Springtime in the Pentlands

Glencorse Reservoir

After almost 3 months of snow, the sun has finally come out and struggled high enough into the sky to give a little warmth! Suddenly, everyone’s talking about Spring and buds and bulbs everywhere are beginning to poke nervous green shoots out of the thawing ground. The Pentland Hills near Edinburgh have had their fair share of snow this winter and have at times been plastered completely in deep powder. During the last few days though, the snow has finally started to recede and the combination of sun, snow and increasing daylight suggested a wander into these unpretentious uplands would give a handsome reward.

Walking in from the Flotterstone Inn and up the metalled road past Glencorse Reservoir, everything was bathed in warm sunshine and people, dogs and children were everywhere. The reservoir was still partly frozen though and a lingering chill in the air provided a necessary reminder that Spring still had some way to go before it would need to start paying council tax! This road walk was very much the preferred option today as the hill routes would have proved to be a messy and tiring struggle in soft snow and saturated ground. However, given the settled weather forecast for the next week or so, this is likely to be a temporary state of affairs and a return to the higher routes will not be far off now.

East Kip and Loganlea Reservoir

A friendly fisherman stopped to bemoan the paucity of gullible rainbow trout in the reservoir and he trundled off seeking a more rewarding spot from which to cast his line. A typically scatty collection of Pentland sheep got themselves into a manic state of distress and quite unnecessarily launched themselves across the icy waters of the Logan Burn in order to escape a non-existent threat from innocent walkers. Having reached Loganlea Reservoir, the upper reservoir in the glen, a growing appetite for a late lunch suggested an about turn and the road was followed back down to the Flotterstone Inn car park. Again, the winning combination of sun and snow – now both beginning to lose their influence on the scene – provided a stunning backdrop to the late afternoon landscape.

These soft, rolling hills were beautiful today and there convenience, being so close to Edinburgh, and what they have to offer, should not be underestimated. But now it’s time to return to the high mountains and some not too distant Munros are calling.......

Castlelaw Hill and Glencorse Reservoir

Check out my future plans for similar walks on: http://www.hillways.co.uk/summer/summer.htm