Mauldslie

Bavelaw Castle

Balerno · 11 miles

Perched above Threipmuir Reservoir in the Pentland Hills, the former hunting lodge lies two miles south of Balerno and four miles west of Penicuik, within the City of Edinburgh council area. The site, recorded as a Category A listed building since 1971, presents a harled rubble tower of three storeys, an adjoining circular turret on the north-eastern corner and a later single-storey wing projecting to the south-east. Vaulted ground-floor chambers and a distinctive lower northern room hint at the original 16th-century L-plan tower erected by Walter Dundas; the first-floor chamber above is known locally as Queen Mary’s Room. Ownership passed from the Braids to the Fairlies, then through marriage to the Forresters of Niddry, and later to the Mowbrays of Barnbougle in the 1500s. King James VI granted Easter and Wester Bavelaw to Laurence Scott of Harperrig in 1628, after which Scott enlarged the house, possibly adding the south-east wing. Following a period of decline, Sir Robert Lorimer restored and extended the structure in 1900, linking outbuildings, enlarging windows, adding a turret to the attic and converting the basement. A further alteration occurred in 1938 under the architectural practice Dick Peddie & McKay. The castle’s historic fabric and its association with Mary, Queen of Scots and James VI provide a tangible link to Scotland’s royal past, while its remote hill-top setting offers a clear view of the surrounding landscape.

Craiglockhart Castle

Craiglockhart · 12 miles

Craiglockhart Castle is a ruined tower house in the Craiglockhart district of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Duddingston Loch

Duddingston Village · 12 miles

A freshwater loch of roughly eight hectares lies on the southern edge of Holyrood Park, just south of Arthur’s Seat and a short walk from the village of Duddingston. It is one of the last two natural lochs remaining within the city limits of Edinburgh, the other being Lochend Loch, and the only natural water body among the three lochs in the park. The loch’s history stretches back to the Bronze Age, when a hoard of swords, spears and other artefacts was deliberately deposited in its waters. The items lay undisturbed until a dredger recovered them in 1778; they are now displayed in the Early People gallery at the National Museum of Scotland. The scene of Henry Raeburn’s painting *The Skating Minister* was once a popular ice-skating venue, and the loch also hosted early curling activity. Records of curling date from at least 1761, with the Duddingston Curling Society formally established in 1795. William Henry Playfair’s Thomson’s Tower, built in 1824, still stands on the north side of the loch, marking the sport’s historic presence. Designated a bird sanctuary since 1925, the loch supports the most extensive common reed bed in the Lothians and a wildlife reserve at Bawsinch managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. Mammals such as otter, hedgehog and water vole are regularly observed, while the western end hosts the region’s largest heronry, recorded with 27 nests in 2017. Anglers may obtain free coarse-fishing permits from the Holyrood Park Ranger Service, though fishing is restricted to the north shore and all catches must be released. Species commonly targeted include carp, perch, roach and pike.

Malleny Garden

Balerno · 12 miles

National Trust for Scotland site Malleny Garden

Merchiston Tower

Church Hill · 12 miles

Birth place of John Napier (Inventor of logarithms)

The Meadows

Quartermile · 12 miles

Stretching across more than 60 acres south of Edinburgh’s city centre, The Meadows offers open grassland crossed by tree-lined avenues, a children’s playground, croquet and tennis facilities and several sport pitches. Step-free routes make the park accessible for wheelchair users, and the surrounding network of paths links the University of Edinburgh’s George Square campus, the Quartermile development and the residential areas of Marchmont, Summerhall, Sciennes and Newington. To the south-west the ground continues as Bruntsfield Links, where a public short-hole golf course is available. The site began as common land that supplied drinking water from the burgh loch until the early seventeenth century. Drainage work in the mid-1600s and again in 1722 transformed the marshy area into a landscaped park known then as Hope Park, with lime-tree avenues and a summer house. An 1827 Act of Parliament later protected the area from building. Throughout the nineteenth century the Meadows evolved from grazing ground to a public recreation space, gaining full public right of way in the mid-1800s. It hosted early football matches, including the first Hearts-Hibernian derby in 1875, and provided over 500 allotments for the Victory Garden scheme during the Second World War. The park continues to host community events, including the annual Meadows Marathon, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Sunday and occasional circuses. Remnants of the 1886 International Exhibition, such as the Prince Albert Sundial, remain visible near the western entrance. Facilities such as the playground and sports courts are available. Access is provided via the surrounding streets and public transport routes serving the Quartermile area.