Walk: Penicuik paper trail

Midlothian | Penicuik | Short walk | ★★★

[Low Pond near Penicuik House]

This easygoing circuit links the paper making town of Penicuik with the ruined shell of Penicuik House (with cafe) and its beautiful estate. The sedate River North Esk is a pleasant companion on the outward leg, while woodland footpaths keep a respectful distance from the main road for the return route. Don't miss the short detour to a characterful, circular flag tower on a small hill above the road out of the estate, with glimpses of the Pentland Hills chain from its base.

[River North Esk]

📌 Walk: Penicuik paper trail ★★★
Start / finish at Junction of Bridge Street (A701) & Cairnbank Road (street parking), Penicuik town centre, G.R.: NT 236597 ///valued.jazzy.glory

▶ 6 km / 4 mi | ▲ 90 m | ⌚ Short | ⬤ Easy
Features: River North Esk; Penicuik House; Knight's Law tower; Penicuik & town sights
Terrain: Paths, tracks, quiet tarmac roads and pavements. Some mud and one shortish ascent from Low Pond to Penicuik House.

Route & map

Start - Low Pond via River North Esk - Penicuik House - Knight's Law tower - Spear Gate Lodge - Penicuik & town sights - start


Route credit: Scotland Off the Beaten Track

On our visit

Wildlife: Plenty of birdlife including buzzards, greylag geese and dippers. Thousands (!) of froglets leaving Low Pond. Widespread moth / caterpillar nests coating many bushes along the river.
Weather: Decent sunny intervals, cloud tending to build. Temperature in mid teens.

Also on this walk

>> Penicuik ★

Chronological photo guide

[River North Esk]

[Track to Penicuik House]

[Old bridge]

[Low Pond]

[Froglets]

[Greylag geese on Low Pond]

[View back towards Low Pond and the North Esk valley]

[Penicuik House]

[Knight's Law tower]

[Distant Pentland Hills]

[Woodland path]

[Mountain bike obstacles]

[Penicuik]

Comments

Post a comment

Popular posts from this blog

Walk: Livingston's jaw-dropping waterfall

Image
West Lothian | Livingston | Short walk | ★★★
❕ Route currently impassable - see red text below

What springs to mind when someone mentions Livingston, West Lothian? Sprawling road junctions, retail parks, 1960s architecture... how about a splendid waterfall? Under a mile from the town's southernmost suburbs, the Camilty Water drops into a short but beautiful gorge sharply at odds with the gentleness of the surrounding farmland. Two substantial waterfalls and several smaller ones tumble into the depths; the largest is actually fed by a crumbling mill lade (the mill no longer exists) but this isn't obvious from below. Parking is limited, but the walk from the nearest road begins promisingly. The last few hundred metres of the route are however a bit sketchy: stepping stones across a side burn, and a very slippery slope to reach the best viewpoint - more details below.

Important

The house and gardens alongside the path are someone’s home, and although we have a so-called "right…
Read more

Walk: Where's Whangie?

Image
Stirling | Kilpatrick Hills | Half day walk | ★★★★

The Whangie is one of those downright bizarre features (with a bizarre name to match) that Scotland provides in abundance. It's an unexpected rocky cleft with 50-foot walls in the middle of the grassy, relatively featureless Kilpatrick Hills. The gap is probably the result of a gradual landslip and you can walk right along the bottom of it; it's also perfect for both simple and serious rock scrambling. The views north are superb for the entirety of the approach, but a short detour to Auchineden Hill's summit is also recommended with Glasgow laid out to the south, just 10 miles distant. This is a short and popular walk, but there's a profusion of paths in the immediate area which don't all end up at the destination. The Whangie itself is hidden until you're practically upon it, and if you don't take a map you can easily end up wandering the plateau in circles, wondering where it is (ahem)...


📌 Walk: Where&#…
Read more

Loup of Fintry

Image
Stirling | Fintry | Waterfall | ★★★★

Winding through gently scenic nowhere land between the Campsie Fells and Fintry Hills, the Endrick Water unexpectedly takes an almighty 94-foot plunge into a side-on gorge. This is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the Scottish Lowlands (although Corra Linn and Grey Mare's Tail both come close), so why it's not better known is something of a mystery. Perhaps it's because the Carron Valley Reservoir upstream blocks much of the burn's catchment area, so waiting until after a period of local heavy rain is even more important than with other waterfalls. Nevertheless, this awesome cataract should be right at the top of your list.


Location & info

📌 Loup of Fintry ★★★★
By the B818 1 mi east of Carron Valley Reservoir dam, G.R.: NS 662862 ///breezy.operation.survived
Always open | Free

Anything else? There are informal laybys with space for about 5 cars in total on both sides of the road near Gallows Knowe, G.R.: NS 661864 ///than…
Read more