Lowland Hills and Highland Hills: the Central Belt

Three summer evenings, three hills, three geological divisions of Scotland.

Sunset from Turnhouse Hill:

 

In my last post, I described a Friday evening trip up the Moorfoots in the Southern Uplands. Less than half an hour's drive from my house, but a world away in terms of atmosphere.

For Saturday evening I decided to go even closer to home: just quarter of an hour's drive gets me to the Pentlands.

There were sheep everywhere, so the dog had to stay on her lead, poor thing!

It was incredibly buffety on top, so we didn't hang around!

Last week I marshalled the Turnhouse Hill Race. It follows a line I've never taken, NE down from the top to the inner bend in the Glencorse Reservoir, before heading back to the standard path. I've looked at this deserted slope manys a time from the other side of the reservoir. But I've never been here, so naturally had to explore.

Heading towards the 'biscuit van':

It's a beautiful spot in late evening sunshine, easy to reach on a decent path. These Lowland hills are a well-trod lung for the people of Edinburgh and Midlothian, increasingly familiar to me, yet there are so many unmarked paths in the Pentlands I still haven't been on.

What a great place to have fifteen minutes from your doorstep!