Pentland Hills Regional Park

There’s an excellent walk from the ski centre — up the side of the ski of the slopes, past the Highland cows and over to Swanston Village. Takes a few hours, pretty steep & you need proper walking/​hiking boots.
Great escape from the city & you don’t need a car — hop on the 44 bus!

Just go. For Godsake just go.
Bring a map. Bring some water. Bring some common sense and just go.
Oh, and bring a camera.

The Pentland Hills. I didn’t think that I needed to write this. But I have to, because some of you people just don’t learn that your arbitrary rankings are mental.
OH I LOVE IT — 4 stars
OH I COME HERE ALL THE TIME — 4 stars.
IT’S LIKE A F***ING FAIRYTAIL MYSTICAL LAND OF DREAMS — 4 stars
It’s super close to Edinburgh, it’s a national park and it’s amazing. Give it 5 stars you miserable lumps. One of you rated a hawaiian restaurant in america as better than the Pentlands National Park. I’m assuming you got a swift handy in the loos or something to make your spam and fritters better than an area of outstanding natural beauty 20 minutes drive from the city centre.
I ride here a lot in the summer and love the place. It’s got a bit of everything for everyone. Best access route by bike is offroad up the water of leith. Check it out. I’ve been exploring it for years and still have barely seen a third of it.
**Deep breath**

a perfect location for a sunny sunday hike for those who frequently feel the need to get out of town but don’t have the time for a weekend trip to the highlands.
Beautiful landscape, hills, lakes, waterfalls and fields.
Only a short bus ride from the town centre away you can spend all day hiking different routes (on different days)
suitable for families as well as a group of friends or even mountain bikers.
Perfect for a day-​trip, easily accessible via bus (Nr 44)

Can I say home? The Pentlands are my home and I love them dearly. Not quite tall enough to be white capped peaks but still beautiful in there own way. Whether its the lovely rolling hills, or the lochs and reservoirs or even the bubbling hot springs these hills have beauty to offer everyone. If your not into the nature stuff you can even go tour the little known battlefield of Rullion Green or go see an Iron age/​Roman hill fort as well as other little historical sights. Hiking here though is also lovely, you can hike all the way to the boarders of England as well as climb the highest peak Scald Law and see for miles and miles. There are also horse riding areas that will take you on guided tours in the hills. Fishing is also quite popular in some of the lochs and such. So whatever your little heart desires you can make it happen in these hills. Get out, enjoy the fresh air and beauty of Scotland, but beware always have a rain coat just in case in these hills your likely to get wet!

Wilderness, Waterfalls, Rivers and Raccoon’s (well, maybe not these ;-))
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!

The Pentlands are one of the reasons I really love living in Edinburgh. When you’re in the city, the sight of them on the South Edinburgh horizon is a pleasant reassurance that you’re not trapped in an endless urban jungle, while if you feel like escaping the town you can jump on a bus and be in the hills within twenty minutes.
You could walk for days in the park, as it goes on for miles, although just an afternoon is usually enough time to enjoy some fresh air and panoramic views of Edinburgh. The landscape is fairly varied, from open hilltops to forests and streams, and obviously constantly changes with the seasons — I love going in winter when everything is covered in snow. It’s easy to find your way around as well and although I think there are probably official walks that you can look up, there are plenty of paths everywhere: I have a terrible sense of direction and have never got lost!
Be warned however that part of the park is an official military training zone. You can usually still walk there, so it doesn’t cause any particular problems, but all the aggressive warning signs slightly destroy the ambience of being in the tranquil wilderness!

Just outside of the city bypass you leave urban life behind and say hello to the rural Pentland Hills.
This is a fabulous area to go for a walk as the scenery is fantastic and enhanced by the presence of cows, and sheep offering some picture perfect views. This does, however, raise a point as when you go through these farms do respect them for what they are and especially keep dogs on leads around the cows.
Getting here can be a bit of a feat in itself let alone actually walking anywhere from here, but if you’re up for a trek out of town its well worth the journey. Some of the views on offer here simply cannot be beaten so it’s well worth a visit.

Just South West of Edinburgh lies a range of hills called the Pentlands, stretching 20 miles, across to Biggar. It’s hard to review a geographical feature in itself (though they are undoubtedly beautiful) but you can say something about their effect. Being right outside Scotland’s capital, the Pentlands make a great opportunity to escape the city and get some proper fresh air. As someone who grew up in the country, I really appreciate this.
This park doesn’t feature some of the biggest or most challenging hills in Scotland, the tallest being Scald Law with an elevation of just under 580m, but this adds to its less daunting charm. The Pentlands is popular amongst amateur and professional hill walkers and those just out for a stroll as well as mountain bikers, dog walkers and others. There are many many routes to take, but if you are approaching from Edinburgh, unless you stray too far, you can’t really get too lost, especially during the summer when there tends to be quite a lot of walkers about. This can be an issue for some and I know others prefer quieter, more secluded parks to walk.
You can easily get a bus out to the Pentlands. I would recommend taking the number 40 bus to Bonaly, or the McEwans 100 to Flotterstone. Once you’re there is pretty obvious which way to walk to soon be into the Pentlands, although obviously there are a number of exact starting location depends on where you want to walk.
Details of specific walks as well as further information can be found on the website.

Living in a flat in Edinburgh means that when the sun comes out (a rarity) there is no garden to enjoy it in. Queue boyfriend with a car and problem sorted.
We try and get up to the Pentland Hills as much as possible during the summer. I love going for a walk with a picnic to undo all the goodness of said walk while basking in the suns rays. The Pentlands are very popular with serious hill walkers too though, and mountain bikers. My boyfriend is a keen mountain biker and finds that sometimes the Pentland Hills can get too busy with hill walkers, so perhaps its not the best place for mountain bikers who really want to let rip. The Hills are also popular with horse riders and dog walkers, so it is important to remember the access code to avoid any disputes. Its great for a family day out or relaxing walk and there is plenty of wildlife and farm animals around to keep an eye out for.
It is so nice and quiet up here, its hard to imagine the city is only a few minutes away. That is the fantastic thing about Scotland, you have amazing scenery like this on your doorstep.