We love the Pentlands Hills Regional park and after the snow yesterday, we headed up a very cold Swanston track to get some wonderful views of Edinburgh. You can download a map of the Pentlands and plan your route according to your fitness.

We parked at the free car park beside the Swanston Golf Club House (open to the public) and followed the track through the picturesque Swanston village.

Approaching Swanston Gold Club House and the neighbouring car park

Choose your route

Walk through the cottages in Swanston Village

Tracks are well marked

It doesn't take long until you look back and get great views of Edinburgh

Looking over to Caerketton Hill

Looking over 'T wood' and Down to East Lothian

Enjoy the view!

Make sure you’re suitably dressed and have enough water and food etc. If you’re doing a long walk, please tell someone where you plan to go and what time you expect to be back.

Adhere to signs in the park with regards to dogs on leads and don’t go into the marked areas if the red MOD flags are up.

There can sometimes be highland cattle in this area, please do not approach.

If you head down to the Royal Botanical Gardens just now, you might just notice that one of their trees has turned pink. This is to acknowledge the thousands of walkers and volunteers that have been involved with previous Edinburgh Moonwalks and this year’s one – Midnight at the Oasis on the 9th June 2012.

The tree was covered pink after the material was donated by Mandors Fabric Store and is also to  acknowledge the charity’s latest grant towards a new Mammomgraphy Unit at the Western General Hospital.

We think it’s an excellent tribute to the wonderful charity and to everyone that is involved with the Moonwalks.

You can still enter the 2012 Edinburgh Moonwalk or volunteer to help out on the night.

Near the John Hope Gateway

Vibrant pink

The trunk and main branches covered

A great addition to the gardens

Will be great to see once the leaves grow

With the glorious weather in Edinburgh at the moment, we couldn’t resist taking a walk up Blackford Hill to admire Edinburgh from a different angle.

The view of Arthur's Seat

Edinburgh Castle

Looking towards Salisbury Crags

Looking down to East Lothian through the haze. Berwick Law and Bass Rock visible.

Gorgeous Edinburgh

Head down towards Mountcastle and beside the High School lies Figgate Park. The last time we visited this gorgeous green space, it was so foggy, Arthur’s Seat couldn’t be seen, but today, the sun was shining and we got views galore.

There’s some more information on Figgate Park on the council website but we found it a great place to wander around and soak in the views, look at the wildlife in the pond (with board walk) and admire the beautiful pictorial garden. You can walk your dog here, there’s picnic tables for good weather and it connects to Edinburgh’s cycle network.

Well worth a visit, but make sure to take your camera and binoculars for all the wildlife.

Figgate Park with Arthur's Seat in the background

Pictorial Garden

Baby moorhens

The excellent boardwalk

A heron on the central island

Celebrate Midsummer

Edinburgh’s Botanical Gardens open until 10.30pm for Midsummer celebrations

We absolutely love the Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh and visit at all times of the year.  In celebration of the longest day of the year, the gardens will remain open until 10.30pm. The wonderful glasshouses that we recently reviewed will be free after 5.30pm and there will be numerous other activites to celebrate the Midsummer.

Make sure you make the most of this opportunity to see the gardens in a different light.

From the RGBE website:

Glasshouses free after 5.30pm

This pair seemed quite comfortable on the pavement outside Charlotte Square Gardens yesterday!

We hope they enjoyed their visit and ended up somewhere safe and more suitable for ducks!

Entrance to Malleny Garden

Worth the trip to Balerno for this stunning garden

Malleny Garden is a National Trust for Scotland property situated in Balerno. This beautiful 400 year old garden is free to enter for those that are members of the NTS, but non-members can pay the admission price of £3.50 into the donation box.  Concession and family prices also apply.

One of the main features of the garden is the four, 400 year old yew trees in the middle. Take a seat on one of the many benches and spend a couple of hours of quiet contemplation amidst beautiful surroundings.

The roses are stunning in the summer and the greenhouse is a wonderful array of colours.

This garden is perfect to visit after a walk along the neighbouring Water of Leith.

Suitable for disabled? Partially.  You can drop off near the house (private) and enter the gardens there to avoid the steps.  The paths are made up of small stones, but are manageable.

