Been on a tour? Got a view on any manifestation of Trainspotting – the book, the play, the film? Got attitude or questions about my book?
Just fill in your comments below. It would be good to hear from you!
104 entries.
I can think of two fitting words to describe Tim\'s tour - f***in barry! My sister and I absolutely loved it. From the Port \'o Leith pub to the fit ay the walk and everything in between (I won\'t ruin all the surprises). Tim\'s company, stories, musings and reenactments brought the Leith depicted in Welsh\'s books to powerful and colourful life. Highly entertaining and educational. Thoroughly recommended.
I loved Tim\'s tour and his knowledge on Trainspotting (the book and the movie as well as Irvine Welsh) and on Leith. It was great to be on location and share Tim\'s enthusiasm for the topic. For me it was a truly unforgettable evening including the Dockers\' Club and see Wales beat Belgium in the Central Bar... Don\'t leave Edinburgh without the tour.
Tim builds on his own history on the Leith community and combines that with his passion and knowledge Trainspotting. I enjoyed the tour very much!
I really enjoyed our tour and discussion. It is clear that Tim has spent a lot of time with the book and examining its connection with Leith. I found the talk fascinating and the book was a very useful examination of opiate addiction. You point about the lack of connection being a precursor to addiction is so true.
Thanks
Absolutely fantastic tour, Tim really knows his stuff and is a great guide, very friendly and patient too, he had to be to put up with our rabble.
Cheers
Leith Walks is a fantastic trip for any fan of Irvine Welsh and his work, whether diehard or casual.
Tim is a lively amiable host, well capable of capturing the attention of 10 increasingly drunken men!
It\'s also a great love letter to Leith, allowing us to take in it\'s majesty, and ability to inspire.
I look forward to reading Tim\'s book, and am already planning a return
The tour we made in February was an great expirience to learn all about that part (Trainspotting-related) in the younger history of Scotland. To actualy see the places that you know from the film were great. We have a better impression of what those times where like. All four of us thank you for giving us the opportunity to visit all the places, because when walking through a big city you don‘t notice the small details, thanks again for showing us those details. Elke, Harvey and Didi from Germany
My partner booked this tour for us as i am a massive Irvine Welsh fan and Trainspotting is my Favorite book ever! Tim\'s Tour was fantastic! I absolutely loved it! Tim was a very entertaining tour guide and i learnt so much. It was brilliant walking the streets of Leith with him and discussing characters and emotions. It was in fact one of the best things i have ever done! I 100% recommend that if you are in edinburgh you must do this tour! Thanks Tim and hope you are well! Looking forward to your book!
Undertook my first ever literary tour with Tim in April 2015 and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had never been to Leith before and I had no idea what to expect. The tour itself was extremely enjoyable with Tim covering not only Welsh but the history of Leith too. I learnt an enormous amount from the time we spent together. Tim himself is very engaging and knowledgeable. If you are into Welsh and like learning I would highly recommend Leithwalks.
We had a lovely time on the tour! It was definitely the highlight of our trip to fair Edina! It was cold and rainy and still it was great. We got to see so many places from the books (Trainspotting and Porno), complete with passages read aloud to match. Since we were in Edinburgh, Hope has picked up \"The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs,\" and has been so excited to see all of the places mentioned that she now knows: Constitution Street, the foot of the Walk, the Central Bar. We were so happy to have a tour guide who knew some back stories and had some insight into the mind of the characters and who seemed to understand what Irvine Welsh was getting at.
A tour with Tim is as close as you\'re going to get to running into Mark, Simon, Danny, Frank, or Diane in Leith. Not to be missed!
It is very interesting address. I miss my favourite Leith I have not visited for some years now. I translated Porno into Polish and now it is going to have its second edition - before the premiere of the movie I think. I know what you\'d say - Ah ken ya Poles! Ya took all our birds! - as an old Navy greeted me once in a pub. He spoke of Polish soldiers during WWII stationed in Scotland of course. As I said I miss my Leith and miss Scotland too but for a moment have no way to visit my favourite places again. Very warm greetings from Wrocław, Poland. I\'ll be following you.
