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, 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: Start and Finish are adjacent to the Hermitage Visitor centre accessed from Braid Road Grid Ref: NT251703. What3words: tonic.wires.grab
Terrain
Varied terrain with good path network, contour, vegetation and rock detail. Some steep slopes.
Courses - see Control description free download for details
Course |
No of Controls |
Length (km) |
Climb (m) |
Course description |
Safety issues |
1 |
6 |
1.0 |
10 |
A simple course for beginners and families with young children. |
The Braid Burn runs through the area. It can become very dangerous when in spate and should only be crossed at the bridges. Avoid the steep slopes above the burn on both sides. Courses are planned to avoid dangerous crags, but take great care at all times. The area is very popular with dog walkers so you can expect to meet some of these.
|
2 |
12 |
2.0 |
80 |
Almost twice as long as course 1 with some steep paths that can be muddy. Not all controls are on paths |
|
3 |
15 |
3.9 |
175 |
This course needs more careful navigation and map reading, as the straight line between controls may not always be the quickest route.
|
|
4 |
15 |
4.3 |
255 |
This course has been planned to present a demanding physical and navigational challenge for more experienced orienteers.
|
|
5 |
Scatter (all controls) |
Make up your own course! |
All Controls Description | FREE | |
All Controls Map | FREE |
All Controls Description | FREE | |
All Controls Map | FREE |
Maps packs (paper or digital) can be obtained by emailing ESOC. Donations will be welcome via online banking (details on request)
The following VOCs (using the POC posts) are available as Maprun courses on a mobile phone (see table in main information panel for course details). Full instructions for accessing/using the MAPrun software can be found here www.scottish-orienteering.org/get-involved/pocs/
There is a 2 step process
1. On MaprunF or Maprun6 click on Select Event then navigate to UK->Scotland->Edinburgh->Blackford Hill and then select the Course you want (See table below). Click on Go to Start to see map on your phone
2. Download map as a PDF from the Scottish Orienteering website, link for each course in the table below. Print this off to carry with you.
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