Take a seat and enjoy the silence

Spring blossom

Old yew trees

We’ve mentioned Lauriston Castle before and the wonderful Edinburgh Kyoto Friendshp Garden that is housed in the grounds there.  Upon visiting today, we were very excited to see the first signs of the Japanese blossom on the trees.  In another couple of weeks, the place will be stunning with the avenue of trees in full bloom.  Enjoy the pictures.

Lauriston Castle today

Beds of colourful flowers

Kyoto Friendship Garden and shelter

The Japanese garden with trees starting to blossom

First of the Japanese bloom. The end of April / beginning of May is the best time to visit

Cramond Island from Lauriston Castle grounds

Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh

We love Arthur’s Seat and have previously covered a walk around the extinct volcano and also when it has been covered in snow.

Today we were taking our usual walk around the path but had the sudden urge to head for the summit once we reached Dunsapie Loch.

The summit in the distance

There are various routes you can choose to walk up to the summit, some of which are suggested here.  The easiest way to reach the top is from this point up one of the two recognised paths on the grass, which leads to a stone path and steps closer to the top. It’s really important that you use this path as the area can be slippy, especially after rain, but also to stop further erosion of this natural beauty spot.

The stone path to the summit

It takes about 15 minutes from Dunsapie Loch to reach the summit, longer if you stop to take photos on the way up.  On a clear sunny day, you can see across to Fife and right down the East Coast.

At the summit

It can be very windy up at the summit and today was one of those days.  It was hard to hold the camera steady to take pictures of the wonderful views.

Looking East

Looking North

Edinburgh Castle from the summit (zoomed in)

The weather was only a few degrees at the top, so after 5 minutes we headed back down taking care to watch our step as the rocks are uneven.  We continued on our way anti-clockwise around the path and patted ourselves on the back for choosing a fit and healthy way to start the day.

The view as we continued around the footpath

The minute we touched back down to ground level, the skies turned blue and the sun came out (just our luck) but we’ll save going back up for another day.

Suitable for disabled? There is a road all the way around Arthur’s Seat, but not to the summit.  There’s a separate path for walkers and joggers, so suitable for wheelchairs and buggies.  There are car parks at the top beside the Loch and lay bys that you can park in and enjoy the view.

One of the entrances, the Palm House

It’s well worth exploring the Glasshouses for the modest fee charged

We love the Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh and visit every week and in all weathers.  The gardens are free to enjoy, but there is a charge for the Glasshouses.  With a spring in our step as the sun was shining and blue skies galore, we headed down to explore this feature of the gardens. 

We entered via the Palm House (pictured) and paid our admission charge.  The Palm House itself is free to enter, so step inside and have a look to get a feel what the rest of the Glasshouses are like.  The desired temperature in here is 11 – 17ºC but different Glasshouses are as warm as 25ºC with 95% humidity. 

Spend your time wandering around each of the Glasshouses and learn about the plants contained within by using the information boards.  There are also maps showing you the directions around the 10 Glasshouses. 

We are far from calling ourselves Botanists, nut if you want to know about the all the plants in the Glasshouse before visiting, make sure you read the relevant section on the website.  We recommend paying the modest fee and visiting the Glasshouses as you get the privilege of viewing all kinds of ferns, rain forest species, orchids and tropical plant life that you would otherwise have to travel a long way to see! 

This pond features giant water lillies in the summer

The all important cocoa plant

Cactus, one of many species inside

Gorgeous flowers

An indoor waterfall

A different world

 Opening hours: Summer (March – October) from 10am, last admission 5pm.  Winter (November – February) open from 10am, last admission 3pm. 

Cost: £4 for adults, £3 concession and for children 5-14, it costs £1.  Under 5′s are free and a family ticket is £8 and allows 2 adults and up to 4 children admission. 

RBGE members are admitted for free. 

Suitable for disabled?  Yes the links throughout the glasshouses are all wheelchair friendly and there is a ramp for general access. 

Reflections of the roof in one of the ponds

Wonderful flowers

The first signs of Spring arrived in Edinburgh a couple of weeks ago and one of the best places to see the crocuses in full bloom just now is Melville Drive.  Start at one end and walk the length of the road, taking in the all the flowers that line the outside of the pavements.

