Roslin by Bus – Rosslyn Chapel, Castle and Glen
A day by bus and on foot, from Edinburgh and back.
The route
Seven miles south of Edinburgh, the village of Roslin sits on the lip of a wooded gorge, and one city bus goes all the way there.
Lothian's 37 leaves from Princes Street and stops in the middle of the village, a few minutes' walk from the chapel. Two spellings share the place: Rosslyn for the chapel and the castle of the St Clair family, Roslin for the village and for the glen of the River North Esk beneath them, though the village pub keeps the chapel's spelling. Allow most of a day, with about two and a half miles on foot, some of them steep and stepped, and a pub lunch in the middle. The Pentland Hills fill the skyline to the west.
Before you go
Book the 10.30am to 12 noon timeslot online on Rosslyn Chapel's own site before you travel: the ticket is for that timeslot only and is non-refundable, and on a Sunday, when the chapel opens at noon and has no morning slot, book 1.45pm and walk the castle and the glen first.
The day
Roslin
The morning belongs to Rosslyn Chapel, a small church of the 15th century where almost every surface of the stone is carved. After it the day leaves the village for the wooded glen of the North Esk, where a castle stands on its rock and the old gunpowder mills lie in ruins among the trees. It starts and ends at the bus stop in the middle of Roslin.
Rosslyn Chapel
An attraction
Take Lothian's 37 from Princes Street (the shop side) or North Bridge at about nine; check the times. Only the 37s to Penicuik Deanburn call in Roslin; those to Easter Bush do not. Allow up to an hour to the stop in Roslin village by the Original Rosslyn Inn, a few minutes' walk along Chapel Loan from the chapel. Book the 10.30am timeslot, or on a Sunday, when the chapel opens at noon, the 1.45pm. Founded in 1446, it is carved on almost every surface. No photographs inside.
5 min on foot
Rosslyn Castle
An attraction
Lunch comes first, at the Original Rosslyn Inn, the pub beside the bus stop with its name across the front, serving from noon. Then go back along Chapel Loan past the chapel: Rosslyn Castle is 5 minutes' walk down the lane. The old home of the St Clairs stands on a rock with the River North Esk on three sides. Nothing of it is open, so look across from the near end of its bridge to the ruined gatehouse. On a Sunday, come here and walk the glen before lunch.
20 min on foot
Roslin Glen Country Park
It's 20 minutes' walk, crossing the river twice. The way goes down steps below the castle's bridge, along a pavement by the B7003, then by a gravel track a third of a mile to the gunpowder mills. Paths are steep, slippery and unfenced in places. The council closes the main gates from 1 October to 1 April: check its page. The way back climbs by road and footpath to the chapel.
If it rains
The chapel is under a roof and so is lunch, so the morning stands in any weather. The glen is what suffers: its steps and paths are steep, unfenced in places and muddy after rain. On a wet day walk only as far as the castle, 5 minutes down the lane from the chapel, look from the near end of its bridge and come back up, and leave the mills for a dry one. The chapel's visitor centre and coffee shop are for ticket-holders. Buses from Roslin to the city run through the afternoon and the evening, so there is no need to wait: check the times.
Worth a detour
- Flotterstone and Glencorse Reservoir
The Pentland Hills are the skyline west of Roslin. With a car, Flotterstone is about ten minutes' drive from the chapel, and from its information point the Regional Park's waymarked Glencorse View walk follows the burn to Glencorse Reservoir and back: 2.7 miles, and an hour to an hour and a half by the Park's own leaflet. The way back crosses Ministry of Defence land below the Castlelaw firing range: never go in when the red flags are flying or the red lamps are lit. The car park at Flotterstone is often full. Houstons' 101 and 102 coaches call there, but too seldom to plan a day round: check the times.
Where to eat
Original Rosslyn Inn, a restaurant in Roslin.
Photograph by Eráclito Sousa Neto via Google