Edinburgh Outdoors

Midhope Castle on the Hopetoun Estate is an old tower house packed full of history. To many people it is better known as Lallybroch, the beautiful and atmospheric ancestral home of Jamie Fraser in the Outlander TV series.   Once a bin store and farmyard, the Midhope has become incredibly popular with Outlander fans and people keen to seek out filming locations.  The team at Hopetoun has been working to enhance the visitor experience and welcome the many thousands who make the pilgrimage to Jamie's home.  I went behind the scenes of Lallybroch to hear some filming secrets, get a special peek inside the building and to discover many of the filming locations around the site.  I met the team responsible for creating a visitor experience and I enjoyed the romance and mystery of this really special and historic building.  You can visit Midhope / Lallybroch HERE There is a website with more information: https://www.midhopecastle.com/ Hopetoun Estate has a section about Outlander filming locations and a map to help you find them HERE The woodland walk with Jamie's cave and other locations is HERE Abercorn Church can be found HERE  You can enjoy a beautiful walk from Blackness Castle (another Outlander location) to Abercorn and Midhope along the John Muir Way, starting HERE

The Astley Ainsley hospital site is a large area of green space in the south of the city.  With wild areas, protected buildings and teeming with wildlife, it's a surprisingly special space.  The Astley Ainsley Community Trust is working to protect the area as the NHS is moving out of some of it and parts of the site will be sold.  There are plans for retaining its wildness, creating community greenspace and ensuring it remains available for recuperation and recreation, in line with its original purpose. Join me on a wander around the site, discovering its long history, its unique spaces and listening to some incredible bird sounds. You can access the site from Morningside or Grange HERE The Astley Ainsley Community Trust website is here: https://www.aact.scot/  

Binning Wood is in East Lothian beyond North Berwick and is a historic wood.  Once used to build warplanes and then replanted after the war, it's packed full of different trees and was an ideal location for my walk with Jean Nairn.  Binning is home to wide walkways through native trees, a beautiful green burial site and little hidden spaces.  Jean worked in forestry and while she still works with trees, it's now in a very different - and fascinating - way.  We headed out into Binning to enjoy nature sights and sounds and to find out more about Jean and her love of trees.  You can find Binning Wood HERE Jean's Woodlands Breathing site can be found here: https://www.woodlandsbreathing.co.uk/ Find out more about green burials at Binning: https://www.binningwood.co.uk/  

Gorgie City Farm is remembered fondly by everyone.  Now remerged as Gorgie Community Farm, the location is being revitalised by a new team.  As trustees, gardeners and volunteers breathe life into the space, focusing initially on the community garden, it's packed full of potential to bring back an essential green space for the area.  I went along to meet the people transforming it, to find out what they've been doing and to talk about the future.  As volunteers return and we head towards Spring, it was a great time to find out what's planned.  The site is HERE To find out more: https://gorgiecommunityfarm.co.uk/ The team has a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GorgieCommunityFarm/ And an Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gorgiecommunityfarm/ And if you are interested in gardener Johanna's journey through the garden, she has an Instagram too: https://www.instagram.com/gorgiefarmgarden  

Easter and Wester Craiglockhart Hills are part of Edinburgh's Seven Hills.  In the south of the city, Easter Craiglockhart is a nature reserve and is teeming with wildlife, great views and a strong volunteer group. Join me as I find out how the excellent volunteering team on Easter Craiglockhart Hill has been transforming the site with new trees, spring flowers and an island for the pond.  Listen to this first episode of Season 5 to hear about the work that's ongoing and to learn about the new island and the newly designated Iron Age hillfort. Recorded last year, this episode brings you Spring just when you need it!  With birdsong, primoroses and ducklings the Hill was literally springing into life.  The Hill can be accessed beside the pond on Lockarton Crescent HERE You can find out more, see what wildlife has been spotted and learn about upcoming events, or join in with the team of volunteers here: https://www.eastercraiglockharthill.org/ The Friends have an active Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EasterCraiglockhartHill/    

