Guestbook | Leith Walks

Julie Ann Thomason wrote on March 14, 2013 at 12:49 pm

As a born and bred Leither and proud of it I was horrified by the success of Trainspotting. I had only seen the film dubbed in Spanish. However yesterday, 13th March I joined one of Tim\'s Trainspotting tours and it was an enlightening experience. Putting the book into is socio political context, changes that had taken place in my own life time while living in Leith helped me enormously, so much I am now going to read the book now that I understand why it is called Trainspotting. I hadn\'t been aware of the plans for Leith Station and was sad to learn of its loss and the potential it had as something iconic.

Eric wrote on March 4, 2013 at 12:29 am

My girlfriend and I were in Edinburgh in 2010 and took this tour - loved it! Tim is a great guide, and it\'s definitely a great way to learn a little about Leith. As an American who\'s read pretty much everything Irvine Welsh has written I came into it thinking I had a good feel for what the place is like, but there\'s nothing quite like getting an \"insider\" view. Would definitely recommend it to anybody who\'s a fan of Welsh or just wants to explore Leith!

Lennart wrote on February 28, 2013 at 11:45 am

This tour is a must do for anyone who wants to know more about Edinburgh than the beaten track and tourist trap stuff like the Castle, Princess Street etc. We (Dutch lads who are visiting Edinburgh every year for the football, Hibs ofcourse and Sixnations rugby) really enjoyed an interesting tour with a guide who knows everything about Leith and more. Thanks Tim!

Matt wrote on February 11, 2013 at 10:56 am

We took the tour on a snowy Christmas Eve morning and it was brilliant - if cold! - with Tim the perfect guide. Looking forward to the book...

Jose wrote on February 10, 2013 at 7:29 pm

Although I am a foreigner and I quite not understand scottish slang, I really enjoyed this tour last year. It was an amazing experience learn Leith and its people history. Looking forward to repeat it

Frank Ferri wrote on February 10, 2013 at 4:22 pm

Hi all although a vetern of Leith of over 70 years I must confess I\'m not too familiar with Leith\'s Trainspotting era (1980s), my recalls deal more with the 1930s to 1960s and have been a major contributer to hte oldleither website and waverly canteen bu Peter Stubbs which covers he whole city. Sadly the Webmaster John Stewart of oldleither passed away over the festive period and its future is not uncertain. However, I encourage all writings of Leiths history the Good, Bad & the Ugly and wish Tim bell every success with his endevours

Nick wrote on February 9, 2013 at 8:12 pm

My wife Kerri and I had the good fortune to discover that Tim was giving walking tours in Leith just before our trip to Scotland in 2006. I\'m a huge fan of Irvine Welsh\'s books and the Trainspotting film and booked a tour immediately. I had no idea at the time, however, how exceptional the experience would be. In the end - I got to see a unique real-life corner of the world that would have otherwise been completely unreachable for a random guy from New York City... and see it in explicit detail. It\'s always captivating to witness an expert at work and Tim is an expert among experts. If you have any interest at all - book a tour without a second thought. P.S. don\'t forget your camera like we did. >_< doh! At least I\'ve got the memories and the 6 pages of notes in the back of my copy of Trainspotting that I just had to put down hours later thanks to the jetlag.

James wrote on February 9, 2013 at 7:39 pm

The tour was brilliant and we got a whole new insight into the full canon of Irvine Welsh, not just Trainspotting.

Rien Stierman wrote on January 28, 2013 at 10:05 am

Hi Tim, As your first Trainspotting tour customer of course I had to see the TV programm with Tom Barman yesterday. Good to see you in good health, you have not changed a bit, have you?I hope you finish the book soon, where can I pre-order 😉

Rebecca de Ridder wrote on December 11, 2012 at 5:00 pm

A couple of weeks ago my friends and I went on the Trainspotting tour. I always imagined I knew a fair bit about the book, but I was wrong. There was so much still to learn and Tim Bell’s tour is THE way to get ‘enlightened’. Anyone who loves this book (or any other Welsh book set in Leith) will love this tour! Tim Bell is also a great reader and really brings the book to life!

Izabelle wrote on December 7, 2012 at 11:13 pm

Hello! I was lucky enough to attend the trainspotting tour on November 14th. I had listened to the audio book (I had no chance of reading it because of the strong diolect) and watched the movie and was really excited for the tour. I was not disappointed. The tour was fantastic, I learned a lot about the origins of the book that made it more real and made me able to relate to the charactres in trainspotting more. It was also really amazing to see parts of Edinburgh that I had never seen before and learn about its history. Tim also read aloud from the book, and explained all of the slang that Irvine Welsh used. All in all it was an amazing tour, and I would love to learn more. Thanks a lot!

Shane Cahill wrote on November 27, 2012 at 11:19 pm

I will be sending Tim a list of all the books I like so he can prepare tours on them for me. Great craic.

Arild Thorsberg wrote on November 7, 2012 at 3:34 pm

If you\'re into Trainspotting, either the book, the film or both, this tour will be for you. I thought I knew both stories before I took this tour but I had no idea how many layers there are. The geographical, historical and political metaphors just blew me away:c) Don\'t miss out on this one:c)

marie storrar wrote on November 6, 2012 at 2:46 pm

Hi Tim Just a quick note re: historyfest.co.uk/events/ - just a week to go! 13-30 November all around Edinburgh.

Joshua wrote on October 18, 2012 at 7:01 pm

It was an incredibly insightful walking tour, offering a firsthand look at the Trainspotting world through the eyes of its characters, its city\'s history, its author, and as fans. It was truly one of the highlights of my trip. The tour is a must for any fan.

Emilio wrote on October 17, 2012 at 9:36 am

The best tour I´ve done in the city! it was very interesting. If you like the film or the book you have to do this tour!! looking forward to reading your book Tim!! Thanks and as Alba said keep working in this fantastic project!!

Alba wrote on October 11, 2012 at 7:00 pm

It has been the best tour I have done in all my trips abroad. Its accuracy and emotion make of the tour an unforgetable one. I could only say Thank you!!!And please keep working on this amazing project 😉 Alba

garythejambo wrote on October 10, 2012 at 3:32 pm

i did the tour a couple of years ago, i never normally go to hibbee land, but this was interesting. You never let on you were a chaplin, big man!

louisemacD wrote on October 9, 2012 at 10:48 am

A Trainspotting expert who is also a chaplain?! There can\'t be many of them!

gollyhead wrote on October 4, 2012 at 9:20 am

Helen\'s right but we\'re missing somebody here. My granny had her wedding ring stolen by some wee toe-rag just like Spud. Just cos welsh doesn\'t show us the damage done by him, everybody loves him. Sick Boy and Begbie are professional bastards, but Spud causes just as much grief.

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