Jarek
Before going on Tim\'s Trainspotting tour I felt I had a pretty limited understanding/appreciation of what I had read. The tour made me understand where it all came from.
Definitely worth it if you\'re a fan and in the area. He\'s done his homework!
-Miles
hey tim,
thank you very much for taking us on the trainspotting and leith tour. we had a great time and it was definitely the highlight of our edinburgh visit. i could have listened to you for hours, cant wait to read your book. have a good time and take care!
mara
Tim\'s tour of Leith was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I have always liked Trainspotting, but going on this tour really put the book into context for me. Tim is incredibly knowledgeable about both Irivine Welsh and Leith. He is passionate about the book and spreading awareness of its status as a historical fiction. Our tour actually lasted three and a half hours instead of the planned two because of the sheer amount of content and Tim\'s enthusiasm. If you enjoyed Trainspotting, in any form, you should definitely go on one of Tim\'s Leith Walks.
Thank you so much, Tim, for this life-changing experience.
Emma & Chris
I thoroughly enjoyed Tim\'s guided tour through Trainspotter\'s Leith. Not only did I learn a lot about Irvine Welsh\'s novel (of which I thought I knew quite a lot already), but I also found out many, many interesting facts about Leith which can\'t be found in guide books. Great fun and insightful. Highly recommended.
Tim took us on a walking tour of Leith that encompassed its socio-economic – and indeed, political – history just as much as it encompassed the physical setting of the streets of Leith and the background to the novels of Welsh. Seriously well worth attending if you ever get the opportunity – Tim’s enthusiasm and frankly phenomenal storehouse of knowledge make it something far more than simply a novel way to spend a couple of hours. Highly recommended!
Tim is a passionate, knowledgable and entertaining host as he guides you round Sunny Leith (it really was sunny, too!).
He intersperses the stops en route with appropriate readings from a spectacularly well-worn copy of assorted Welsh books and gives colour to sites that might otherwise escape the casual visitor with knowledge either of the books, the film or just the local history of Leith, a place he\'s lived three decades and clearly really appreciates.
If you, like me, have imagined the kinds of places that Renton, Spud et al conducted their shenanigans then take the opportunity to experience some of it for real. As we sat on the bench Spud sat on near the dole office inspired by a Swan we even saw a pair of swans appear right on cue.
In addition to the tour Tim marked out points of interest on map he gave us (including the worst toilet in Scotland - in Muirhouse) so we were able to extend the tour a little on our walk back to Edinburgh from Leith.
If you\'ve more than a passing interest in Trainspotting and in the area then this is an absolute must-do trip. Really looking forward to Tim\'s book coming out.
Having been a fan of Irvine Welsh\'s books for many years, the streets of Leith have loomed long in my imagination - and so when I stumbled upon Tim\'s website it seemed a good excuse to travel up to Scotland and see some of the places for real.
Would thoroughly recommend taking one of Tim\'s tours - he\'s an incredibly engaging and knowledgeable guide. In fact, the best tribute I can pay to him is that my wife found his tour fascinating despite the fact that she\'s never actually read any of Irvine Welsh\'s books!
Tim is the Maven of Trainspotting and of Leith, and delivered a highly entertaining tour. Combining visits to the most relevant sites around Leith, he brought fascinating context to the story and characters of the book. I only wish I had time for the full tour.
This tour is unmissable for Irvine Welsh fans or those keen on learning about Leith. Tim, best of luck with the book.
I spent a weekend in Edinburgh at the start of March and contacted Tim for advice about a tour. I have read all the Irvine Welsh books and asked Tim to give me some pointers on places to go that I would recognmise from the books. He very kindly did me up am itinerary for a walking tour from the Foot of the Walk and also shared with me an essay he had written on Leith, its history and the relevance of trainspotting. I found this very useful and it really enhanced my experience there.
I also went for a Friday lunchtime pint in The Port of Leith, on Tim\'s recommendation. Great little pub.