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From Balerno to Whitecraig: Doing My Homework on the 44

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Balerno begonias to Whitecraig crescents, this route’s got more twists than a soap opera omnibus. I’ve not driven it yet, but the stop list alone reads like an endurance test for the memory. So here’s my homework draft: six sections, just suburban sprawl, city bustle, seaside whiffs, and East Lothian crescents galore.

Before you ever take the wheel on a new route, there’s the small matter of homework. That means staring at a list of stops, mouthing them like a spell, and trying to picture how one suburb morphs into the next. The 44 is a fine example: it stretches from Balerno at one end to Whitecraig at the other, touching everything from leafy crescents to Princes Street chaos. I haven’t driven it yet, this is me preparing, tea in hand, eyebrows already twitching at the sheer length of it. Think of this less as a timetable and more as a survival guide, with added sarcasm to keep the brain cells awake.

Minimalist illustration of an endless route map scroll ending in a bacon roll, symbolising the 44 bus journey from Balerno to Whitecraig.

Balerno Beginnings – The Suburban Stretch

Start at Cockburn Crescent, which sounds posh but mostly involves parked cars in awkward places. Marchbank Drive and Main Street remind you that Balerno is charming but narrow enough to make you mutter prayers at passing vans. Bavelaw Gardens and the High School? That’s teenagers with headphones pretending not to see you.

Then it’s Lanark Road West, a glorious stretch where the bus feels like it could take off. Newmills Road and Stewart Road tag along like they’re trying to be remembered, but will you? Only if you bribe your brain.

Currie to Juniper – The School Run Gauntlet

Kinauld House to Dolphin Avenue is straightforward, but Currie Library signals the first danger zone: passengers waving frantically at the last second with overdue books. Easter Currie, Bryce Road, Nether Currie, names that blur together like three cousins at a wedding.

Juniper Avenue, Juniperlee, and Baberton Avenue sound like someone went plant-themed with the street naming committee. Juniper Green Kirk keeps the theme ecclesiastical. You’ll learn to chant them like a nursery rhyme just to stay sane.

Green to Slateford – Closing In on the City

Foulis Crescent, Muirend Avenue, Spylaw Park, each one designed to lull you before Kingsknowe Road South reminds you who’s boss. Then it’s a triple dose of dovecots (Park, Grove, and Kingsknowe Park) without a pigeon in sight.

The Water of Leith Centre is where you secretly wish you could pull over for a stroll, but instead it’s Allan Park and into Slateford Station. That’s your halfway-ish marker: congratulate yourself and move on.

Haymarket Hustle – Through the Beating Heart

Hutchison, Moat Drive, Shandon Place, the traffic light gauntlet begins. By Ardmillan Terrace you’re muttering “hurry up” to delivery vans, and by Dalry Primary you’ve already apologised for not being Google Maps incarnate.

Haymarket is the chaos magnet: suitcases, lost tourists, and at least one person shouting, “Does this bus go to the Castle?” West Maitland Street, Shandwick, Princes Street, Waverley Steps, St Andrew’s House, this is where you stop being a driver and become a tour guide with brakes. Carlton Terrace Brae and Abbeyhill finally drag you eastward, dignity (mostly) intact.

Abbeyhill to Portobello – The Eastward Stretch

Marionville, Meadowbank Stadium, Meadowbank House, plenty of excuses for locals to tell you about the “old days.” Then it’s Abercorn, Willowbrae, Northfield, Paisley Drive, and a whole cascade of Duddingstons. Mills, Avenue, Gardens, all the Duddingstons, all in a row, like they’re daring you to mix them up.

Southfield Loan and Milton Gardens North push you on to Portobello High, Hope Lane, Magdalene Drive, and Edinburgh College. By now you’ve picked up at least one student carrying something oversized (keyboard, guitar, traffic cone). Brunstane Bank, Coillesdene, Cemetery, Eastfield Gardens, Brunstane Mill, blink and you’re in Musselburgh.

Musselburgh to Whitecraig – The Final Furlong

Welcome to Musselburgh: Edinburgh Road, Maitland Park Road, Fisherrow, Brunton Theatre, and Bridge Street, basically “seaside plus shops.” High Street, Newbigging, King Street, Park Lane, the core of the burgh, where folk glare if you dare run a minute late.

Then the great roll call of East Lothian crescents: Edenhall, Ashgrove, Battlefield, St Ninians, Delta (twice), Galt, Moir. You’re not hallucinating, the names do feel endless. Wallyford kicks in with Park & Ride, Chuckers Row, Strawberry Corner (yes please), Learning Campus, Primary School, Davidson, Ormond, Auburn, St Clements Wells, it’s like a council meeting of bus stops.

Finally: Whitecraig Avenue, Whitecraig Crescent. The bacon roll is yours.

Outro

And that’s the 44 in all its glory: from Balerno’s begonias to Whitecraig’s crescents, via a city centre that eats buses for breakfast. I’ve not yet driven it, but at least I can now mumble the stops like an incantation, which is half the battle. Next step? Swap the kitchen table for the driver’s seat, swap the tea for a timetable, and hope my brain remembers whether it’s Juniper Avenue before Juniperlee or the other way round. Either way, at the end of the line, there’s always a bacon roll waiting, and that’s the real incentive behind route learning.

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Meta description: From Balerno begonias to Whitecraig crescents, here’s a humorous homework run through the full 44 route

Keyword set: balerno to whitecraig, route 44 bus, edinburgh bus routes, balerno bus service, whitecraig bus service, edinburgh route learning, city bus driving homework, balerno to musselburgh journey, bus route stops list, edinburgh commuter routes

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