I have hiked Arthur's Seat, an ancient volcano, a few times and it's not for the faint of heart…read more But if you want a challenging workout with fantastic views of Edinburgh as your reward, this is for you! There are a few different ways to make your way up to the top. For first timers, I would suggest taking the route near Holyrood Palace which, while not easy, is more gentle than the route near Pollock Halls. My first time up, I took the latter and ended up climbing up boulders - which felt a bit precarious. No matter which way you go up, bring lots of water and wear shoes with good traction. You will definitely feel like you accomplished something when you reach the top. And, as I mentioned, the views are spectacular! At the summit, I always make a point to touch both the white triangulation pillar and the bronze geographical indicator. On our most recent trip, it was April so the weather was perfect! The previous time, we hiked it in August when it was a little too warm and we were greeted by swarms of midges at the top!

What a great hike! Easy enough and walkable from the majority of Edinburgh. You can take a few…read moredifferent paths to get to the summit. We took the one on the edge of the cliff and it was steep, so maybe avoid that one. There is one that takes a dirt path that is a little less steep to get up to Arthur's Seat. This summit provides a beautiful panoramic view of Edinburgh. Open 24/7, it's definitely worth a visit (maybe even more than once!)

So today was a sunny spring day so a group of us decided to head to the whangie, I'd been before…read moreearlier in the year but it was so icey we had to turn back after only getting half way.. The whangie and Queens view is only 30 minutes from Glasgows city centre in the car, unfortunately I don't think there is any public transport to get there. There is a small car park at the bottom which on sunny days will be busy.. The first part of the walk is the toughest bit, but even then it's not that tough.. It's a lovely walk for walkers of all abilities.. There are parts which you have to be careful and concentrate on, but most of it is easy.. As I said today it's a talkie walk, which means you can chat whilst doing it without needing to catch your breath.. The views from the start are amazing you can see loch Lomond which today looked beautiful and blue.. Once you get to the top you see the actual Whangie.. It's a big piece of rock that has a slice through the middle which you can walk through, it is beautiful, I loved it.. Legend has it that the whangie was created by an angry dragon whose tail smashed through the rock, creating the slice.. It's a really lovely walk and to the top and back down took about 1 1/2 hours..

Holyrood Park is a large park home to a number of historic sites and landmarks accessible via a…read moretrail system, including Arthur's Seat, Hunter's Bog, Dunsapie Crag, St Anthony's Chapel, Duddingston Loch, and The Radical Road. I approached on foot the morning of Friday 19 July 2019, reaching a sign of the park and its trail system at approximately 9:31 a.m. There were a number of cars coming and going already. It was my first visit to the park, so I opted to walk and skip any hassle I might encounter with parking. I was happy with that decision as it was a quick look at the map to get my bearings and I was on my way without needing to find parking. For my final destination in the park for the visit, I chose to hike to the top of Arthur's Seat - remains of a volcano that was active over 300 million years ago. The trails were well maintained and well designed for handling a large number of hikers.

This hike was perfect!! Beautiful weather in June, over looked the city, not crowded at all, and…read moreeasy for a family to tackle together (just keep small ones away from the edges as some areas are steep drop offs abruptly).

I only did a small portion of the 22 mile long walk, but the section I waked was lovely, and a nice…read moregreen corridor within a bustling city. I started at Dean Village, and walked through Dean Garden to the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens. It was a nice alternative to walking the city streets or taking transport to the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens, which was my destination. It took me just about an hour at an easy stroll with brief stops to take a few pictures. I sent a few of those pictures to some girlfriends and their comments were, "It's like you're in a storybook" and "Gorgeous, that can't be real." Take a look at the pictures and see if you agree. Or better yet, take a walk and see for yourself!

The Water of Leith is my happy place…read more Anytime I'm having an off day, it's a perfect little refuge just steps from my door for a wander and a think. The fact that you can traverse most of the city via its paths? Well sheesh, like I needed another reason to love Edinburgh...

Hi Guys, cycled…read morethrough Scottland from Glasgow to the northern boarder, to the ouder hebridies, to Edinburgh, back to Glasgow, twice. Took the boat from Inverness for return trip to Fort William - 30 years ag (1990/1991). Great experience - without any E-... . Today I am cycling an E-MTB:.. To take a rest we stopped in Fort William for 2 days - but did not rest... I a booklet we rent from university "Mountainbiking in the Scottish Highlands" a tour was described around Ben Nevis. (unfortunately at this time my English has had much room for improvements..... and I did not understand the rating "challening"...... Well, we started at 9 and arrived the West Highland was at 6pm, followed the West Highland way to Fort William and arrived in Fort William at 9pm. the B&B lady was so friendly (and afraid about her house.......) and offered us to wash and cleand our stuff - if we would leave it outside.......... It was really a very nice lady. we have had very good experience with Scottish. On the ouder hebridies we recognized that we needed a post office to collect some money - but unfortunately the only one was located north of the mountains on Lewis or Harris - dont remember which one is the northern one - and a postbus driver invited us to join him on his car and trip to Stokinish. It was such a nice experinece "bloody old English ...." 500times during the 2 hours trip. In the evenig he invited us to join us at legioneers Pub / Club. It was so nice. If I would find some power for the E I would do it again....... Great country, people, weather........(:...).

