Walking Paths

Flat tracks and woodland paths skirt around the farm and offer an easy meander or a quick dog walk, suitable even for children and bicycles. For those looking for something more challenging, the hillside tracks lead you up past the historic thatched cottages of Swanston Village and quickly up into the hill above the Farm, already presenting a stunning vista of Edinburgh, the Lothians and the Firth of Forth. From here, the heights of the peaks beckon via several paths or walkers and bikers can follow the trail around the hill, no doubt encountering our herd of Highland Cows, who graze the hills around the farm. They will blink their lovely long eyelashes at you with mild curiosity as you go by.

On a gentle, calm day, paragliders are often seen floating above Caerketton, Allermuir, Hillend and Swanston Farm, along with some of our resident birdlife, such as buzzards and skylarks.

Follow our Way-marking signs to guide you along a variety of different terrains and lengths of walks and see if you can spot some of our resident badgers, foxes, stoats, Black Grouse, Red Kites or Barn Owls. Or identify some of the beautiful array of unusual fungi, lichen and mosses, such as the ‘Scurfy Deceiver’ and the ‘Candle-Snuff Fungus’, the ‘Hairy Curtain Crust’ or the ‘Witches’ Butter’, ‘Brunton’s Dog-Tooth’ or the ‘Big-Shaggy Moss’ as well a wide range of wild flowers and trees.

Photograph showing a close-up of pine needles on a pine tree branch. The sun is lighting up the green colours, there is tiny detail of the rough area of the tree bark and there is a hint of a cobweb attached to the pine needles.
Photograph shows holly leaves on branches, with cobwebs all over them, glistening in the sunshine, which is also making the green of the holly leaves glow brightly.
Photograph showing a woodland view in woods at the base of the farm. Some of the trees have a distinctive bend in them, created during growth.
Photograph showing a wooden bridge across a small burn in the woods at the base of the farm. One of the trees has a distinctive bend in it, created during growth.
Photograph showing Swanston Brasserie and the Pentland Hills behind it, with a lovely blue sky, taken from the woodlands at the bottom of the farm, so a few trees are standing in the foreground view.

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