Blackford Hill (6.5 miles)
Edinburgh has around half a dozen peaks and Blackford Hill offers wonderful views across the entire city. At 650 feet, it's not a taxing climb but the elevation is sufficient to provide a complete cityscape. Often that's all you need! This walk is described from Haymarket Station and also visits the Hermitage of Braid Nature Reserve.
Exit the railway station and head up Morrison Street. There are several traditional pubs in this area. Useful for the return leg! An old favourite is Thomson's Bar which still serves real ale on air pressure (now a rarity). Merge right on to Lothian Road and you soon reach the Tollcross junction. Follow Home Street past the Cameo Cinema and King's Theatre. Keep following this road (A702), skirting the large expanse of greenery known as The Meadows. You are now in the district of Bruntsfield and you will pass the Chocolate Tree on your left. You may be tempted to sample the wares.
Bruntsfield runs into Morningside, a rather well-to-do area of Edinburgh with a wide selection of independent businesses, including the Dominion Cinema. Walk the entire length of Morningside Road, the shops petering out as we cross the railway line. After another 600 yards, look for a narrow street to your left called Greenbank Place. Follow this road for a short distance and bear left at the intersection with Braidburn Terrace. Turn almost immediately right at the roundabout and you will see the entrance to the Hermitage of Braid nature park.
Follow the access road which has the Braid Burn on your left. After 650 yards you will reach a visitor centre, toilets and a small car park. Just beyond this point on your right is a short flight of steps leading to the Braid Ice House, a surefire indicator that you are inside an old country estate. In fact, the visitor centre was formerly known as Hermitage House.
The path crosses the water three times. At the next bridge, take the wooden staircase leading away from the water, signed for Blackford Hill. Follow the track uphill as height is rapidly gained. The route continues through the trees until an open area of land appears on your left. Head right at the next junction and start ascending the lengthy flight of steps towards the obvious target of a tall transmitter mast. Curve anti-clockwise to the summit which has a viewfinder. The cylindrical Royal Observatory building is nearby. Amazing views across Edinburgh can be enjoyed. Return to the steps for the descent.
At the bottom of the staircase, turn right along the path which skirts the allotments. This brings you to Blackford Pond which you probably spotted from the summit. Either walk around the pond or simply take a left to emerge on Cluny Gardens. Turn left again and rejoin the main road to Morningside. An interesting variation on the return leg is to head along Viewforth once through Morningside. This street passes over the Union Canal and the terminus of Lochrin Basin can be observed from the bridge. Viewforth leads to the leisure complex at Fountainbridge where many eating and drinking options are available. McCowans Brewhouse and The Fountain Bar both serve quality ale. A hidden gem of a pub worth seeking out is The Golden Rule which is tucked away up Yeaman Place. The hostelry is a long-standing entry in the Good Beer Guide.
To find your way back to Haymarket Station, head along Fountainbridge and bear left on to Grove Street. You pass over an old railway bridge where a dual carriageway now runs beneath. This was previously the approach to Princes Street Station - originally operated by the Caledonian Railway and closed in 1965, the station itself disappearing under office blocks. You soon emerge on Morrison street which is where we began.
