Like many cities, Edinburgh is built on seven hills. It’s pretty easy to spot most of these as soon as you arrive in the city. Calton Hill, Castle Hill and Arthur’s Seat are hard to avoid and all three will be hoaching with tourists any day of the year.
But, what about the other four hills? To the south of the city is Blackford Hill, the Braid Hills are directly behind that. To the west is Corstorphine Hill. But I bet even most locals would struggle to name the seventh hill – Craiglockhart.
“Hills”, plural, might be a better description as there are actually two distinct peaks at Craiglockhart, East and West.
Craiglockhart Hill East is the easier climb. It’s less steep, the summit is more flat and it’s a lovely stroll up from the Craiglockhart Nature Park.
Craiglockhart Hill West is a steeper climb. A lot of the hill is taken up with a golf course as well so be careful! Getting hit by a golf ball is not fun.
The views from both are amazing! As well as spotting the other six hills you also have a clear view of the Forth Bridges and across to Fife.
To reach Craiglockhart Hill(s) I recommend walking along the canal path from Fountainbridge as far as Meggetland and then cutting through the Nature Park. It should take about 45 minutes (not including both climbs). Alternatively, you could catch a bus which would take about 30 minutes from the city centre.
