WALKING IN TOWN AND COUNTRY
Though Edinburgh and the Lothians boasts beautiful city skylines, there are hills, coastlines, woodlands and lochs aplenty for keen walkers to explore, says
Edinburgh is built on seven hills (some actually say there are ten but that debate can be left to the letters page). It should, therefore, be a good place for a walk, with the ever-popular Arthur’s Seat, Castle Rock, Calton Hill, Corstorphine Hill, Blackford Hill, the Braids and the Wester Craiglockhart Hill to choose from. Edinburgh is also crisscrossed by a wonderful network of former railway lines which make for wonderful walks.
When you add in the ribbons of green carrying the Union Canal and the Water of Leith, where wildlife including kingfishers and herons thrives, the list of potential strolls gets ever longer. And they all have the advantage of Scotland’s capital being on offer when the physical exertion is over.
On the edge of the city lies Cramond – a pretty little place which you would be forgiven for thinking was a remote coastal village. The River Almond flows into the Firth of Forth here and a walk upstream takes in a delightful waterside covered with a canopy of trees. Just offshore is Cramond Island which can be reached via a causeway at low tide. Be sure to read the tide times though or the water will block your return.
Further west are the Forth bridges with the rail bridge being the most impressive, especially on a walk along the shore to Hound Point and beyond to the Dalmeny Estate. If this stretch of coast feels grand that’s because it is – you pass Barnbougle Castle, formerly the main house of the estate where the fifth Earl of Rosebery, who was also Prime Minister, is said to have practiced his speeches in its hall.
Another grand stately home, Hopetoun House, the home of Lord Hopetoun, sits along the Firth of Forth. A walk in its grounds is very enjoyable but the shoreline beyond is a real treat. Linking the fortress of Blackness Castle with the ancient church at Abercorn, Wester Shore Wood is a good ramble and can include a detour to one of the Hopetoun Estate’s fortified houses – Midhope Castle – which was used in the US television smash hit ‘Outlander’.
The Royal Burgh of Linlithgow lies just down the road with its Palace – the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots – and loch which make a picture-perfect scene. Above the town is Beecraigs Country Park, with miles of marked trails culminating in a lovely little hill, Cockleroy, meaning King’s Hat, from where you can gaze across Scotland from Arran to the Trossachs and the Ochils and along the Firth of Forth to Bass Rock.
West Lothian extends south to the edge of the Pentlands, a great range of hills right on the doorstep of the Central Belt. Flotterstone, with its visitor centre and pub, is a good base to walk the highest of the hills, or enjoy a stroll by reservoirs below them. Overlooking Edinburgh are Allermuir Hill and Caerketton Crags – a stiff walk up these is enjoyable with a return through the delightful hamlet of Swanston, a place Robert Louis Stevenson knew well from spending childhood summers there.
To the east of the Pentlands is Roslin Glen – where a steepsided gorge carries the River North Esk and makes for a good stroll before visiting the Rosslyn Chapel above, where ancient history mixes with the fiction of the Da Vinci Code novel by Dan Brown.
The River North Esk joins with the South Esk in Dalkeith Country Park before flowing on to Musselburgh and a walk to the confluence of the two water courses is a very enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. Another country park, Vogrie, is worth a visit, not least for the chance of seeing owls at dusk and dawn.
Further south, on the edge of the Lothians, is Gladhouse Reservoir which lies below the Moorfoot Hills. A long walk around the body of water is pleasant. As winter turns to spring there is a chance of seeing lapwings swooping and calling above the surrounding fields – a sight to stop anyone in their tracks.
To the east the Lammermuir Hills form the boundary between the Lothians and the Borders and, as detailed in last month’s column, they offer a peaceful haven for walking in solitude among the far-reaching moorland.
The world-class golden beaches of East Lothian on the coast below need no introduction and would take many days and weeks to fully explore. At this time of year they can be at their best when the waves are crashing, driven by winter winds, and a frost is covering the dunes.
So whether it is the rolling hills
- the magnificent seven or otherwise - coastline, woodland, rivers or lochs that you wish to explore, Edinburgh and the Lothians is undeniably beautiful and is certain to have something for everyone.
“The world class golden beaches of East Lothian need no introduction