Like everyone else in the UK and further afield, we’ve been very restricted about where we can go in recent months. And like most people, we’ve become a little bit tired of the same old walks and have been making an effort to discover new places to go to change it up a bit. Here are four walks in nature around Edinburgh, from ascending an extinct volcano,: stunning lochs; beautiful clear rivers, and even some modern art along the way.
They’re also a lovely way to enjoy Edinburgh if you’re visiting later on in the year.
Water of Leith
The Water of Leith walk and cycleway runs for twelve miles through the heart of Edinburgh.
A favourite route starts at the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art. From the car park behind the Modern One building, take the steps down to a little bridge over the Water of Leith. There you’ll see one of Anthony Gormley’s famous 6 Times Installations – life size casts of the artist’s body – in the water. From here, keep the river on your left until you reach a bridge that takes you over to the other bank and through picture-postcard Dean Village with its houses dating back to the 17th century. Carry on up the river until you reach Stockbridge, where you can step back into the city, or retrace your steps back to the Gallery along the river.
Getting there – You can walk to the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art from the city centre, or catch bus 37 from South Bridge and get off at the Gallery.
Pentlands Regional Park at Flotterstone
The Pentlands Regional Park covers a huge area with several walks, but this one is particularly scenic – rolling hills, rivers, reservoirs, and even an ancient Roman fort!
Start at Flotterstone car park, which lies just south of the city bypass. There’s a cafe and loo there should you need them. Follow the Glencorse burn along a fairly flat road for twenty minutes until you reach the picturesque reservoir with a wooded island in its centre and drowned chapel that you can sometimes see if it’s been very dry. Take the right path (signposted) for Glencorse View and Castle Law. This path gives you amazing views over the reservoir. From there, you can continue along to Castle Law farm and detour to see the Roman fort – a detailed guide to the walk is here.
Getting there – by car to the Flotterstone Inn EH26 0PP, or catch the 102 bus from Edinburgh bus station towards Dumfries and get off at the Flotterstone Inn.
Harlaw Reservoir
The Harlaw reservoir walk also takes in the Pentlands Regional Park from the other side. Start this walk at the Harlaw Visitor Centre car park .
This is a lovely walk around Harlaw Reservoir that we love doing all year round – parts of it take you through woods that are filled with ditches that the kids have fun jumping across (though you can walk round them if you prefer!) It’s also possible to swim in the reservoir, though watch out for people fishing.
Start the walk at the Harlaw House car park, with its short walk along to Harlaw House. Harlaw House was originally built as a waterkeeper’s cottage after the reservoir was built in 1848, and is now a visitor information centre. On the way, there’s a beautiful gated Wildlife Garden, which a lovely place to sit and have a picnic. From there, you can choose whether to take a clockwise or anti-clockwise loop round the reservoir. Walk through the shaded woods and jump across the ditches, enjoy the views of the Pentlands hills from the path, or follow the banks of the reservoir.
Getting there – By car to Harlaw House EH14 7AS, or by bus 44 from Edinburgh to Balerno.
Arthur’s Seat
You can’t have a guide to walks in Edinburgh without including Arthur’s Seat. We love to walk up it on Christmas Eve, as a way of tiring the kids out, but it’s spectacular all through the year. Watching the sun rise from the top is an essential Edinburgh experience, and the views over the city and the Forth from this extinct volcano are breathtaking.
There are various routes up to the top of Arthur’s Seat. This one is of moderate difficulty – there are steeper routes, but we like this one as it’s manageable for the kids. Start at the Holyrood Palace car park and follow the red paved path. You’ll come to a corner – take the left path which heads towards the ruins of St Anthony’s Chapel. From there you can follow the line of cliffs up to the peak, or the path along the bottom of the cliffs. They both lead to the top. There are some quite steep climbs on this walk, but the views from the summit will reward your effort.
You can find more detail about routes up Arthur’s Seat here.
Getting there – Walk to the bottom of the Royal Mile towards the Scottish Parliament – you’ll see the foot of Arthur’s Seat once you turn the corner from the Royal Mile.
If you like these walks and want to go further afield, try the De’ils Cauldron Walk in Comrie for waterfalls and spectacular views.