Princes Street Gardens right in the centre of Edinburgh beneath the Castle is a public park with a long history.  It was formerly a loch and was drained to remove the stench of the city's sewage and to create a park for residents.   It's now a popular spot, so I headed into the Gardens with Hetty Lancaster of Hetty's History Walks to find out more about the park's history. A regular guest expert on the podcast, Hetty turned the tables in the second half of the recording and asked me about why I set up Edinburgh Outdoors - something a bit different! We met in Princes Street Gardens by the Ross Fountain We discussed the Robert Louise Stevenson monument and the Floral Clock  You can find old pictures of Edinburgh and Princes Street Gardens on Capital Collections There's one of the Nor Loch Find out about Hetty's History Walks: https://www.hettyshistorywalks.co.uk/ Find out more on my social media including Instagram, Facebook and Substack

Edinburgh Sketcher is part of the fabric of the city.  He captures the everyday moments, events and views that represent Edinburgh life.  I met him on Calton Hill and watched as he created a journal sketch of our conversation and the views we were enjoying while talking.   He gave a great insight into how he thinks through a drawing and talks about career change and gives brilliant top tips for capturing every day events on paper. If you want to see Mark's picture you can find it on the links below.  We met HERE  Mark's website is here: https://www.edinburghsketcher.com/ You can view the sketch on Substack: https://substack.com/@edinburghoutdoors It's also on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edinburghoutdoors_ And on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edinburghoutdoors  

Join me as I head off foraging in the Hermitage of Braid woodlands with the brilliant Hana Koen.  Find out all about the fascinating funghi we found, their medicinal properties and culinary flavours and discover how many are hiding in plain sight.  We wandered through the very cold and sunny November sunshine and talked about mushrooms, dealing with an autism diagnosis and Hanna gave a great explanation of queer mycology theory before sharing her beautiful sketchbook.    A fascinating and education episode!  We met in the Hermitage HERE We walked on the higher path to the north and then back by the Braid Burn from the Scout Bridge HERE You can find Hana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foraging.gardener/ She is also on Substack: https://foraginggardener.substack.com/about You can see photographs from our foraging on my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edinburghoutdoors_/ I also upload photography and background to Substack: https://substack.com/@edinburghoutdoors  

Kinneil Estate in Bo'ness on the Forth Estuary is a brilliant place to discover history from Romans to the present day.  With a Roman fortlet, a grand old tower house, the location of James Watt's original workshop, ruined villages, birdlife on the loch and much more, it's a great place for a day out discovering the area.   I met with Adrian Mahoney of the Bo'net group to find out all about the Estate and about it's tiny museum which is under threat.  Join me on a grand day out! You can find the Estate HERE It's worth checking in advance if you want to visit the museum as it's sometimes closed The Roman fortlet is HERE The nature reserve is HERE Bo'net: https://bonet.org.uk/ Friends of Kinneil: https://kinneil.org.uk/friends/ For the audio trail of the estate visit Izzy Travel and/or download the app: https://izi.travel/en The Historic Environment Scotland site for Kinneil House: https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/kinneil-house/    

Lauriston Farm is an inspiring local collective that is transforming a former traditional farm into a biodiverse space that includes community allotments, woodland spaces and a market garden producing food for communities.  I had a wander round with Grower, Dav Shand to find out about their food poverty programme, discover what agroecology is and to understand more about their  food production, partnerships and vision.  We saw the thousands of trees planted on the side of the Forth and the many initiatives introduced by the workers' cooperative.  You can visit the community spaces and woodland and also attend workshops and open days at the Farm itself.   It's a terrific example of an inspired community of people working together for good.  To visit you can go HERE The farm and community have a website: https://www.lauristonfarm.scot/ To find out more about open days: https://www.lauristonfarm.scot/events/ They are on Instagram too: https://www.instagram.com/eaclauristonfarm  

How often when walking round Edinburgh do you look up?  Podcast regular, Hetty Lancaster of Hetty's History Walks, took me on a walk around Stockbridge in the north of the city, to look at historic gems hidden in plain sight.  From the original Stockbridge Market and the history of market gardening to the ornate and bizarre gateposts around the original Inverleith Estate, we discovered things you may walk past every day, but never notice. We started out at Duncansland HERE We walked down the Water of Leith from HERE The Falshaw Bridge is HERE You can find the picture we discuss on the Capital Collections website HERE The gateposts with the strange lions are HERE Plant Alley and the boating pond is HERE The Sundial Garden is HERE The final gateposts are opposite the John Hope Gateway HERE Hetty's History Walks organises group and private walks around the city: https://www.hettyshistorywalks.co.uk/    

