Walking in the Pentland Hills. Susan Falconer
Walk 28 Find your way
Walk 29 Reservoir round
Walk 30 Robin’s round
Appendix A Route summary table
Overflow at Glencorse Reservoir (Walk 24) (PHRS)
INTRODUCTION
‘The Pentland Hills are homely and friendly hills; they lie near the bounds of our city habitation, and frequent visiting begets an intimacy and friendship that is real and lasting. The most outlying parts may be reached in the course of a day’s walk, and places of silence, where none will intrude, are easily accessible.’ Will Grant’s words from his 1927 book The Call of the Pentlands are as relevant today as when they were first written. The Pentland Hills comprise a rich tapestry of landscapes and landforms, all neatly packaged within an area easily accessible from Scotland’s majestic capital city. Although principally a grass-and heather-clad, softly rounded hill range, the hills reward further exploration by revealing stunning summit vistas, quiet waterside strolls, deeply incised rocky valleys and wooded walks, as well as a fascinating natural and cultural heritage.
The Pentlands are well known to the people of Edinburgh; even for those who have not actually visited them, they form a familiar backdrop to city life. This hill range – Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘hills of home’ – arouses strong feelings, and on their return to Edinburgh, either by road, rail or air, many people regard their first glimpse of the Pentlands as confirmation of finally arriving home.
The Pentland Hills run southwest from Edinburgh towards Biggar, covering an area of 210 sq km, and their generally rounded appearance is the result of sculpting by glaciers and meltwater, They reach a maximum height of 579m at Scald Law, although most lie between 400m and 550m in height.
Approximately 90 sq km in the northern sector of the Pentlands was designated a regional park (the Pentland Hills Regional Park) in 1986, with the aim of acknowledging and safeguarding the landscape, wildlife and recreational value of this important location. The regional park benefits from a ranger service (now called the Natural Heritage Service), which assists land managers and visitors by maintaining the path infrastructure, providing waymarking and interpretation, and giving advice on responsible access. The path network is well signposted, and a diverse range of cultural and natural heritage adds interest to the scenery.
The Pentlands offer good variety for the walker, with the excellent path system, interesting but not too rugged terrain, and proximity to civilisation adding up to a superb introduction to hill walking in Scotland. These hills are especially suitable for beginners (Walks 1 to 7), although the longer and more remote routes (Walks 11, 13, 14 and 15) in the southern end, which is a more open, exposed and remote landscape, with less obvious waymarking and more challenging navigation on some routes, should satisfy the more seasoned hiker. Walks 19, 20, 24 and 25 should also appeal to more experienced walkers. A basic level of navigational skills is required, but none of the routes should cause any wayfinding difficulties.
My approach to writing this guidebook is to imagine that I, as a countryside ranger, am taking the reader on a walk. It reflects what I would point out and note as a ranger on patrol, with the addition of snippets of research that I have found interesting along the way.
The Pentlands are included in many walking guides about the Lothians and Scotland, but to my knowledge there has, so far, been no walking guide dedicated solely to the Pentland Hills. This shortage of comprehensive walking guides led to the writing of this book.
Approaches and accommodation
The Pentlands is one of the most accessible hill ranges in Scotland, well served by roads on all sides: the A720 Edinburgh city bypass to the north; the A70 Lanark road to the west; the A721 to the south; the A702 (T) Biggar road to the east. This network of roads means that the hills are readily accessible by car or bicycle, although bus services are variable. The northern end is well served by public transport from Edinburgh, eg Lothian Buses number 4 to Hillend (Walks 1, 2, 30), number 10 to Torphin and Bonaly (Walks 4, 5, 29), and number 44 to Balerno (Walks 9 and 10), all leaving from Princes Street in the city centre. A regular service from central Edinburgh to Dumfries, via MacEwen’s Coach Services number 100, uses the A702 (Walks 12, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24 and 25).
Approaching Scald Law from the Kirk Road end (Walk 21)
Loganlee dam and carnethy (Walk 29)
A comprehensive leaflet entitled How to Get to the Pentland Hills by Bus, with a map and route suggestions, is available from the Pentland Hills Ranger Service. It can be downloaded from www.pentlandhills.org, or is available from the visitor centres at Flotterstone or Harlaw. Check with local operators for the latest service information, or phone Traveline 0871 200 2233.
For those who need accommodation, Edinburgh offers a great choice – campsites, hostels, bed and breakfasts, guesthouses and hotels are all within easy reach. Penicuik, West Linton and Lanark are alternatives, and www.visitscotland.com has details of accommodation for all these locations.
Choosing a walk
The walks described are a personal selection, chosen to give a flavour of the hills at their best. The Pentlands do not cover a vast tract of land, and inevitably routes cross and cover some of the same ground, but every walk is different in character, and the experience of walking it is influenced by weather, mood, companions and so on. (For each walk there is a brief description, at the beginning, summarising its character.)
Heading off up Turnhouse Hill (Walk 25)
As far as possible, the routes are circular, as this reduces the need for additional transport, and reflects the fact that the majority of walkers (myself included) prefer not to retrace their steps. For some walks you need to retrace your steps for a short way, back to the start point, but none is linear. Optional links with other routes in the book are included, to lengthen some walks (eg Walks 2, 4, 6, 12 and 16), and informative ‘points of interest’ are found throughout.
The walks are presented in order as follows: starting at Hillend, at the northern end of the Pentlands, nearest Edinburgh, then moving southwest along the A70 down as far as Little Vantage, and finally skipping across to West Linton and back up the A702 to return to the beginning.
The lack of routes along the A70 between Harperrig and Carnwath is a reflection of the lack of public transport, few safe and accessible parking areas, and a shortage of good walking routes with interesting features along the way.
Access rights and responsibilities
The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 was passed by the Scottish parliament in 2003 and enacted through the Scottish Outdoor Access Code in February 2005. The Act gives everyone the right to be on most land or water for recreation, providing they act responsibly. Acting responsibly