Just a bit higher in Edinburgh

The Pentland Hills nudge up against the southern boundary of Edinburgh, forming one of the most glorious backdrops to any city in Britain. Stretching for some 25,000 acres through ancient rolling hills of sandstone, basalt and siltstone, this is a slice of wilderness, surprising for its location just six miles from the city centre.

Summer is one of the best times of year to explore these hills, with wildflowers in abundance, birds nesting on the hills and moorlands, and butterflies and dragonflies commonplace. But the walk has another dimension, for it explores the Ministry of Defence's estate at Castlelaw and Dreghorn.

Beware: there is a live firing range – clearly visible on this walk – but the path described is open at all times, whether or not military training takes place. The one thing walkers must be mindful of is to keep to the correct side of the flagpoles and night lamps when red flags have been raised to indicate the danger area. The firing range is clearly demarcated by a fence, which must not be crossed at any time.

The walk starts from the car park at Castlelaw. (If you come by bus from Edinburgh, ask the driver to drop you off by the turn-off for the Castlelaw Ranges on the A702, from where a 10-minute walk uphill leads you to the car park.) Follow the signposts up the stony path past the gorse and through a gate to nose around the Castlelaw Hill Fort and earth house or cellar (which you can step into). Dating from the Iron Age, the fort is a scheduled ancient monument, with its origins as a farming community within a wooden stockade from 500BC.

Go back through the gate and follow the stony path as it climbs and traverses the eastern slope of Castlelaw Hill. Continue along this path keeping the danger area fence on your left for about 500 yards. The path pulls away northwards from the fence as it winds its way up before climbing over the small hill of Fala Knowe. To the east, 35 miles away, you might just make out the fin-like volcanic rock of North Berwick Law on the skyline, while ahead you get the first glimpses of the Forth Bridge.

The path drops down to a cattle grid by a stone wall, with striking views to the west across a succession of conical hills, including Scald Law, at 1,900ft. Continue on the main track northwards between Allermuir and Capelaw Hills. At a fork, take the left-hand grassy path downhill to a stile and bear right to walk around the north-east slope of Capelaw Hill.

Keep on this main grassy path as it coils its way around the hill, ignoring the smaller paths that pare off left and right. Along this stretch, the views of Edinburgh and beyond are outstanding. The castle is clearly visible, but so too is the Forth Bridge and the landscape on the north side of the estuary. The horizon is capped by the crowded peaks around Ben Lomond.

The path begins to descend and then turns right with an unnamed hill to your right. You drop down to a meeting of paths by a metal gate, where you turn left and follow the clear path past the Bonaly reservoir, one of 11 reservoirs in the hills. Shortly after passing an MoD sign marking the entrance to the training area, the path, waymarked by wooden posts, arcs away from the reservoir, down a tributary glen of the Kirk Burn, between Phantom's Clough and Harbour Hill. After about half a mile you reach another MoD signpost by a fence. Keep straight ahead on the path as it descends further, with Castlelaw Hill now high up to your left.

At a T-junction of paths, bear left, signposted for Flotterstone, pass through a gate and turn left in front of the Glencorse reservoir along the paved road. Continue along the path for 300 yards. If you have driven to the Pentland Hills, turn left, signposted Castlelaw and head uphill to join a track, and then turn right along the track to Castlelaw car park.

If you've come on the bus, returning to the car park will mean an unpleasant and perilous stretch of road walking to the bus stop. A far better route is to keep straight ahead, and, 300 yards after the reservoir, take the path on the right signposted for Flotterstone via the old filter beds. This route passes a delightful wildflower garden before rejoining the paved road, where you turn right. You pass a plaque to the Nobel physicist C T R Wilson, who was born nearby, and soon reach the Pentland Hills Visitor Centre, which is a good source of information on the wildlife and history of the area. The bus stop is close by, a couple of minutes' walk past the Flotterstone Inn, on the main road.

COMPACT FACTS

Distance: 5 miles (8km)

Time: Three hours

OS Map: 344 Pentland Hills, Penicuik, and West Linton

How to get there

Mark Rowe stayed at the Roxburghe Hotel, Edinburgh (0844 879 9063), which offers b&b in a double from £128 per night. Castlelaw can be reached by buses operated by MacEwans from Edinburgh Princes Street through. Check Traveline (0870 608 2608) for timetables. Cross Country trains (crosscountrytrains.co.uk) operates services to Edinburgh from other parts of the country.

Further information

Download MoD walks at access.mod.uk

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