Читать книгу Walking in the Pentland Hills. 30 walks in Edinburgh's local hills онлайн

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Overflow at Glencorse Reservoir (Walk 24) (PHRS)

INTRODUCTION

‘The Pentland Hills are homely and friendly hills; they lie near the bounds of our city habitation, and frequent visiting begets an intimacy and friendship that is real and lasting. The most outlying parts may be reached in the course of a day’s walk, and places of silence, where none will intrude, are easily accessible.’ Will Grant’s words from his 1927 book The Call of the Pentlands are as relevant today as when they were first written. The Pentland Hills comprise a rich tapestry of landscapes and landforms, all neatly packaged within an area easily accessible from Scotland’s majestic capital city. Although principally a grass-and heather-clad, softly rounded hill range, the hills reward further exploration by revealing stunning summit vistas, quiet waterside strolls, deeply incised rocky valleys and wooded walks, as well as a fascinating natural and cultural heritage.

The Pentlands are well known to the people of Edinburgh; even for those who have not actually visited them, they form a familiar backdrop to city life. This hill range – Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘hills of home’ – arouses strong feelings, and on their return to Edinburgh, either by road, rail or air, many people regard their first glimpse of the Pentlands as confirmation of finally arriving home.