Walk: Braid & Blackford Hills – surveying the seven summits

📌 Comiston, City of Edinburgh
★★★

The Braid Hills are a belt of high ground rising out of the southern suburbs of Edinburgh. This is the southernmost of the city’s “Seven Hills”, and there’s a superb panorama of the other 6 (Arthur’s Seat, Castle Rock, Calton Hill, Corstorphine Hill, Craiglockhart Hill and Blackford Hill) from the summit. The latter of these is also included in the varied, 5 mile route featured here, which feels surprisingly rural despite its situation amidst residential streets. You won’t be alone – the number of dogs taking their owners for walks along the Hermitage of Braid puts paid to that – but it’s a great way to escape the crowds of the Royal Mile.

📷 Chronological photo guide

🌍 Location

📌 Start / finish on Riselaw Crescent, Comiston, 3 mi south of Edinburgh Waverley station

🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NT 244696

🛰️ GPS coordinates: 55.913204,-3.210985

🚌 Comiston Road

🚗 Street parking

📝 Key info

▶ 8 km / 5 mi | ▲ 320 m | ⌛ 2.5-3 hr

Features: 🌳 Braidburn Valley; 💧 Hermitage of Braid (doocot & visitor centre); 💧 Blackford Pond; △ Blackford Hill (164 m); △ Buckstone Snab / Braid Hills (208 m)

⬤ Moderate | Tarmac, dirt, grassy and muddy paths, short pavement sections. Some steep parts, especially on ascent of Blackford Hill.

➡️ Clockwise circuit: start – Braidburn Valley (south to north) – Hermitage of Braid (doocot & visitor centre) – Blackford Pond – Blackford Hill – path junction at 🧭 NT 261702 – Buckstone Snab / Braid Hills – start

Download file for GPS

🥾 On our last visit

Wildlife: Small birds, grey squirrels; little grebes, mallards, moorhens and swans on Blackford Pond (teals on a previous winter visit).

Weather: Sunny with scattered clouds, temperature in low teens, light winds.

April 2020