Ratho

Ratho is a village in the west of Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. It was formerly in the old county of Midlothian. Newbridge and Kirkliston are other villages in the area. The Union Canal passes through Ratho. Edinburgh Airport is situated only 4 miles (7 km) away.

Origins

Ratho is the site of stone age circles, carved into the rocks. There was also a witches stone, which held many legends. When the stone was moved by the land owner for farming, it was believed evil spirits where released into the village. It is believed that the name Ratho comes from "Rathach", Scottish Gaelic, for a place where there is an old fort.

On pre-1800s maps where place-name spellings varied wildly, Ratho is sometimes referred to as Rathue or Rathua. In 1817 Ratho was separated into "Ratho" (the main village) "Ratho Byers" and "Ratho Bank".

Haltoun House

There are a number of old buildings in the area. The most prominent of these was Haltoun House or castle (pronounced, and sometimes spelt, Hatton), which was badly damaged by fire in the mid-1950s and subsequently taken down. This magnificent country house evolved from its central core, a Norman keep, or what Scots call a Pele Tower. In 1371 the manor and lands of Haltoun were resigned to the Crown by John de Haltoun, and were regranted to Alan de Lawedre [Lauder] of that Ilk who then resided mostly at Whitslaid Tower just outside Lauder. Haltoun Tower was damaged during the House of Douglas troubles of 1452, when a note in the Treasurers' Accounts show funds being provided for its repair. The Haltoun estates remained in the Lauder family until the latter half of the 17th century when they passed by marriage to Charles Maitland, 3rd Earl of Lauderdale, who enlarged and beautified Hatton House.

Richard Lauder, the last Lauder laird of Haltoun, was interred in Ratho Kirk on November 29, 1675.

Transport

Ratho is served by two bus services. X48 gives the village an express link to Ratho Station, Ingliston Park and Ride, Corstorphine, The City Centre, The Royal Infirmary and Sheriffhall Park and Ride every 30 minutes. Service 400 connects Ratho to East Calder, Livingston and St. Johns Hospital in one direction and Edinburgh Royal Infirmary in the other direction.Ratho is located close to both the M8 and the M9 motorways. The A8 and A71 run parallel to the north and the south of the village. These are two of the major roads runing into Edinburgh.There is a network of paths around Ratho and the surrounding area, and you can also walk or cycle along the canal towpath.

Union Canal

The Union Canal at Ratho is the location of Edinburgh Canal Centre, founded in 1989 by Ronnie Rusack MBE. The Seagull Trust is a boating charity offering free cruises to disabled people since 1979. It also boasts the only dry dock on the Union Canal. Either side of Bridge 15 are a series of artworks relating to the canal's history. Many of these can be used as seating.

Ratho Climbing Centre

The largest indoor climbing centre in Europe, and one of the biggest in the world, opened in October 2004 in nearby Ratho, on the bank of the Union Canal. The centre was closed for the end of 2006 and partially open for the first quarter of 2007. It has had some major works completed and is now fully operational. It boasts 2,400m² of artificial climbing surface, including 400m² of free-standing boulders, there are also plans for an additional bouldering room, however which was to open around July 2007. The centre is unique in its use of covered natural rock. Competitive and amateur climbers are attracted from around the world and the centre provides training up to World Cup competition standard. Above the climbing arena is "SkyRide", a 150m aerial assault course taking 10-30 minutes. In addition there is also a large gym, with new equipment and a spa facility.

Ratho climbing centre was inspired and designed by Edinburgh based Architect David Taylor and was assisted by experienced climbers Rab Anderson and Duncan McCallum.

Photo gallery

External links

* [http://www.seagulltrust.org.uk/html/ratho.html Seagull Trust, boating charity offering free boating for disabled people]
* [http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/ratho/ratho/ Ratho on "Undiscovered Scotland"]
* [http://www.eica-ratho.com "The Edinburgh International Climbing Arena: Ratho"]
* [http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&om=1&hl=en&spn=0.006144,0.022788&ll=55.923299,-3.390162&t=k Ratho on Google Maps] - The M8 is visible to the North and the Union Canal runs West to East. The Adventure Centre is clearly visible between the two, and Ratho itself is to the East.