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Road directions
Slateford is located on the main A70 that heads west from Edinburgh city centre. From the city centre follow signs for Gorgie/Haymarket when you reach Haymarket Junction take a left and follow this road all the way to the next junction near Gorgie, go straight across and up this road, at the top take a right and stay on this road until the next junction where you will see Slateford station above you on the left and Asda on the right. Continue straight through the lights and under the railway and you will see the canal bridge in front of you just before another set of traffic lights. From here, there is are two sets of steps up to the canal towpath and the viaduct either side of the lights. From the west, the easiest way to reach Slateford from the A720 (Edinburgh City Bypass) is to take one of the turn offs for Wester Hailes and then follow the signs for the A70, Slateford and the Corn Exchange which is located behind Asda.
Parking
There are a few side streets in the vicinity which you can park your car in, although spaces can often be limited. The nearby 24 hour Asda does have a large car park, although again this can also get quite busy at times.
Public transport
First ScotRail services between Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central via Shotts call at Slateford station (just a few minutes walk from the viaduct) roughly hourly throughout the day. The latest timetable pdf can be found on the Scotrail website. Lothian Buses services 4, 34, 35 and 44 also frequently pass Slateford station to and from the city centre, while First Bus also operate a number 44 service to and from the city centre. Details on Lothian Buses services can be found on the Lothian Buses website.
Amenities
There is a 24 hour Asda at Slateford just a few minutes walk from the viaduct which also has toilets and a McDonalds cafe inside. As the mainroad continues towards the city centre after Slateford station, there is also a BP garage on the right hand side which a Marks and Spencers shop. Finally, just at the bottom of the steps between the viaduct and aquduct, there is the Water of Leith visitor centre which has a cafe which sells tea, coffee, hot chocolate and light refreshments.
Accommodation
While there is not anything in the immediate vicinity, there are lots of hotels and B&Bs in and around nearby Edinburgh city centre.
The railway travels at a roughly North East - South West axis over the viaduct. As the adjacent aqueduct is on the south east side of the line, the sun is in a good position for photographs of trains heading towards Edinburgh from early morning (it is possible to photograph the inbound Edinburgh sleeper in the summer when it passes between 06:55 and 07:00) until mid to late morning (depending on the time of year) when the sun starts to move around and makes the angle more and more favourable for stuff heading away from Edinburgh. The going away from Edinburgh shot is on until about mid afternoon when the sun starts to move around to the other (unphotographical) side of the viaduct. For the inbound shot, there are two vantage points. Firstly, there is a fairly head-on shot available from the steps that lead up to the canal towpath from the Water of Leith visitor centre and walkway. Alternatively, if you want a wider angle of the viaduct in your shot, you can take pictures from the towpath just before it goes onto the aquduct. To take pictures of anything heading away from Edinburgh, you have to walk across and stand on the far end of the aqueduct - not recommended if you don't like heights! As mentioned earlier though, as the towpath is narrow on the aqueduct, be aware of cyclists and pedestrians trying to pass you. Anyone wishing to take videos, it should be noted that as well as the nearby busy mainroad, there is a busy builders yard below both the viaduct and aqueduct which produces a lot of noise throughout the day.
