Last weekend’s very
acceptable autumnal weather invited a repeat circuit of the Seven Hills of
Edinburgh - first undertaken in November 2010.
The hills form an arc of 7 volcanic plugs within the city limits and
range in height from 108m to 251m above sea level. Once a year on a June Sunday, a combined
race/challenge is held in which hardened runners and keen walkers attempt a
rapid round of all 7 hills. The record
currently stands at a little under 1 hr 40 mins! Alternatively, they can be climbed at a more
leisurely pace either singly, or in convenient clutches of two or more. But at
least once, they deserve to be tackled in one circuitous walk which combines
the city centre, suburban Edinburgh and the hills themselves.
Castle Rock
Three
of us started at 09.40 from Festival Square in the heart of the city, as
convenient a start/finish point as any.
A peaceful stroll through beautiful Princes St Gardens didn’t quite go
to plan as the gentle autumnal splendor suddenly reverberated to a cacophony of horns and motorbike engines. It appeared that the Gardens were about to
receive a visit from a colourful Harley Davidson motorcade complete with flags
and banners! The zig-zag path up the north
side of Castle Rock is currently closed off so we re-routed via the Mound which
we also shared - this time, with a lot of foreign tourists up early to catch
the sights! Unless you wish to divest
yourself of the pricey entrance fee to Edinburgh Castle, the Esplanade serves
perfectly satisfactorily as the token summit of Castle Rock (131m) and we duly celebrated our first
‘summit’. One down; 6 to go! (Elapsed
time: 25 mins).
Calton
Hill
Calton Hill
Descending
back down the Mound, we wasted no time negotiating Princes St to reach the foot
of Calton Hill (108m). This diminutive hillock nevertheless commands
impressive views across Edinburgh and out across the Forth which today, lay
shrouded in a blanket of coastal cloud. The
hill is decorated with various monuments, follies and towers (not all of them
finished - and never will be) that give added interest. However, it is the all-round views you will
remember and Calton Hill gives great reward for the minimal effort required to
conquer it! (Elapsed time: 50 mins).
Arthur's
Seat
Arthur's Seat
In
contrast, the next hill – the highest of the seven - does require some effort
to climb it. Arthur’s Seat is a sizeable
lump of grass and rock to find in the middle of a capital city and it certainly
repays repeat visits. These first 3
summits are grouped conveniently close together and it didn’t take long to
descend from Calton Hill and rush past the architectural eyesore that is the
Scottish parliament building before the climbing started again. The sudden appearance of a swarm of tourists climbing
below Salisbury Crags prompted a hasty re-route. So we opted instead for a route up Dry Dam
and Long Row before surmounting the extremely busy summit cone of Arthur’s Seat (251m). Obviously, the views excel in every direction
and you can see all the other Edinburgh hills from here quite clearly. Today, as on all Sundays, the summit is a busy
spot and there are better paces to linger. (Elapsed time: 2 hrs 5 mins).
Blackford
Hill
Blackford Hill From Braid Hills
Descending
to the western gate of Holyrood Park and past the refurbished (and impressive) Royal
Commonwealth Pool, we paused for some lunch before heading south towards the
relatively quiet streets of suburban Newington. Our next goal, Blackford Hill (164m) marks the northernmost point of a
large open area in the south of the city and is a great viewpoint. The area is criss-crossed by a network of
paths that snake their way through the grass and gorse - the latter making a
springtime visit particularly rewarding! The hill’s flanks are home to the Royal
Observatory, a golf course and Blackford Pond. To the south, the slopes fall steeply to the hidden
wooded glade of the Braid Burn and the Hermitage of Braid. There is much to see here and it’s worth
returning when you have more time to explore the area. (Elapsed
time: 3 hrs 50 mins).
Braid Hills
Braid Hills From Blackford Hill
Today
though, it was straight down from Blackford Hill, across the Scout’s Bridge
over the Braid Burn and along the quaintly named Lang Linn Path that leads up
to busy Braid Hills Drive. The
subsequent ascent up the Braid Hills requires care as you pick your way up through the golf course to
the trig point and view indicator that crown the highest point of the Braid Hills (213m). Suddenly, the Pentland Hills seemed very close
(they were) which served as a timely reminder of just how far we’d come since
leaving the city centre! Towser kindly
agreed to pose on top of the view indicator, as is his wont! (Elapsed
time: 4 hrs 35 mins).
Easter
Craiglockhart Hill
The Craiglockhart Hills
From
the summit of Braid Hills, it was westwards down through leafy Morningside and
across to the 2 hills of Craiglockhart. Unfortunately,
the higher of these twins (Wester Craiglockhart Hill; 175m) is private
property and has no public access. So
you have to make do with Easter
Craiglockhart Hill (157m) which is fully open to the public and is
attained with minimal effort. You share
much of the 2 hills with the Merchants of Edinburgh Golf Club and Napier
University so getting anywhere near them seems a bit of a bonus! (Elapsed
time: 5 hrs 20 mins).
Corstorphine
Hill
Corstorphine Hill
The option
to cut short the day was bravely shunned as Corstorphine Hill now appeared deceptively
close! Unfortunately, to get there you
need to thread your way through the south-western suburbs of the city, across
busy streets, under railway lines and past a prison and various industrial units
before you get to somewhat more photogenic Corstorphine itself. The climb up the final hill is steep at first
and will probably be the crux of the day for most folk. Even Towser seemed to appreciate a short
carry! The summit of Corstorphine Hill (162m) lies at
the southern end of a fairly densely wooded ridge and is marked by the dark
shape of Clermiston Tower which can be difficult to find amongst the tall
trees. Pleasant though the trees are,
they also deny you any view! (Elapsed time: 6 hrs 50 mins).
Arthur's Seat From Corstorphine Hill
Much
of the southern and eastern flanks of Corstorphine Hill are shared with
Edinburgh Zoo and Murrayfield Golf Club, the latter providing some pleasant eye
candy in the late afternoon sunshine as we made our weary way back through sedate
Murrayfield and Ravelston. Returning to Festival
Square, we finished the 18 mile round in exactly 8hrs - 2 weary humans and one
exhausted border terrier! The Seven Hills
of Edinburgh make for an interesting and satisfying day out and it’s always
good to try something different. That
said, all that pavement walking can really take it out on your feet and you’ll
be mighty glad to finish. Just ask
Towser Man!
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