mid-20th Century bungalows and one of Edinburgh’s many golf courses.

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Visit Bonaly plaques