Blackford Hill and The Hermitage

Managed by the City of Edinburgh Council, this area offers a surprising variety very close to the city centre. Blackford Hill itself has open grassland on the top, with steep craggy slopes to the north, west, and south. It is mostly gorse-covered but with some ways through. The Royal Observatory is situated on the hill and there are panoramic views in all directions. The Hermitage of Braid, by contrast, is a wooded river valley, damp in places. The whole area is a Local Nature Reserve and has a good network of paths.  More information can be found  here www.edinburgh.gov.uk/edinburghoutdoors/directory-record/9/blackford-hill-and-pond

The map has now been extended to the south to include part of the old golf course. 

Parking: The Start and Finish on the course maps is adjacent to the Hermitage Visitor centre (accessed from Braid Road  Grid Ref:  NT251703) but you can start and finish at any point on any course. On the reverse of All Controls Map above is a map showing all the access points onto the hill What3words: tonic.wires.grab

Terrain

Varied terrain with good path network, contour, vegetation and rock detail.  Some steep slopes.

NB In the summer it is possible that some of the posts may become obscured by undergrowth, but you can use the MapRun app on a smartphone which will beep. See the VOC Details panel

Courses - see Control description free download for details