Views and reservoirs |
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Views and reservoirs |
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Check the conditions of use for this route description. |
How to get there |
(Large scale map and street map) |
Coming from the Edinburgh city bypass (A720): exit the bypass at the Dreghorn junction and turn north. Go straight at the first roundabout and turn left at the second, towards Colinton (Redford Road, B701). At the end of this road turn left (Colinton Road, B701). After approximately 150 meters the road splits at a set of traffic lights; follow the left branch (Woodhall Road). After approximately 250 meters turn left into Bonaly Road. Follow this road until it ends on a small parking area.
Route description |
(Names in italic are found on signposts, of which there are many in this part of the Pentland Hills.)
Walk through the gate at the end of Bonaly Road and turn right to Torduff Reservoir. This path soon levels out and offers a nice view over the City of Edinburgh. At the reservoir turn left onto the tarmac road that runs parallel to the water. Follow this road until you reach East Kinleith Farm, passing Torduff and Clubbiedean Reservoirs.
At East Kinleith Farm turn left and down onto the tarmac road to Harlaw. To your right you will soon see a nice view across the Forth valley. When you reach a crossing with another tarmac road, go straight ahead. Over the next kilometer you will probably be passed by an occasional car, until you reach Harlaw Farm. Turn left at this farm, towards Harlaw, Threipmuir & Glencorse.
Soon you pass the parking area that is an alternative starting point for this walk. When the tarmac road turns right, go straight on towards Glencorse Reservoir. When this dirt track splits in two, follow the left branch leading to Glencorse. Once you go through a gate you leave the farmlands behind you and now enter sheep country.
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Cross a stile and gate in a drystone wall and go straight on in the direction of Glencorse. Soon the path starts to climb, revealing behind you a magnificent view over the Forth valley. Once you reach the saddle between Harbour Hill (to the right) and Bell's Hill (to the left) you also get a nice view over Glencorse Reservoir and the lands between the Pentland and Moorfoot Hills. After a stile and gate in a drystone wall the path starts to descend. Some two hundred meters before you reach Glencorse Reservoir you walk past a group of trees (see the fotograph). Here a path branches off to the left, towards Colinton by Bonaly. This path leads you back up the slopes of Harbour Hill. After crossing a small stream and passing through a kissing gate the path starts to bend around Capelaw Hill (to the right). When the path levels out you walk alongside the plantation that surrounds Bonaly Reservoir. Soon a path branches off to the left through a gate in the direction of Bonaly. Follow this path through the plantation and underneath the reservoir dam. After you have gone through another kissing gate the path starts to go downhill, offering an excellent view across the western part of Edinburgh and the Forth valley. After some time the path goes through a gate, becomes a dirt track and enters woodland. Continue to follow the track in the direction of Bonaly and soon you will reach the gate at the end of Bonaly Road where you started the walk. |
Additional notes |
This walk is at its best in August, when the harvest time begins and the heather is in bloom. The parking area at the start of the walk is only small and may fill up fast. So it's best to be there early, or to avoid peak days.
Alternatively you can start the walk near Harlaw Farm, about one third into the route. The parking area here can be reached from Currie or from Balerno (see this map). An advantage of starting here is that you have most of the climbs in the first part of the walk, but a disadvantage is that you also have the best scenery in the first part.
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