This path was once part of the Macmerry branch line run by the North British Railway. It ran from a junction just west of Inveresk on the East Coast Main Line and had four intermediate station's situated at Smeaton, Crossgatehall Halt, Ormiston and Winton. It was opened on March the 19th 1870 to serve the many local collieries and nearby Gladsmuir iron works yet it was just over another two years in the May of 1872 that the line's stations were opened. The line saw its last passengers on the 3rd of April 1933, but continued to serve freight until the 25th of May 1965.
A look from above shows the curved lines where the tracks existed, some are just faint crop marks now.
The path is now known as National Cycle Route 196 and is also part of East Lothian's Core Paths Network, where it is known as path 349. In the very near future it will be connected to the start of the Pencaitland Railway Walk (the rest of the Macmerry line) with a new path running from here to Crossgatehall allowing greater opportunities to walk, cycle and explore.