Nostalgia: Waverley Steps up to the mark

STRETCHING high and steep, for train-travelling tourists they are the gateway to a first glimpse of the Capital.

For the tens of thousands of locals who trek up and down them every day on their commute to work, they can be the dreaded source of unwanted muscle pain.

But neither tourist nor local has been able to make use of the city’s famous Waverley Steps for the last year as a major revamp was under way.

On Monday, opened and ready for business, the newly refurbished stairway was unveiled, this time with a glass roof and escalators – a first in their 145-year history.

The £7 million project saw the traditional steps rebuilt at half their width alongside the escalators, while lifts are due to be added in July.

As pictured here, the steps have played an integral part in so many people’s lives over the years, but have not been without their critics – especially when bad weather struck.

In September 1972, campaigner Wendy Wood and the Scottish Watch Group, shown here, campaigned for an escalator by the steps. Forty years on, their dream has come true.

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