The Pentland Way is a 20 mile (31.6km) walk along the length of the Pentland Hills. It runs between Dunsyre in South Lanarkshire and Swanston, close to the Edinburgh City bypass.
It is recognized by the Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA) as a “long distance way”. It involves 3800ft (1158m) of climbing.
About the Way
The idea of a route along the Pentlands originated in 2012 and was the brainchild of John Stirling, one of the founders of Friends of the Pentlands (FotP).
The walk was waymarked with special signage, and came into existence in 2015.
To promote the Pentland Way, the FotP published a guide to the walk written by the late Bob Paterson:
“The Pentland Way – a walk with history”.
Between 2020 and 2022 the waymarking was updated and alternative routes defined.
A new edition of the book was published in 2022 with alternative routes and more information about sights along the way.
Walking the Way
For a fit, experienced hillwalker route can be walked in a (long) day, However, for convenience the route has been described in three sections:
Dunsyre to Carlops (12 km)
Carlops to Flotterstone (10 km, and several ascents)
Flotterstone to Swanston (5 km)
The route can be followed in either direction, but it is described here from south to north. This progression enables the walker to start on the lower and less demanding sections of the walk and keeps the more dramatic sections and views for later. (It also follows the usually-prevailing SW wind, and fits better with the limited transport & parking options at the southern end.)
The way is covered by the Ordnance Survey Landranger maps 66 (Edinburgh) and 72 (Upper Clyde Valley) or Explorer 1:25000 sheet 344. Pentland Hills Penicuik and West Linton.
Accessing The Pentland Way
The Pentland Hills are bounded (from north to south) by the A70 Balerno to Carnwath road (the ‘Lang Whang’) on its north- west flank; by the A702 Hillend to Biggar road on its south-east side. Cresting the north aspect of The Way is the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass.
The best way to access The Pentland Way is by public transport:
- The Houston Coaches service 101 / 102 (to Biggar / Dumfries) which leaves Edinburgh bus station hourly through the day runs along the A702 connecting Hillend, Flotterstone, Silverburn, Carlops, West Linton and Dolphinton.
- Borders Buses service 93 connects West Linton to Peebles.
- The access points at the northern end of The Way are served by Lothian Buses:
27 and 5 to Hunter’s Tryst for Swanston access
4 to Hillend (and Swanston access)
11 passing through Fairmilehead: Hillend & Swanston access.
There are no bus services at the ends of the walk (Dunsyre and Swanston) so a short walk is necessary to connect with public transport unless the alternative start and finish locations of Dolphinton and Hillend are utilised.
There is no car park at Dunsyre.
There is no public transport along the Lang Whang (A70). The PW can be accessed from north-west side (A70 / Lang Whang) with a bit of a walk:
45 (Currie) and 44 (Currie & Balerno)
16 and 10 for Colinton,
Waymarking
Indicating the route are yellow Pentland Way waymarking roundels which may be mounted on guideposts or on plates clamped on to metal finger posts.
In places where the path may be indistinct the roundels may be attached to posts surmounted by a conspicuous yellow cap.
The alternative routes have roundels with a pale green circumference and the word ALTERNATIVE.
Where the route is shared by, or crosses, trails maintained by other organisations, you may see other waymarkers e.g. the right of way badges of Scotways or the Pentland Paths indicators of the Pentland Hills Regional Park.
Alternative route options along the Pentland Way
A number of alternative routes have been described which are designed to allow walkers to make allowance for the sparsity of public transport and to egress the Pentlands ridge in inclement weather. These include:
- Dolphinton (Houston Coaches 101/102 bus stop) to Garvald Home Farm
- Ridge escape routes – Kips to the Howe; Scald Law bealach to The Howe or to the A702 via the Kirk Road
- Flotterstone to Hill End via Castlelaw, Woodhouselee, Boghall and Erraid Wood
- Swanston to Hillend and the LRT 4 bus.
Local Facilities
Apart from Swanston at the end (start) of the Pentland Way there are no public facilities / amenities etc. There are facilities at West Linton and Flotterstone but both involve leaving the Pentland Way for a few hundred metres.