The flowers are in batches of all colours, just yellows, purples and whites and are stunning to see. It won’t be long before the daffodils appear here. Inverleith Park also has a lovely stripe of crocuses at the moment and we can’t wait for more to pop up all over town!

Melville Drive, Edinburgh

Purples and whites

Beautiful crocuses

Bright yellows

Robin in the New Town - image copyright A Robson

Edinburgh Wildlife was set up by Anthony Robson and demonstrates all the wildlife that can be found in the city in photo form.  Every sighting is recorded by date and location and we were delighted to catch up with Anthony to ask him some questions about his fascinating website. 

So tell us a little about yourself
I was born in the imaginatively named Wallsend, being the end of Hadrian’s Wall just east of Newcastle, but grew up from the age of four in Aberdeenshire.  After studying law at Aberdeen University I moved to Edinburgh to work ten years ago, where I still am, holding down a day job as a (slightly reluctant) solicitor.  I’m not one to sit still, however, and as a keen cyclist (mainly as a daily commuter) found myself writing and editing the citycycling website, before also taking up photography as a major hobby that has grown over the last few years. 

What inspired you to start up the Edinburgh Wildlife website ?
A few factors conspired at once. I realised I had a lot of pictures of wildlife, not just within Edinburgh, but it was something that was becoming more and more prevalent in my photography. I’d always had an interest in wildlife, now I had a way of recording it for myself. Then one morning, on my Sunday ritual of a walk around the Figgate Park before getting the papers, I spotted a terrapin in the water. I didn’t get a shot, but going online found there wasn’t really any ‘centralised’ way to record such a thing (all terrapins in the UK are released pets, they can survive in our climate, but for some reason can’t breed). 

European brown hare: image courtesy of Phil Johnston

Every year I head to Skye with my girlfriend, and every year there are a couple of websites I check out before going, Skye Birds  and Glendale Wildlife  both record the comings and goings of wildlife on the island. So having a stack of my own pictures, wanting a way to record wildlife, and having the template of the Skye sites, I set about recreating them, with my own twist – I wanted to try and create a photographic record of everything living in the city, both for people already here, and tourists coming in who have an interest in wildlife. 

How often do you go out to spot wildlife in the city?
I have my camera with me 99% of the time, so virtually every day, whether it’s intentional or not, I’ll be spotting. At lunchtimes I like to escape the office, and I’m fortunate enough to be 5 minutes walk from the Water of Leith, a lovely stretch from Belford to Dean Village. It gets me away from the hubbub, as well as affording the opportunity to see some cracking wildlife. 

Living in Duddingston, so close to Duddingston Loch and the Figgate Park means I’m never far from a green space. But then even in my back garden I’ve seen foxes  and sparrowhawks and woodpeckers. 

Cycling to work every day just adds to the chances of seeing something interesting. The simple fact of the matter is, in Edinburgh we’re surrounded by wildlife, but sometimes you don’t start seeing it until you’re actually looking for it. And once you do everything starts leaping out – a couple of months ago I was idly staring out of the window at my desk in the West End and saw something that wasn’t quite the usual pigeon on a roof opposite, got the camera out, zoomed in, and there was a sparrowhawk  perched having a look about. 

Can anyone submit photos to your site?
Absolutely! I’m more than happy for people to email their own photos or send me links to them if they’re hosted somewhere like Flickr. I want to cover as much of the city as possible, and even if I’ve got a picture for something in an area already, an updated shot, or a better photograph, is always welcome. 

I’ve had some great shots from the general public so far, perhaps most notably from Phil Johnston who gets some simply stunning shots from the Cammo Estate  and is responsible for the kingfisher photo  and Brian Mason, who has filled a lot of the gaps. 

Where and what has been the best wildlife spot so far?
That’s a difficult question to answer. In Edinburgh I love seeing things like tufted ducks,  dippers  and moorhens , but they are fairly commonplace. It’s fabulous seeing one of the raptors like a sparrowhawk , kestrel, or buzzard  over the city, and while they are an unwelcome and destructive non-native species, seeing mink along the Water of Leith for the first time was a bit of a thrill.   

Tufted duck - Image copyright A Robson

However the best moment so far in Edinburgh was seeing a kingfisher for the first time. I didn’t manage to get a photo, but that flash of blue and orange, having wanted to see one since I was a kid and was bought a wildlife magazine with a big picture of one on the cover, was just brilliant. 

