Travel Clinic for Currie & Balerno

Medically reviewed by Emmanuel Ebube Umezulike, Superintendent Pharmacist, Avante Pharmacy (GPhC 2222671) on 1 October 2026 · Verify on the GPhC register · 4 min read

Currie, Balerno and Juniper Green sit along the A70 Lanark Road corridor, and that same road runs almost directly to Avante Pharmacy and Travel Clinic inside Sainsbury's on Westfield Road, EH11 2QW — a straightforward drive past Slateford with free customer parking on arrival, avoiding any need to find city-centre parking.

Reaching Westfield Road from the villages

The A70 runs fairly directly from Currie, Balerno and Juniper Green towards Slateford and on to Westfield Road, cutting out the need to go through the city centre. Because the pharmacy sits inside a Sainsbury's superstore, there is a dedicated customer car park on site, so the trip in doesn't depend on finding street parking near a smaller clinic. For anyone weighing this against a trip further into town, Sighthill travel clinic and Corstorphine travel clinic sit on the same side of the city if either is a shorter run for you.

Heriot-Watt staff and students travelling abroad

Heriot-Watt University's Riccarton campus, on 380 acres of parkland close to Currie, had around 9,845 students at its Edinburgh site in the 2024/25 academic year (Heriot-Watt University). Anyone leaving that campus for a research trip, exchange year, fieldwork or an academic conference should treat it as they would any other journey abroad: check what's recommended for the destination well before departure, since several vaccines are given as a course of doses spaced weeks apart rather than a single visit.

If you're driving in from one of the villages, it's worth calling ahead if your plans change — we hold appointments back each week specifically for people whose trip is close, so we'd rather know than have a slot go unused. — Emmanuel Ebube Umezulike, superintendent pharmacist

What a pharmacy appointment actually covers

A pharmacist reviews your destination, dates, accommodation and health background before recommending anything — nobody gets a fixed list regardless of where they're going. Vaccines that are due can usually be given at the same visit, see current prices for anything charged privately, and where a course needs a second or third dose, that follow-up is arranged before you leave.

Some vaccines are free, others aren't

The combined diphtheria, polio and tetanus booster, hepatitis A, typhoid and cholera vaccines are provided free on the NHS in Scotland, per NHS inform; yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, tick-borne encephalitis and rabies fall outside that list and are chargeable wherever you have them, NHS or pharmacy. Getting the free ones through NHS Lothian and the chargeable ones elsewhere is possible but adds complexity, which is one reason many people from the villages choose to have everything assessed and given in one visit instead.

An alternative to the NHS Lothian wait

NHS Lothian runs six travel clinics from a hub at the Western General Hospital, and can offer some vaccines free to eligible patients, but by its own account the service is booked out weeks ahead, and its booking line only operates on weekdays. A village-to-city drive along the A70 for a pharmacy appointment often turns out quicker than waiting for an NHS slot, particularly for anyone whose travel date is already fixed.

How early should you book before travelling?

Both the NHS and NaTHNaC point to a similar window: get a risk assessment done a good four to six weeks before you fly, since building protection from several vaccines takes time and some are given as a course. Families in Balerno or Juniper Green planning a summer holiday around school term dates should aim to book by that point if they can; if work or term commitments push it closer to departure, an appointment is still worth having.

Getting ready for your appointment

Bring your travel dates, destination and the type of trip it is, since a walking holiday can carry different advice from a beach stay. A record of previous travel vaccinations helps, along with a list of current medicines and any long-term conditions or pregnancy, as these can change which vaccines are suitable and how they're given. If children are travelling too, their vaccination history lets the pharmacist plan a schedule for the whole family in one visit rather than several separate trips in.

Malaria prevention for further-flung trips

Some of the destinations popular with people driving in from Currie, Balerno and Juniper Green, such as parts of sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia, also carry a malaria risk that no vaccine covers. The pharmacist can advise on suitable antimalarial tablets alongside any vaccines your itinerary needs, and on other precautions such as bite avoidance, since the right combination depends on exactly where you're going and for how long.

Related pages

The same pharmacist-led service runs from the Westfield Road travel clinic page directly, and a wider view of options across the city, including NHS routes, is on where to get travel vaccinations in Edinburgh. Book online or call 0131 287 2020.