Homework Run: Scouting Service 4 from Queen Margaret University to Snowsports Centre

From coastline breezes to hilltop views, I’m plotting the perfect route, before I’ve even touched the steering wheel.

Crossing Edinburgh without leaving my chair: A homework journey on Service 4. A desk-chair journey across Edinburgh, from campus calm to Pentland peaks, undertaken with nothing but a stop list, an overactive imagination, and the faint hope that the live version won’t involve too much swearing.

Section 1: The Academic Warm-Up

We start at Queen Margaret University, a place where the roads are wide, the air is fresh, and the biggest hazard is probably a student wandering out mid-scroll on their phone. From Queen Margaret Drive to Milton Link, it’s all fairly civilised, the sort of stretch where you think, I could do this all day.

Then comes Corbiewynd and Parrotshot. According to Street View, these are perfectly normal residential turns. But I’ve driven enough “normal” turns to know they can become “hold-my-coffee” moments once real-life Edinburgh drivers get involved.

By the time we hit The Jewel, the name alone tells me to expect retail chaos. It’s a retail park zone, which means there’s a decent chance someone will brake sharply to grab the last space at Poundland. Mental note: approach with the serenity of a monk, even if it’s only 11:36 in the morning.

Section 2: The Bingham Ballet

From Durham Road South, the road wriggles its way through Bingham Crescent and Bingham Avenue in quick succession. The stops here are like dominoes, one falls, the next is right there waiting. I can already picture the gentle dance: pull in, let folk on, pull out, repeat.

The Duddingston run looks deceptively straightforward on paper: View, Avenue, Mills. But here’s the thing, I’ve learned that any road with “Mills” in the name either has a sneaky gradient or a corner that’ll test your steering wheel etiquette. This one? Downhill. Which means I’ll need to rein in the enthusiasm and keep things smooth.

Northfield Road is where I can see the first “I hope the other bus is small” moment, narrow enough to make you keep your elbows tucked in, even though you’re in a cab.

Section 3: City-Bound and Tourist Tested

From Royal High Primary onwards, we start threading the eastern approach to the city. Piershill Square sounds genteel, but by the time we reach Meadowbank Stadium, I know things could go one of two ways: perfectly fine, or full-on concert-night crush. I’ll be checking the events schedule long before this run happens in real life.

Abbeyhill into Leopold Place is where the streets narrow, the pavements fill, and the lighting sequence starts feeling like a competitive sport. Leith Street into Princes Street is the tourist corridor, lovely in theory, slightly chaotic in practice.

This is where I fully expect to witness someone step backwards into the bus lane to get a better angle on the Scott Monument. And no, the photo won’t turn out well, they never do.

Section 4: West End Tramland

The westbound drift down Shandwick Place has a soundtrack in my head: the metallic hum of tram rails under the tyres and the occasional bicycle bell of someone overtaking at an optimistic speed.

Haymarket Station is a choke point, a place where everyone seems to arrive at once, whether or not they’ve got a train to catch. Past that, the Dalry run is a matter of patience. Dalry Primary, Murieston Crescent, Springwell House, every one of them has parked cars in the perfect position to make you rethink the laws of geometry.

Section 5: Slateford and the Leafy Bit

Over Slateford Station and into Craiglockhart territory. This is the calm before the final climb, suburban streets lined with trees, the odd runner pacing themselves badly, and the gentle hum of “not much happening” that can lull you into a false sense of security.

The Oxgangs stretch, Terrace, Avenue, Library, comes in quick beats, and ends with the sort of staggered junction that’ll require a polite but firm “after you” to the oncoming traffic.

Section 6: Fairmilehead and the Last Push

Fairmilehead Crossroads is the last big light sequence, a sort of ceremonial gateway to the Pentlands. It’s also where I’ll probably check the clock and realise the day’s nearly done.

From there, it’s Swanston Avenue and Drive, a short uphill to the Snowsports Centre. On a clear day, I imagine it’s the kind of finish where you look over the city you’ve just crossed and think, Not bad for a day’s work. On a cloudy day, well… at least the terminus is quiet.

This is the plan, at least. The real thing will inevitably throw in the odd surprise, a detour, a roadwork, a wayward pigeon, but that’s for go-live day. For now, the homework’s done.

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Meta description: Scouting Edinburgh’s Service 4 from campus to Pentlands,  a desk-based tour with humour, landmarks, and imagined roadcraft.

Keyword set: service 4, edinburgh bus route, queen margaret university, snowsports centre, route learning, bus driver homework, edinburgh public transport, city bus humour, route planning, bus route guide, edinburgh commuting, pentlands terminus, east to west edinburgh