But the choices go on and on, and I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to some interesting places in the world, and seen some interesting wildlife along the way without even trying. But Scotland (and Edinburgh) can still boast some great wildlife, even if it isn’t man-eating, or as big as a bus. The trick is seeing the fun in everything, even down to a squabble amongst house sparrows on a bird feeder. 

Having said all of that though, I think my favourite photo is one of a humble hoverfly in the Botanic Gardens. Wandering through the trees he was in the air, just caught in a ray of light coming through the branches. He posed perfectly, hanging in the light, and as soon as I checked the shot, and saw the background in perfect darkness and the shining fly in the foreground, I knew I’d nailed it. 

Heron - image copyright A.Robson

What do you know exists in Edinburgh but has so far eluded you? 

Having seen kingfishers I really want to get a photo of one now, but at least I’ve seen them. Otters are an animal I’ve not had any luck with yet in the city (although I was alerted to a regular haunt in Canonmills by Darren Anderson, the late night/early morning stakeout I went on with him proved the only fruitless wait he’s had to see them). And badgers, which I know live on Corstorphine Hill. Perhaps the most difficult species to get a photo of would be the bats in the city, but I’ll be making an effort. 

Where can people get more information about Edinburgh Wildlife?
The best place to start is the website  but you can also follow the sightings on twitter.  There is also a Flickr Group which is not affiliated but I am a moderator  and of course you can email me at: anth@edinburghwildlife.com 

Thanks Anthony, now where did we put our camera and binoculars?

We love the Botanical Gardens and escaped from our post-Fringe lull to have a walk around the grounds on a perfect Edinburgh day.

The new cafe at the East Gate is now open for drinks and snacks.

East Gate Cafe

Serving a wide selection of beverages and light snacks, the Coffee Bar is open daily from 10am until 15 minutes before the Garden closes.  Free wifi is also available.

There are also toilets in this new building, which is great when you have wee ones in tow, who suddenly ‘need to go’ at that side of the gardens!

Outdoor seating available

The Pavilion Cafe is a situated at Jawbone Walk in the Meadows, a popular green space in Edinburgh City Centre.

The Pavilion Cafe

I visited it at the weekend when the Meadows Festival was on and purchased a beautiful lentil pate with spinach roll for £2.50, a soft drink for £1 and a slice of malteser cake, £1.50.

There are seats outside to watch the world go by and the quality of food was surprisingly good and I wouldn’t hestitate to eat here again.  Their hours are 10ish to 6ish every day of the summer, which I read to be weather dependent!

Opening hours

Meadows in Spring

Edinburgh has many wonderful gardens and parks  and I enjoy visiting our favourites on a weekly basis.  I never walk the length of Princes Street without walking through Princes Street Gardens  which is perhaps the most visited by tourists and helps retain Edinburgh’s international reputation as a clean, green and beautiful place to live, work and visit.  If you have children, then it’s hard to get a more scenic play park in Edinburgh than the one in West Princes Street Gardens. 

Two of my favourite gardens in Edinburgh is Dr Neil’s Garden  in Duddingston and the Edinburgh Kyoto Friendship Garden in the grounds of Lauriston Castle.  Our love for Edinburgh’s green spaces was recently re-enforced after Jean from Greenyonder Tours showed me around the hidden gardens of the Royal Mile which opened my eyes to a couple of new green spaces and filled in my history gaps about  Dunbar’s Close Gardens which I often use as a lunch spot in the summer.

Princes Street Gardens in Autumn

The views from Calton Hill are excellent and we also love to walk through the huge green space, South of town that is The Meadows.  You can read our history of the Meadows article.  We visit the Botanical Gardens in Inverleith frequently, normally for some squirrel hunting with the mini Spotlight members but you are now required to pay for parking on the streets adjacent.   Read about our latest botanical gardens visit.

Edinburgh - Kyoto Friendship Garden

Japanese style

The Edinburgh – Kyoto Friendship Garden is within the grounds of Lauriston Castle which I visit requently and posted some pictures last year.  With summer on its way, this is a perfect place to escape from busy city life.