Find out about the brilliant Friends of Montgomery Street Park who have brought real joy to  volunteering.  I went along to see how a Council owned park between Leith Walk and Easter Road has been transformed into a wildlife spot and a haven for local residents.  A former bowling green, the site now has fruit trees, a wildflower meadow, spring bulbs and a rejuvenated playpark.  The team has also created a groundbreaking community magazine, Parklife, working with local artists, journalists, writers and designers to produce a stunning publication. My visit began finding out about Parklife and volunteering, then ended with a great conversation about "Ecotherapy", getting married on Calton Hill and as always, some favourite spots across the city.  Montgomery Street Park is HERE The artist who has transformed the helter skelter into artworks is Paul Meikle: https://paulypocket.com/about/ Follow or find out more about the Friends of Montgomery Street Park HERE They are also on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/montgomerystreetpark    

Siccar Point near Cockburnspath is a stunning viewpoint where Father of Geology James Hutton, found evidence to support his theories which influenced modern day geology.  It's a great walk with superb views and is going to be transformed through a project spearheaded by the Edinburgh Geological Society.    The project will bring improved access and interpretation for visitors and its launch will coincide with the James Hutton Tercentenary in 2026. I stepped out along the cliffs with podcast regular, geologist Angus Miller, to find out why Siccar Point is so significant and to learn more about the crowdfunding campaign for this important project.  To find out more about James Hutton, his influence and the Tercentenary, visit: https://james-hutton.org/ To read about the project, the crowdfunder, the Dynamic Earth event and how you can get hold of some of the 'rewards': https://edinburghgeolsoc.org/support-the-deep-time-trail/ The crowdfunder, including a film about the site, is HERE To learn about the James Hutton Insititute: https://www.hutton.ac.uk/ The Scottish Geology Trust is here: https://www.scottishgeologytrust.org/ Angus and I met HERE And the viewpoint is HERE  

The Treecreepers is a fairly new birdwatching and nature group for 18-35 year olds organised by conservationist and bird expert, El.  I headed up Corstorphine Hill with El to see if we could spot any birds and listen to their sounds.  While there she told me about the group, why she set it up and its popularity.  We also talked about roles for young people in conservation, her love of the outdoors and why Corstorphine Hill is a great place to visit. The birds we heard/saw: buzzard; nuthatch; long tailed tit; blue tit; goldcrest; chiffchaff; chaffinch; goldfinch. We met at the entrance on Corstorphine Road: HERE  The Treecreepers on Instagram: @the_treecreepers The Treecreepers on Substack: https://thetreecreepers.substack.com/ Please email El if you have any secondhand binoculars you are happy to gift to her groups: mailto:thetreecreepers@outlook.com You can read my occasional Substack thoughts and view pictures of the recordings here: https://edinburghoutdoors.substack.com/ Edinburgh Outdoors is also on Instagram and Facebook     

Join me for an interesting afternoon with Tamsin Grainger discovering all about Granton's history.  As I become more fascinated by the area and it's special character, it was good to find out more about its past.  Join us as we head out to walk along the shore seeing seals, brick beaches and quirky statues while we delve into stories of the area and what draws Tamsin to the outdoors.  And find the history behind 'walking like a tortoise'. We met at Wardie Bay HERE We visited the Pianodrome HERE The sailor statues are HERE The 'brick beach' is HERE The Pitt and sauna is HERE You can read Tamsin's material on the links below: www.tamsingrainger.com and walkingwithoutadonkey.com She was winner of the Walk•Listen•Create Marŝarto Award 2024 LINK And Tamsin is author of 'Working with Death and Loss in Shiatsu Practice, a guide to holistic bodywork in palliative care' (Singing Dragon, 2020).  LINK Bluesky: @walknodonkey.bsky.social Instagram: tamsinshiatsu  

