The City of Edinburgh has seven peaks within its municipal boundaries: Calton, Corstorphine, Blackford, Craiglockhart, Braid, Castle Rock and Arthur's Seat. Some brave souls attempt them all in a single day but I adopted the more sedate tactic of picking them off one at a time, usually combined with a visit to my monthly German meet-up in the city centre afterwards. Braid Hill was the last on the list and also happened to be the most outlying. I could have taken a bus out to the immediate vicinity but decided instead to walk a circuit from Princes Street and back - a round trip of around eight miles.
The highest point on the undulating Braid summit is known as Buckstone Snab. At 699 feet, it is second only to Arthur's Seat in terms of altitude. I took the bus to Edinburgh straight after work, having changed into more suitable trousers and footwear. I arrived at 1715 and from the city centre, I walked up the busy Lothian Road and branched through the pleasant districts of Bruntsfield and Morningside with their many independent shops and cafes. I had brought my own food as I wanted to maintain a steady pace and enjoy a good hour and a half at the meetup later in the evening. When I hit Braid Road, the pavement began to rise steeply and I guessed this was the start of the actual climb. It was clearly an affluent area with large villas lining the street. A gateway provided access to the hill path and the surface was smooth gravel. This gave way to grass as I neared the summit and I was soon strolling across the plateau, making my way towards the ornate viewfinder - installed in 1995. It showed the positions of the other Edinburgh Hills as well as more distant peaks across central Scotland. Blackford Hill was the nearest and I could instantly tell I was standing at a slightly higher elevation. The hulking Arthur's Seat was the most prominent local landmark and I also had a fine view across the city towards the castle and the Firth of Forth beyond. Behind me stood the Pentland Hills which lie outside the city limits and the artificial ski slope at Hillend was easy to identify. Two golf courses occupy the lower Braid slopes and a popular walk is a circuit around the base. I was going up and over however and took a walled path down the opposite site that ran between the two courses.
My plan was to finish up at the other end of Princes Street and I worked my way towards the Cameron Toll shopping centre. From there a straight road led all the way to the city centre, a trek I did many times as a student teacher from the halls of residence at East Suffolk Road, now converted to high-end apartments. On the way I caught glimpses of Liberton Tower - a square plan structure built around 1450 for the Dalmahoys dynasty. It ceased to function as a dwelling when the 17th century rolled around and was used as a farm store and piggery right up until the 1990s. The Castles of Scotland Preservation Trust was granted a 100-year lease on the condition the building would be fully restored and brought back into residential use. The business model proposed was a luxury holiday let. Accommodation is provided over three floors with the great hall, main living and dining space on the first level. The latter room features an open fire and exposed oak beams. There are two bedrooms: one with a four-poster bed and the other with twin singles. Additionally, the castle has a kitchen, bathroom, and parapet walkway. Splendid views across the city are on offer, with a vista that takes in Edinburgh Castle, the Old Town, Salisbury Crags, Arthur’s Seat and Craigmillar Castle. I tried to walk up to the castle but it was tucked away behind other private properties. I pushed onwards and arrived at the meetup around 2030. I had hoped to find a pint under a fiver but had to be content with Schiehallion cask lager at £5.25. The new normal indeed! I left just after 10pm for a bus home and I was glad I wasn't in town the following evening, when a national rail strike was planned. Might have been a little busier on the four-wheeled public transport.
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