The Japanese garden was built to celebrate the twinning of Edinburgh and the Japanese prefecture of Kyoto was opened in August 2002, but many Edinburgh residents don’t know about the garden and it is never mentioned in tourist guides, but well worth a visit.  The garden’s official name is ‘Castle Garden to Water and Beyond’.

I absolutely love visiting these gardens at different times of the year.  There are a couple of bamboo shelters, one of which affords wonderful views over the Forth estuary.  I have spent many an afternoon with picnic in hand, reading a book and enjoying this wonderful escape from hectic city life.

Other visitors range from pensioners taking a wee stroll, to mothers and their children exploring every nook and cranny of the beautifully landscaped hectare.  There is no admission charge to the grounds of Lauriston Castle or this garden and with on site free parking, makes a wonderful alternative to the Botanics.  Dogs are not allowed in the garden (or Lauriston Castle grounds) or cyclists, so it really is a place for peacefulness and reflection.

Entrance to Kyoto garden

View from top shelter

Beautiful Trees

Edinburgh Kyoto Friendship Garden

Stones across the water

Edinburgh

You can read more about the founders of the garden, Drs Nancy and Andrew Neil.  Thomson’s Tower is a curling museum housed in the gardens and where the rules of the game were first penned.  This is open Saturdays and Sundays in June, July and August, 12-5pm and costs £2 to enter.  I have been inside and it’s fascinating to learn the history of curling in this restored building and see photos of players on a frozen Duddingston Loch in the 1920s.

Dr Neils’ Garden is open every day from 10am till dusk, including weekends and a suggested donation of £1 per person is advised.    There are also ways you can help out to support this fabulous garden.  I thoroughly recommend you visit Dr Neil’s and enjoy the peace away from the city hustle and bustle.  Enjoy the photos.

Entrance to the garden is in the far left corner

There is free parking on the nearby street and part of the gardens are suitable buggies and wheelchairs, although the path slopes down, so some strength would be required.

Arthur's Seat and Duddingston Kirk in the background

Colourful flowers

Sundial accurately predicts spots of rain

Bridge over the pond

Dr Neil's flowers

Thomson

Dr Neil

Vogrie Country Park is just 12 miles from Edinburgh city centre and is a wonderful place to spend a day whatever your age.  Yesterday, on the bank holiday, the mini members of the Spotlight team were packed into the car, armed with lunch, bikes, footballs etc with the aim to spend the whole day there.  Entry to the park is free and as a general rule the park opens at 7.30 am and closes at dusk.  It was scheduled to close at 9pm last night, making it suitable for an evening visit in the summer months.  Dogs are welcome here.

Cedar Tree Cafe

There are several reasons why I like Vogrie and first and foremost, is the suitability for children.  Open spaces galore and encouragment to run around like children should do, with very few places out of bounds.  There are toilets in the main car park (now £1 entry through barrier system) but also at the main adventure playground.  Perfect for when kids just need to go.

Picnic tables are dotted around the park, but the Vogrie House itself houses the excellent Cedar Tree Cafe (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays apart from school holidays).  This option is not a strain on the purse strings with reasonably priced food, juice and ice creams.  Baby changing facilities are also in here.

Woodland walks

On the whole, the park is pushchair and wheelchair friendly, but you can pick up one of the excellent maps for free to plan your time and route suitable for you.

The adventure playground is excellent for all ages, complete with wood chips on the ground.  There are also carved wooden sculptures dotted around the park as well as over sized chairs to clamber upon and a 3 metre tall bicycle.

Oversized bike

Woodland walks take you over the River Tyne and through well marked paths lined with huge trees.  It doesn’t take long to get part of the park to yourself, so easy to get away from the noise of children if you prefer.  There are ponds and puddocks to wander round and a 9 hole golf course (must be booked in advance).

Beautiful flowers and trees

Two barbecue areas available within the park which must be booked seven days in advance.   The neighbouring events field is a 1 hectare enclosed area which can be hired for events and other informal activities.  Not operational on our visit, the Vogrie Miniature Railway is run by the Esk Valley Model Engineering Society (EMES), and runs throughout the summer on Sunday afternoons (weather permitting), from 2 pm – 5 pm.

A thoroughly enjoyable day out, which keeps youngsters amused for hours.

Vogrie House