Stefan Durkacz finds solitude
THE PENTLAND HILLS are Edinburgh’s backdrop and as you’d expect they get pretty busy. The northern portion of the hills lies within the Pentland Hills Regional Park. There are many good walks criss-crossing the hills here, and some fine little peaks and magnificent viewpoints overlooking the city, such as Caerketton and Allermuir.
But the proximity of town and the infrastructure of car parks, waymarking and formal paths does tend to draw the crowds, especially at weekends. During the coronavirus lockdowns, as in many other parts of the country, the pressure of numbers was especially intense at times. As a result, new ideas are now being discussed to manage visitors to the regional park
including a formal campsite, and better foot and bicycle access to the hills to address the volume of vehicle traffic and associated parking issues.
However, the Pentland Hills stretch for many miles southwest away from Edinburgh. Down here, outside the boundaries of the regional park, there is still solitude aplenty. The trade-off of course is less infrastructure and more arduous walking. Rather than maintained paths, expect rough terrain, thick heather, tussocks and bog-hopping.
My favourite walk in this part of the Pentlands is the horseshoe of hills around Baddinsgill Reservoir and Cairn Muir, near the pretty village of West Linton. It’s a rough, often remote-feeling expedition along the boggy, rounded backs of the hills. The Baddinsgill Round is also an annual fixture in the local hill running calendar.
My last visit coincided with the first, tentative days of spring. The steep hollow below the summit of Mount Maw still held snow patches, but as I climbed Byrehope Mount opposite, the first skylarks of the year were unleashing torrents of song all around. I was sure to move carefully around the heavily pregnant ewes cropping the hillside.
Beyond Byrehope, deep in the heathery hills, the craggy slot of Wolf Craigs is one of those rare spots in the Pentlands where you feel cut off from the world. Beyond, the ridgeline to West Cairn Hill, strafed by a cold wind, offered enormous views over the Central Belt. Neighbouring East Cairn Hill is a popular walk from the A70 road from the north. The view from here is even better, and there’s the additional bonus of a huge summit cairn with a spacious shelter in the middle.
Waves of low cloud and drizzle pursued me from East Cairn. On the return leg, fence lines made for easy navigation over the ups and downs, across the upper slopes of Wether Law and The Mount and the deep, boggy gaps between, and onto the broad ridge at Grain Heads. From there, it’s an enticing walk up to Mount Maw, a rather elegant hill of rounded, grassy spurs and steep hollows.
1 Start/Finish
National Trust
Blea Tarn car park
GR: NY295043
From car park entrance, go through gate on far side of road. After next gate and footbridge, bear R.
2 Beyond gate near road, take faint trail through bracken (WNW for 110m, then swinging SW). Beyond rocky ghyll, clearer path joins from R. At top of pitching, gradient eases. Series of short, easy scrambles later leads to Pike o’
Blisco’s summit cairn.
3 Take stony path, initially descending S. At junction at bottom of slope, turn L. On dropping into dip immediately below road at Wrynose Pass, climb steps on R.
4 Cross road diagonally R to ascend signposted path. This crosses peaty ground via stepping stones and swings SSW.
5 At path junction on ridge, turn left, gradually descending.
6 Having walked ridge for 1.4km – and just before ground ahead becomes steeper and rockier – turn sharp right (south). Faint trail quickly swings E. Beyond bracken, head ESE along intermittent path that drops to wall. Follow wall down to R to cross footbridge over Greenburn Beck.
7 Climb embankment and turn L along track. Go L again at next track junction.
8 Turn R at road. Take next road on L. Car park on R in 1.2km.