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Edinburgh

Swanston

A cluster of whitewashed, thatched cottages under the Pentland Hills on the edge of Edinburgh, where Robert Louis Stevenson spent his summers.

Welcome

Where Edinburgh's last streets give out below the Pentland Hills, a lane climbs to a little group of whitewashed cottages under deep thatch, set around a green with trees and hedges.

Swanston looks more like a village in the English shires than a corner of the capital, and it has barely changed in two hundred years.

It grew up in the 18th century to house the workers of Swanston Farm, and its cottages were homes for shepherds and for the linen bleachers who laid their cloth out on the grass. Robert Louis Stevenson knew it well. His parents took Swanston Cottage, just beyond the farm buildings, every summer from 1867 until 1880, and he wrote about the village and the hills again and again.

The village is a conservation area of private homes, so it is a place to look at quietly from the lane. The paths behind it lead straight up onto Caerketton and Allermuir Hills.

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The Daily for 5 November, from Scotland with love. The tower house of Duntrune Castle stands on its rocky headland above a loch, autumn-toned shrubs and trees covering the shore below.
A short drive awayCastello CoffeeA speciality coffee house on Barclay Terrace in Bruntsfield, looking out over the Links, with Allpress espresso and a mezzanine.11 min by roadSee itCastello Coffee
Before you go

The village is a conservation area of private homes, so look from the lanes and paths.

It is the start of the walks up Caerketton and Allermuir Hills.

Where
Swanston Road, off the Oxgangs Road on the southern edge of Edinburgh, below the Pentland Hills.

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Where it is

On the southern edge of Edinburgh, at the foot of the Pentland Hills.

Close byThe northern Pentlands.
  1. Standing stone beside a stone wall and house on a residential streetThe Caiy StaneA standing stone of around 5,000 years, in a quiet suburban street.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Green hillside overlooking Edinburgh's suburbs and the Firth of Forth beyondAllermuir HillThe most northerly of the main Pentland summits, looking down on the city.1 mile 6 min by road
  3. Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags rise above Edinburgh's rooftops under cloudy skiesBlackford Hill and the Braid HillsOne of Edinburgh's seven hills, above the wooded Hermitage of Braid.2 miles 6 min by road
  4. Wooden sign reading "Easter Craiglockhart Hill Local Nature Reserve" fixed to iron railingsCraiglockhart HillTwo wooded summits in south-west Edinburgh, Easter and Wester Craiglockhart, with a pond of 1887 and a nature reserve on the eastern hill.2 miles 7 min by road
  5. Rows of beer taps line a pub bar with dark green cabinetry and wooden stoolsThe Hermitage BarA pub in a curving corner building at the heart of Morningside, by the clock, with locally sourced food, live music and a quiz.2 miles 6 min by road
  6. Colinton TunnelColinton TunnelA Victorian railway tunnel on the Water of Leith path, painted end to end.2 miles 7 min by road
Directions
Shopfront of Rua, Home Gifts Accessories, at number 215 with window displays either sideShoppingRua2.4 miles
Adobe wall with "Cantina" painted above a wooden doorwayAttractionsThe Wild West in Springvalley Gardens2.4 miles
Edinburgh Castle rises above rooftops and trees, seen from a grassy hillsideAttractionsBlackford Hill2.5 miles
Cinema foyer with red Box Office sign and patterned black carpetAttractionsDominion Cinema2.7 miles
Morningside Gallery lit at night, paintings in the window, traffic light trails passingAttractionsMorningside Gallery2.7 miles
The bar of the Athletic Arms in Edinburgh, with tall stools at a wooden counter, a black and white tiled floor and shelves of whisky behind.BarsAthletic Arms2.7 miles
Open grass on Bruntsfield Links under a blue sky, a church spire and tenements beyond the trees.AttractionsBruntsfield Links2.7 miles
The cream-painted shopfront of Nàdair at 15 Roseneath Street in Marchmont, its name in green above the door and wine bottles along the windows.RestaurantsNàdair2.7 miles
Diners at Leftfield on a spring evening, at tables by big corner windows looking out over the green of Bruntsfield Links.RestaurantsLeftfield2.7 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near Swanston, and when each is next free.

A turreted sandstone building with conical spires catches the evening light above rooftops, a large pine tree standing beside it.The Scott Hotel
  • A hotel
  • In Edinburgh
  • 3 miles from Swanston
Check datesWest End Muse
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Edinburgh
  • 3 miles from Swanston
Check datesA round table and chairs stand before tall curtained windows looking onto stone buildings, a sofa and mounted television to the right.Moment George IV Bridge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Edinburgh
  • 3 miles from Swanston
Check datesA hotel studio room with a beige fitted kitchen unit and stainless sink beside a bed dressed in white and teal cushions, a wall of black-framed pictures above a patterned headboard.Old Town Chambers
  • To stay
  • In Edinburgh
  • 4 miles from Swanston
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in EdinburghAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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