Scotlands capital is indeed a beautiful and historic city. I have worked here since leaving school back in 1999, just a few weeks after the Scottish Parliament opened. As a result I have gotten to know a certain patch of central Edinburgh, from George Street to Calton Hill, very well. Beyond that though and my knowledge starts to stutter a wee bit. Sure, I know Easter Road well enough (triumph and disaster), and parts of the new town are familiar but the sad truth is most of the city I have only seen from behind the wheel of my car. So, when an opportunity arose to walk Edinburgh’s 7 Hills through a charity event at work, I was in there like a shot. These hills are, even by Borders standard, modest. The highest is (exactly) half the height above sea level of Lee Pen. Still, some of these hills are a steep pull from street level and when combined as a 30km plus hike represent a challenge. That’s a the background to the hike, let’s find out what to make of these 7 hills.

The first hill was the iconic Castle Rock, the volcanic plug which houses Edinburgh Castle. The Rock has steep cliffs on three sides, with the gradual slope of the Royal Mile approaching from the east. It’s defensive qualities are clear and it was a straightforward and enjoyable way to start our trek. The 29 hikers and 5 leaders were also treated to a stonking sunrise which made the early start worthwhile. From here it was to be a very lengthy trudge to hill two.

The company guiding our charity walk made a few questionable navigational choices to get us out here to the west of the city, however after a couple of hours which did take in Dean Village and a glimpse of a Gormley statue in the Water of Leith we finally arrived at the northern end of this low, long hill. A steady pull through autumnal woodland finally got us to the top which is adorned by a tower. This tower was built in 1871 to mark the 100th anniversary of old friend of the blog Sir Walter Scott. So a second, less well known, Scott Monument in Edinburgh. The hill, a pretty prominent landmark in Edinburgh is also home to Edinburgh Zoo but no captive beasts were spotted. Descending down we passed the first of many city golf courses and scores of runners, dog walkers and cyclists - all of which will become recurring themes on this walk.

From here we skirted past the Tram line and came within a Stuart Hogg big boot of BT Murrayfield stadium. It was a Test Match day, Scotlands biggest sports stadium preparing to host the exciting but inconsistent Fiji. It was starting to get busy so we pressed on to Saughton Walled Garden (a hidden gem) where we stopped for lunch. We were following the John Muir Way. The trail is named after the Dunbar born godfather of US National Parks is largely urban and probably wouldn’t hold great appeal for the backwoodsman, however he has been far too little known in his native land so anything to raise his profile is a good thing. We followed the Union Canal, past University Boat Clubs and the grounds of two rugby clubs at Meggetland and Myreside. All of this almost, but not quite, took my mind off the fact that we were nearly 6 hours in but had only bagged 2 hills. A stiff pull through housing and woodland however soon got us to the top of number 3…

I felt this was the most non descript of all 7 hills and there was a lot of hanging about at the top - this normally solo walkers patience was starting to wear a wee bit thin. I treated myself to a caramel wafer and spirits lifted but I had a sense of unease that the November light was fading and could give us some issues. We finally moved on and picked a route through suburban streets to begin the road climb up Braid Hills, passed the hotel that shares its name with these hills. The path to the top of the hill was sloppy and slippy and I was pleased to reach the top without falling on my arse. Not all my fellow hikers were as fortunate, alas.

After another wait to allow the group to reform we were off, dodging golf balls as we rambled across the golf course. Finally arriving at a road we crossed and joined the Lang Linn path. I explained to some of the English visitors doing the challenge than a Linn was Scots word for waterfall, however they couldn’t have cared less - my usually well received hill chat was falling on deaf ears some 8 hours into what was becoming a minor ordeal. Undeterred, I pressed on and the path took us to the very pretty Blackford Glen, presumably home to the Linn. A spirit crushing hike back up the top of Blackford Hill awaited, including some brutal steps which made my legs scream a bit by the top. But again the hard and sharp work was rewarded with a great wee hill.

I loved this wee viewpoint, a smashing hill which is also home to the Royal Observatory. There was then going to be another stop, which was a 25 minute hang aboot. By this time I felt like I was in possession of a horrible secret - that it would be dark soon and we had to navigate a tricky Arthur’s Seat. Of course I wasn’t the only one in the group thinking this but I was a wee bit concerned, given the mixed abilities. Still, I was not the leader so I stayed quiet and got ready for a big final push. After a 20 minute march across the south side we arrived at the Royal Commonwealth Pool, built for the 1970 Games and used in two subsequent Commonwealth Games and the first European Chanpionships. It’s quite an impressive modernist building and was heaving as we stopped to use the toilet facilities. Head torches on, it was time to head for Arthur’s Seat. This began as a walk in the park but soon was a steep staircase, giving the toughest hill walking of the day as dusk settled and the boom and crackle of bonfire night fireworks began to fill the air. This brutally steep climb really thinned the group and when I reached the saddle ahead of the final climb I was alone, though it was clear the top was as busy a hilltop as I had ever seen. The last bit up Arthur’s Seat was even hands on at one point, slick volcanic rock and fading light giving a real challenge. Finally I made it to the windy top, where about 50 souls huddled about, searching for the perfect selfie.

The scramble down from the top was a bit hairy to be honest, we should have been done by now - it wasn’t ideal to be taking such a big, mixed group down this slick rock, in the dark. We waited at the saddle for the whole group to assemble but the general feeling was one of “we want to just get this done now”. Eventually and thankfully we were all ready for the descent to Holyrood. There was time on the way down for two geeky looking guys to tell me and my fellow walker to stay back while they launched a drone to which our near unison response was that if they buzzing wee drone came near either of us it would be swatted from the sky. That was the pervading mood! Once we successfully made it to Holyrood it was a relatively quick hike up to the final, and smallest hill.

Calton Hill was very busy, tourists and locals enjoying Saturday night carry outs and 360 views of fireworks going off across The Lothians. We were done, 11 and a half hours later. A grand achievement and lots of money raised for charity. It shouldn’t have taken that long and some of the organising was a wee bit questionable, however I’m pleased to have done it and deepened my knowledge of Edinburgh, a fantastic city.

Away Days - Edinburgh’s 7 Hills

Glen - Part One

The Memorial Hall at 100