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Walks and nature
in Lothian.

It’s 20:05 in Lothian.
Lothian

Gannets, old volcanoes and Pentland water.

Lothian's wild places lie close to town, and old volcanoes made many of them. Behind North Berwick, the Law rises 187 metres to a whale jawbone arch and a view over the Forth. Out in the firth, the Bass Rock turns white with nesting gannets in summer. A wooded glen runs down to the sea past old mill ruins, and a clifftop path leads from Dunbar harbour to Belhaven Bay. Inland, easy paths circle two reservoirs above Balerno in the Pentlands, and a thousand acres of parkland surround Dalkeith Palace. Bring binoculars for the gannets and boots for the Law.

The Glen, North Berwick→
Dalkeith Country Park→
North Berwick Law→
The Bass Rock→
Harlaw and Threipmuir Reservoirs→
Place of the day17 hours ago

Dalkeith Country Park.

A thousand acres of parkland round Dalkeith Palace, just outside Edinburgh, with woodland trails, an adventure playground, Go Ape and Restoration Yard.

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From our collectionsA collection15 hours agoLothianDunbar Golf CourseLothianLuffness New Golf ClubLothianMuirfieldLothianNorth Berwick Golf Club

The Best Links in East Lothian

East Lothian has one links after another along the shore of the Forth. From championship courses to quiet members' clubs with a warm welcome for visitors, these are the links to play here.

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From our guide12 hours ago

North Berwick Law.

Rising sharply behind the town, the Law is the plug of an ancient volcano, 187 metres high and easy to spot from all over East Lothian. A waymarked path climbs from the car park at its foot, steep in places, through gorse and rock to the top. Up there you'll find the ruins of old lookout posts and an arch made from a whale's jawbone, a replica of the jawbones that have stood on the summit since 1709. The view takes in the red roofs of the town, the islands in the Forth and the coast of Fife beyond.

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The newest places on our pages in Lothian.

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Somewhere to go7 hours ago

The Bass Rock, Lothian.

This rock is actually the core of an old volcano and was formed 320 million years ago. Today however it is famous for its population of over 150,000 gannets.

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From our guide5 hours ago

The Glen, North Berwick.

A few minutes from the seafront, a small burn has cut a steep wooded valley down to the sea, and a path follows it under the trees. Along the way stand the ruined walls of the Mills of Kintreath, which once belonged to North Berwick's medieval priory. The Victorians knew this as the Ladies' Walk. Robert Louis Stevenson spent boyhood summers in the town and remembered them in his essay The Lantern-Bearers. There are picnic tables among the trees and a view over the Forth at the bottom. Wear boots after rain, as the paths can be muddy.

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From our guideJust now

Harlaw and Threipmuir Reservoirs.

Above the village of Balerno, two reservoirs lie side by side on the edge of the Pentland Hills. A circuit of about four kilometres links them on wide, fairly level paths, taking around an hour and a half, with views across the water to the rounded tops of the hills. Watch for swans, greylag geese and cormorants on the water and goldcrests in the trees. Dog walkers love it, and anglers fish from the banks. There's a visitor information point at Harlaw House, and the 44 bus from Edinburgh reaches Balerno.

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