We did the WHW from 6th - 15th June this year and really enjoyed the hike over the 8 days, the trek…read moreis really good marked and we reached after 154 KM Fort William, I highly recommend to do this once in a life time :-)

I am jealous. I am jealous that there are people in this world who can get up every morning and go…read morehere, even if just for a quick morning walk. We visited Loch Lomond on New Year's Day and can I just say it made for the most magical start to a new year for me. I'm floored by its beauty and tranquility and if its the start of the Highlands, holy cow - or rather coo! My tour group couldn't get over how stunning the light, filtered through clouds touched upon the hillsides. The park was clean and everyone did their part to keep it that way. No one was too noisey either. Would love to come back and explore more!

Truly, a magnificent park and one a few untouched by development in Scotland. Jagged peaks and…read moresteep mountain tops punctuate the sky and mark some of the most prestige wilderness areas in the world. I wholeheartedly loved this park and my time exploring it. Going back, I would spend a weekend and camp here to really immerse myself (guess I have a good excuse).

This is a place that I didn't think I could do because of climbing hills but It's not all that bas…read moreas you can walk on the lower ground and still get a good view of things. I didn't climb any high hills for a bigger view, that's something I can go back to the Pentland Hills and do another day. Just walking about in the forest was pretty cool, i like that kind of thing plus it was so relaxing and peaceful. There was a sign that I passed, it was funny because someone altered the sign and it said "no parking, pissing place only" lol hehe. Did you knew that Amy Soldiers do exercise in Pentland Hills with firing there guns, a sign posted for warning, just in case you get a bullet in you bum. A great atmosphere at the Pentlands as everybody would pass you and say hello, it was nice, everyone was enjoying there day out. Ideal for walking your dog's or just hanging out with family/friends. Would consider going back again sometime very soon. https://socialsandi1.com/2018/08/05/pentlandhills-regional-park/

Wilderness, Waterfalls, Rivers and Raccoon's (well, maybe not these ;-) )…read more I was looking for a place to enjoy a nice afternoon stroll and which should be in proximity to Edinburgh city. Well, I am so lucky to live in a town surrounded by "mountains" which are called the Pentland Hills. There are several lakes/ water reservoirs in the Pentland Hills Regional Park which are accessible using several walking routes. We walked towards the Glencorse reservoir. A good start or end for the journey is the Flotterstone Inn and the Information centre nearby. Take your rucksack, get good walking boots, warm clothes and off it goes. Follow the paths which are clearly marked and you can't get lost. You might even pass an occasional waterfall! For the travelers without a car, you can hop on a bus and get off at Flotterstone Inn (but be careful - buses are a rare occurrence and you could be stranded) Lovely place!

A small hike my friend took me on, it didn't look like much when we started but the higher you get,…read morethe better it gets. Once we reached the top, we were treated to a GORGEOUS view of Arthur's Seat. I almost cried because of how beautiful it was. We then laid in the grass and I am not exaggerating when I say it is the best grass i have EVER laid on. The grass was so soft and warm. I still remember it so well, it saddens me to think I might never feel grass that soft and warm again. All other grass now pales in comparaison. Sigh.

If you're looking for a fantastic view over the city and a walk in peaceful surroundings this is a…read moregreat choice. It's a little bit further to get to from the centre, as apposed to Calton Hill, Salisbury Crags or Arthurs Seat so you may need to walk to get there or catch a bus. It's still worth it though! Take a flask or a bite to eat and enjoy a seat on one of the benches or lay out on the grass. Make sure you explore round the hill as there is a very nice walk through the trees. Don / www.edinburghphotowalks.com

Our last day we took a walk here, and The Meadows was the perfect place to get in steps and pass…read morethe time. This large, clean park is near the university with walking/running trails. It is surrounded by trees. If you look above the trees you'll see how modern architecture blends with the very old buildings. In the park is a playground for toddlers and a little older children. A short-game 36-hole golf course is here with a neat history listed on the signs. You walk on at no cost carrying a wedge and putter and practice/play as long as you want. We saw two girlfriends playing, and two businessmen in shirts and ties playing during their lunch hour. There is also a dog park. Take a walk here on the paved paths.

Ah the meadows. The name implies multiples of meadow, but it's really just one large field. The…read morearea is ringed by trees, there is a fenced-in dog and people park on the side, and ample room to laze about and look up at the clouds. You can see Arthur's seat in the distance, which is where we were headed when we decided to stop and sit. I found the place clean enough, but near my area of laze there were a multitude of cigarette butts. It didn't bother me too much, but I could have done without it.

There is no denying this place is stunningly beautiful, a peaceful haven of lush green trees, a…read moresoothing river, butterflies and birds, it's beautiful but it literally is in the deep undergrowth and I definitely got disorientated. There seemed to be quite a few entrances dotted around which disoriented me further. There's long distances between anything of interest and I'm not even sure what I saw as it wasn't identified but it was lovely anyway. As time was ticking I couldn't see everything as I needed to find my way out and back to the road to get the bus back home which to be honest got me into a bit of a fluster thinking I might be stranded in the wilderness but thankfully I survived, twisted ankle and frazzled but I survived. My experience was good/bad and think there needs to be more signage on what's ahead and perhaps signs telling you where the road back to Edinburgh city centre.

Roslin Glen is possibly one of the most beautiful places to escape to if you're tired of the city…read more(not that Edinburgh feels much like a city at all). You can take a walk along North Esk river, visit the chapel or just hang around the greens. By greens, I mean trees and bushes and things that have leaves. My first experience with Roslin Glen was for a friend's birthday where we dressed up as characters from Peter Pan and went on treasure hunts. Yes, it was her 24th. The area's really beautiful. Really calming and possibly the closest and best place to run off to from Edinburgh. It's only a bus ride outside the city.