Join Euan Baxter of the Save the Roseburn Path campaign and me as we walk the Telford and Roseburn paths on his morning commute.  Once a railway line, the Paths were opened in the eighties by cycling campaigners and the route is now teeming with cyclists, walkers and runners either commuting or just enjoying their local stretch of nature.  With trees, birds and other wildlife it's a valuable part of Edinburgh's parklands.  Join our chat about the path, listening to birds, spotting plant life and finding out about the campaign to save the Path from becoming a major tram route from Granton to the City centre.  The City Council is launching a consultation on the tram route during August for 12 weeks, so listen in, visit and enjoy this special place, then have your say.  You can find out more about the campaign here: https://www.savetheroseburnpath.com/ You can find the consultation details HERE We met at the Red Bridge HERE And walked to HERE Read my Substack HERE

Edinburgh is a beautiful city and of course, many of its views make great photographs.  I headed up Salisbury Crags in Holyrood Park with photographer Jason Baxter to find out how to get that killer shot of my home town.  We talked careers, the beauty of Holyrood Park and Arthurs Seat and the frustration of an easterly wind which brings Edinburgh's haar. Jason has photographed Edinburgh and Scotland for many years and his pictures grace the walls of the Airport, so take a look next time you're there. To find out more about Jason: https://www.jasonbaxter.media/ We were photographing up the Crags: HERE And then after a circuit of the Crags we walked back to the Palace via Hunters Bog which is HERE  

Cramond Island is a tidal island in the Forth Estuary which has a long and varied history and is  really worth a visit.  The area was an important port during Roman times and remains of a large fort can still be seen beside the church.  The island was once a farm, a popular holiday destination and then was occupied during the first and second world wars as a strategic defence site.  Many WW2 remains can still be visited including gun emplacements, armouries, lookout posts and traces of an old railway on the beach.  I crossed the causeway with Ian Rodger of the Cramond Heritage Trust to discover the history of this fascinating place.  The Cramond Heritage Trust offers tours of the island via their website and also has a great museum in the Maltings on shore at Cramond itself.  To visit the island you should first checkout the safe crossing times on the South Queensferry RNLI website: https://www.queensferrylifeboat.co.uk/cramond-tides The Cramond Heritage Trust website is here: https://cramondheritage.org.uk/    

Many people don't know that Edinburgh was once a walled city, so we set off to find traces of the old walls that still remain.   In the times when the extent of the city covered the area we now call the 'old town' it was enclosed to protect its residents from attack and also to control commercial activity.  Remnants of the wall remain today, some dating back to the fourteenth century, and many people walk past them unaware of these ancient relics.  There are also indications of walls dating as far back as the twelfth century.   Many of our road names are indicators of the location of the walls and gates - known as 'ports' - in and out of the city. I headed out with podcast regular, Hetty Lancaster of Hetty's History Walks, to discover some bits of the wall and its history.  It was one of the most interesting podcasts I have recorded.  Listen in to join Hetty and me as we disappear into the closes of the Royal Mile to find original sections of the wall and learn when and why they were built.  There is a lot more of the original walls remaining than you might realise! A useful map of Edinburgh city walls which is discussed on the podcast, can be found here: https://www.trove.scot/image/1323636   Places we found parts of the wall include: Tweedale Court, location of the oldest, King's Wall:  here John Knox House, probable original site of the Netherbow Port: here Wall based image of the original Netherbow Port (look up!): here Brass markings on the roadway showing the later site of the Netherbow Port: here  Long section of the Flodden Wall: here You can find sections of the walls in Greyfriar's Kirkyard: here Further sections of the Flodden and Telfer wall are in the Vennel: here   And to find out more, the Book of the Old Edinburgh Club has been publishing scholarly articles about Edinburgh's history since 1908. Enter what you are looking for (e.g. city walls) in the pages 'search' function: https://oldedinburghclub.org.uk/boec/   Details of Hetty's History Walks can be found here: https://www.hettyshistorywalks.co.uk

Early in the year I met with Clare Stephen of Wild Workforce to talk about how getting out into our forests can help HR and employee wellbeing.  We discussed Clare's experiences around mental health at work and about her ambition to turn her relatively new business into a CIC so she can work with a wider range of organisations.  Since we met she has now succeeded and her CIC has launched.   Her work on mental wellbeing and the outdoors is going from strength to strength.  We met on the shores of Loch Leven: HERE  Clare's business can be found https://www.wildworkforce.com/